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Clearfield's Bode Davis, right, jousts with Northridge's Boston Ferrin at the net on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Northridge High's Boston Ferrin (11) takes a swing into the Clearfield block of James Tafea (23) and Gabe Christensen (7) on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Clearfield's Gabe Christensen, left, digs a ball while Nathan Toone also approaches in a match against Northridge on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Northridge's Christopher Weeks, top left, swings the ball into the Clearfield block of Brenden Toone, center right, and Bode Davis on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Clearfield setter Max Bohman handles the volleyball in a match against Northridge on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Northridge High's Jackson Lamb sets the ball against Clearfield on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Clearfield High's Sebastian Rodriguez passes the ball in a match against Northridge on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Northridge High's Boston Ferrin sets a ball in a match against Clearfield on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Clearfield's Brenden Toone takes a swing against Northridge on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Clearfield hitter Sebastian Rodriguez rises to swing at the ball against Northridge on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Clearfield.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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CLEARFIELD — In its second year as a sanctioned high school sport, boys volleyball now has some experience at the varsity level but is still melding new players into its core.

“We graduated a lot of seniors, but I knew we had a depth coming back from our junior class. We now have good leadership from this year’s senior class,” Clearfield coach Brooke Pehrson said. “With that being said, I have a ton of kids who have stepped into roles of the players we lost, and they’re picking up right where they left off; we’re getting better and better every single day.”

That could be scary for the Falcons’ future opponents, especially if Clearfield’s 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-12) crunching of Region 5 rival Northridge on Tuesday is any indication of things to come.

Northridge (0-5, 0-3 Region 5) has struggled this season but the Falcons didn’t take the Knights lightly.

“We had to make sure we did our best no matter who the team was. We served well and didn’t mess around,” Clearfield senior outside hitter Gabe Christensen said. “We made sure we limited our errors and played as though the team wasn’t 0-4. We definitely wanted to beat them.”

Christensen spiked 12 kills, as did senior outside hitter Sebastian Rodriguez.

“Last year’s team had so many brand-new players. Brenden Toone and Sebastian were first-time players, so this year has been a humongous improvement for both of them,” Christensen said. “Nate (Toone) has also been huge and a lot of new guys have been able to come in and get it going.”

Nate Toone drilled four aces for the Falcons (6-4, 2-1) and junior setter Max Bohman added 30 assists.

“A couple of my juniors have not played volleyball, like Bode Davis — he’s a basketball kid we recruited to come and play. When you look at this class, it looks like we have a lot of depth, and in a way we do, but some are new to the game and we also have a lot of sophomores,” Pehrson said. “We have a large team that has a lot of talent.”

Lest anyone think Christensen grew up playing volleyball, he is only a four-year veteran of club teams and in his second year with the Falcons, coming from ballroom dance.

Reflecting on his game against Northridge, Christensen said, “I thought I did pretty well. My blocking was okay and I made some good passes. I missed a few serves but I can grow from that. When I had a miss, it was a good miss instead of a free ball.”

Northridge is still in search of some answers but not completely down on themselves after the sweep.

“The fact that we’re hanging with teams and starting to push back says a lot about the hard work they’re putting in at practice. You win some and you lose some, but they are learning and having fun and that’s what’s important,” Northridge coach Madisen Brown said. “We’ve got to work on our blocking a little bit but other than that, we’ve come a really long way. Step one was teaching them to not catch the ball.”

Pehrson, meanwhile, is upbeat and sees her team at a different stage of development during this phase of the season.

“We’re starting to get to the point where we can go past the basics of volleyball. My kids that played club in the offseason have grown and gotten better. It’s exciting to coach on top of what they’ve learned there,” Pehrson said. “We lost some key seniors last year, but right now we’re well rounded and in a spot where we can go have success.”