How Mars boys volleyball’s Kaden Gratton has become ‘the face of this whole run’ in PIAA tournament
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Mars (22) Derek Piatek pikes the ball on West Shamokin (4) Travis Johns in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (2) Colton Riska serves the ball against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (4) Kyler Robinson tips the ball over West Shamokin Nicky Atherton in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (10) Liam Quinn celebrates a block against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (5) Tyler Raabe bumps the ball against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (4) Kyler Robinsonruns back to save the ball against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (2) Colton Riska saves the ball against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (10) Liam Quinn and (9) Owen Javor celebrate after defeating West Shamokin 3-0 in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars head coach Mike Nypaver argues a call with a referee against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (30) Kaden Gratton blocks a hit by West Shamokin (5) Bradyn Rodgers in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (2) Colton Riska and (22) Derek Piatek celebrates a point against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (1) Ryan Ceh blocks a spike by West Shamokin (7) Ezra Oesterling in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (30) Kaden Gratton celebrates after winning game one against West Shamokin in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (1) Ryan Ceh spikes the ball on West Shamokin (7) Ezra Oesterling and (5) Bradyn Rodgers in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (22) Derek Piatek pikes the ball on West Shamokin (4) Travis Johns in a PIAA Class 2A boys volleyball tournament quarterfinal Saturday at Gateway High School on Saturday June 8, 2024. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
He won’t admit it, but perhaps no one on Mars’ boys volleyball team better exemplifies the program’s meteoric rise in the last three years than Kaden Gratton.
Ryan Ceh is a towering presence in the middle, and Kyler Robinson quarterbacks the Fightin’ Planets offense as good as anyone.
But Gratton provides the soul for a team in its first PIAA tournament semifinal in just its seventh year of existence.
The senior middle hitter joined the program as a freshman because he “just thought it’d be fun to play volleyball.” The Planets had never won a playoff game to that point under now seventh-year head coach Mike Nypaver. Gratton had no aspirations of on-court glory.
He rose from the junior varsity roster to Connor Thompson’s back on varsity as a junior. Now he’s a key starter for an undefeated Mars team set to face District 10 champion Meadville (19-0) in Tuesday’s PIAA Class 2A semifinal at Shenango High School at 6 p.m.
“I never expected anything like this, but I’m glad it’s happening, for sure,” Gratton said.
Gratton's growth has coincided with Mars’ own improvement. The Planets were 5-10 in 2021, then 1-15 a year later. When Gratton joined varsity in 2023, they went 16-4, won their first WPIAL playoff game and made their state tournament debut.
Now they’re 22-0 and a win away from an unprecedented championship appearance — which will be played Saturday at 11 a.m. at Penn State University’s Recreation Building.
“I think Kaden is a very good example of [the program’s rise],” Robinson said.
“He’s our biggest vocal leader,” Ceh said after Saturday’s 3-0 quarterfinal sweep of West Shamokin. “[N]ow this year he finally gets his chance, and he’s just shining in his role. So he’s just kind of had that natural progression, and he’s been the face of this whole run for us.”
Gratton roars after every kill; he had an unofficial seven of them Saturday. Everyone in the gym knows when Mars has won a point because of Gratton’s obvious reaction. (Which draws a sharp contrast to the stoic Ceh, who barely flinched after sending Mars to the state semis with the match-winning point.)
Gratton was among the loudest on the team when the Planets finished off the sweep of West Shamokin.
But he’d disagree he exemplifies his team’s takeoff into state contender.
“I don’t think it’s one person specifically, I think it’s everybody,” he said Saturday. “Everybody had a great offseason, everybody got a lot better, our team grew mentally, especially, we’ve gotten a lot stronger mentally, we’ve gotten better. I think it’s just everyone.”
It has taken more than the vocal leader to get to this point. Ceh had an unofficial 14 kills and three blocks in the state quarterfinal victory, and junior Derek Piatek unofficially had 10 kills and three aces. The senior class includes 11 players.
But none mirror the Planets’ surge like Gratton.
Where: Shenango High School, New Castle
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Tickets: $8, can be purchased at piaa.org
How they got here: Mars, led by coach Mike Nypaver, won its first WPIAL Class 2A title, then beat District 10 runner-up Saegertown 3-0 in the state first round and swept District 6 champ West Shamokin 3-0 in the quarterfinals ... Meadville, led by coach Nick Bancroft, beat WPIAL runner-up Armstrong 3-1 and survived a five-set match against District 3 third-seed Lower Dauphin in the quarterfinals
Winner faces: 3-1 Exeter (23-0) vs. 3-2 Manheim Central (17-1) on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Penn State University’s Recreation Building
