In eighth grade, Ahmad Powell attended several boys volleyball games between Homewood and Flossmoor.
They literally became a game changer for him.
A basketball player became a standout volleyball player because of those games.
“That turned my attention to volleyball,” Powell said. “I played basketball, but I wanted to play another sport. I saw volleyball and thought, 'Let's see what this is all about.'”
He said he played basketball for a year at HF, but decided to play club volleyball and then focused solely on that sport.
If he had stuck with basketball, he could have been on the roster of a team that just won the Class 4A state championship for the first time in program history.
But Powell has no regrets.
“They did their job whether I was there or not,” he said with a smile.
A grinning Powell did what he had to do Tuesday night at Orland Park.
The young outside hitter led the Vikings to a 25-22, 19-25, and 31-29 win in the Southwest Suburban Conference against Sandburg with 10 kills, two aces, and acrobatic shooting. I won.
Nate Epley contributed nine kills, including six in Marathon Game 3 for HF (23-7, 2-3). Lane Sunley had four kills and four solo blocks, and Talendran Heyward added 28 assists.
Jeremiah Aro led Sandburg (15-9, 3-2) with 11 kills. Will Ashum followed with nine.
In this match, both teams made a combined 30 serve errors, with HF committing 17.
“That was a bad game for us,” Powell said. “But we did what we had to do and got the job done. We could have gotten out of this sooner, but we have to finish.”
The Vikings have been sluggish with just 2 wins and 4 losses in their past six games. This road win could get them back on track.
“It's revolutionary considering how we came back,” Powell said of the win. “My passes are getting better and my sets are getting better. I'm connecting more.
“This is essential because we haven’t been able to connect the last few games.”
The 6-foot Powell displayed a variety of skills this spring in hitting, serving and defense.
“He's a great athlete,” HF coach Mark Ciesielski said of Powell. “This kid has a 32-inch vertical jump and he's the strongest kid we've ever found.
“He's also a smart guy. He's class president, he's the top student in his class, and he leads by example. This year, we also expect him to be a word leader. .”
Hayward knows that when he sets the ball up for Powell, good things usually happen.
“He's a good player,” Hayward said of Powell. “He jumped out of the gym. This is his first year set and he's usually an outside hitter. I feel like he's gained perspective on how the outside works.
“He's playing very well.”
Hayward said several colleges are eyeing him, but he's undecided if he wants to go to the next level.
“We're playing it like it's our farewell tour,” Hayward said. “We want to bring home as many medals and plaques as possible and end the tradition at HF.”
Powell, who plays for the Ultimates in the offseason, has not received any college interest yet, but Ciesielski said he hopes his talented outside recruit will attend schools such as Stanford or Harvard.
For Powell, who takes his studies seriously, it's not just athletics.
“Science really captures my attention,” he said. “I like physics. It means everything. Physics is the science of the world. I like mathematics.
“And I like the gym. They're all fun subjects.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.