Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Berrueto
Hi Jose, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My son, Sebastian, was the inspiration for all this. He was never really interested in volleyball. His focus in sports was basketball, and he knew that he wanted to try baseball. Volleyball was never in his radar. But in the fall of 2021 when schools were again taking part in full activities after the COVID-19 pandemic, his newly founded school, KIPP East End High School, which was in its second year of operation, took the steps to start the volleyball program for boys and girls. My son decided, along with his friends, to try volleyball mainly for fun. Unfortunately, the boys’ program could not move forward that year but they did play four scrimmages, and they were able to experience the competitive aspect of a volleyball match including their first wins. I was able to find a couple of those scrimmages for them that year. I noticed that Sebastian and a couple of his friends picked up volleyball fairly quickly but they were not club players so I figured I would do my part to help them grow and help the program as well. So the next year we had our first off-season tournament and for the boys that became an opportunity to continue learning the sport. The good thing about that tournament was that all teams participating were new programs as well so everyone was young in the sport and learning it. That off-season tournament is where Houston High School Volleyball League (HHSVL) was born.
During the fall 2022, the school officially registered the Boys Volleyball Team in their athletic association, TCSAAL, and I was invited to help as an Assistant Coach. My son was already a Junior. The Head Coach was and still is the school Principal, Olvin Carias. We worked out a plan and when he was not available because of his school responsibilities I took over and that’s how we made it work. It was our first full season and we had some really good matches. It was a good season for us. So, in the Spring 2023 I organized the next full off-season tournament inviting eight Boys Volleyball teams from the area. It was a combination of Varsity and JV teams, but it was still a very good tournament. Seeing all these teams joined made me realize how much we could do with HHSVL. The goal became to give the boys an opportunity to keep growing in the sport. It became an opportunity to keep High School Boys teams competing and help schools create their new volleyball programs, and for those that did not play club volleyball, this was also an opportunity to have continuity in the sport. There was noticeable growth in the teams that participated. I figured there was something good happening so I knew I needed to continue providing this opportunity to them. As the 2023 season ended, I figured we could make this even better so in the Spring of 2024, girls teams expressed interest in playing off-season volleyball as well so I went all out and offered boys and girls leagues, in both Varsity and JV level. I was running four separate leagues at the same time but the growth among boys was immense and better than expected. We went from 5 teams the first year, to 8 teams the second year, to 10 Boys Varsity teams and 6 Boys JV teams in 2024. That was challenging to plan, but it was a wonderful experience nonetheless. And it was a beautiful thing to see because there were magnet and charter schools that don’t sanction sports but have a volleyball club or team with incredibly good players and it finally provided them an opportunity to compete representing their school. All of this helped me find a way to bond with my son and have a similar interest. We had practices together and often on the way home, we stopped to eat and chat about the practice or game or something else. We became even better friends working together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. Texas is in love with sports, but it is still a football state. Although Texas is a mecca for volleyball, the sport is still underappreciated by many and even held back by others. Every school has a Girls team, and little by little you see a school starting a Boys Volleyball team or club in their athletics or activities. The challenge of that is that some soon give up because they do not get the school support they need because it is a time commitment and it requires additional planning because as school clubs, these teams normally don’t have budgets or the resources that the sanctioned sports do have. Also, for most Athletic Directors, specially among UIL member schools, the priority is football and more than not the AD is the football coach. After football the priorities are basketball and baseball. Volleyball is just not there and even though there’s a girls program in almost every school, it is not a program that gets additional support or resources unless the coach is the AD or the AD is fully active in every sport and neither happens often. So if you ask AD’s if they are willing to start a Boys Volleyball Club in their school, most of them will say no and time and budget become the excuse. Now there is definitely a decline in popularity in different sports in Texas such as football, basketball, boys wrestling, baseball, swimming among others. Wrestling popularity has increased because more and more girls are joining the sport. Boys Volleyball however is on the rise and regardless of that, it still doesn’t get the support or attention it needs to continue growing. So most Athletic Directors don’t want to hear about it. That’s the reason why the biggest participation in HHSVL comes from Boys because Boys lack volleyball opportunities. I’ve also heard coaches from other sports refer to Boys Volleyball in derogatory or offensive comments which is a shame. Now there are students that have formed their own clubs because their schools are not willing to sanction the sport or sponsor a club, and doing independently takes also a lot of work as well. In the meanwhile, some of those schools have gone as far as sanctioning other sports that require more funding and that are even less popular, but not volleyball, even when they have active players in the sport. Volleyball is a thrilling sport. Once you get a player to try it, most fall in love with it fast. It is a fast pace, dynamic, thrilling sport from beginning to end.
But seeing the positive response from some schools or coaches is also exciting. I have been blessed to work and collaborate with an Athletic Director in the school, Jordan Carrethers, who is willing to provide opportunities to athletes to help them grow physically and that is exciting. I have also seen girls coaches giving their valuable time to teach boys the sport and help them compete. In fact, during the last two seasons, the HHSVL Champions have all been female coaches that normally coach girls in the fall. Some magnet schools have skillful players, boys and girls, and sponsor volleyball club teams and allow them to compete. Some charter schools are building their athletic programs around academics and see the positive effect that athletics have on student-athletes, so they want to continue providing them with those opportunities. All of that is encouraging and is a reason to continue pushing forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The main goal of HHSVL is to grow volleyball among boys in the city of Houston and surrounding areas. It’s a goal that takes a lot of work and a lot of time but the growth is there. Ultimately we want to see UIL sanctioning Boys Volleyball and I know they eventually will; however, there are still many charter, magnet, and private schools that don’t have a program and that they will not be UIL member schools. So the goal is to work with every school so they can have their own Boys Volleyball program. That’s goal number one. The second goal is to organize opportunities for Boys to compete in the sport of volleyball, at a low cost and that it will fit in their budgets. It doesn’t have to be an expensive sport. And the last goal is to continue providing opportunities to both boys and girls that do not have the resources to play in volleyball clubs, so that they can keep competing with their teams in a scenario that is going to allow them to continue to grow in the sport. There are many hurdles we have to jump to make each of these goals happen but seeing the progress we’ve seen within the last few years, it’s encouraging and promising so we will continue pushing forward.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
From the beginning, Houston High School Volleyball League, has focused on giving an opportunity to athletes to grow in the sport. There are many volleyball clubs that help players develop their skill but in the case of boys, only few get to represent their school. I enjoy receiving messages from students that are eager to play volleyball in the off-season and that ask for help in how to make that happen in their school. I enjoy giving them advice and tips on how to start a club in their school. HHSVL ’24 Season was a success I was not expecting. Seeing teams competing and representing their school with so much pride was a joy and we even had four UIL member schools participating which tells me that UIL members schools are more ready than some people think to receive Boys Volleyball. I can only say that HHSVL ’25 is going to be better and hope that I can expand the opportunity to other cities. I’ve been in contact with schools in Austin, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley who have expressed interest in participating with us and if we can make it work, we would be on the road to make this even better. There is a lot of hidden talent everywhere and youth deserve the opportunity to be found and if we can create the scenario for them to compete, then that’s what we will do. In the end, it is something that not only benefits them as young athletes but also our families and our communities.
Pricing:
- $150 Registration Boys Varsity Team
- $150 Registration Girls Varsity Team
- $100 Registration Boys JV Team
- $100 Registration Girls JV Team
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hhsvl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houston_hs_volleyball/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonHSVolleyball
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HoustonHSVolleyball
