BATTLE CREEK — The Grand Haven High School boys volleyball team has had the proverbial target on its back since entering the season ranked No. 1.

That target proved tough to hit.

The Buccaneers closed out a 41-1 season Saturday at Kellogg Arena with a 3-1 victory in the Division 1 Final over previously-unbeaten Lake Orion. Grand Haven’s 25-19, 25-11, 29-31, 25-18 victory gave the Bucs the first MHSAA Division 1 Finals trophy in boys volleyball.

“They accomplished exactly what they wanted when they started the year,” said Grand Haven coach Jim VanTol. “We knew we were the team to beat all year, and they came into every match knowing that. They got exactly what they came for and what they wanted. They practice hard, they play hard and they like each other, which helps a lot.”

Grand Haven was paced by the inaugural Mr. Volleyball Award winner Caleb Cryst and the power hitting of juniors Alfredo Ellis and Maddox Krugler and sophomore John Cryst.

In between the second and third sets, senior Caleb Cryst was presented with the Mr. Volleyball trophy.

“It’s so special,” he said. “Bringing (the championship) home with Maddox, Fredo, John, all of my teammates. I’ve played with them for years, and that’s our goal.”

VanTol said Cryst is the “perfect guy” to be awarded such an honor and not just because of his volleyball skills, which he will take to Defiance College next year.

“He’s not just a great volleyball player; he’s so good as a leader and motivator on the team,” Van Tol said. “He just loves volleyball and lives and breathes volleyball, and that trophy should go to a guy like that.”

In the opening set, Lake Orion showed why it entered the Final with an unblemished 23-0 record. With seniors Jan Ludvik and Kuba Wolski handling just about all of the outside hitting duties, the Dragons carved out an 18-14 lead.

John Cryst helped right the Grand Haven ship with three kills, and with the score tied at 19-19, he served the next six points with a kill by Caleb Cryst sealing it.

The Bucs then put on a clinic of how to stop Lake Orion’s attack by blocking just about everything that came their way from Ludvik or Wolski. Grand Haven rolled to a 20-6 lead en route to the 25-11 win.

“This is an incredible season to get to the last game of the season like this and be undefeated until today,” Lake Orion coach Tony Scavarda said. “We just wanted the opportunity to go up against the best team in the state. I think we made a good showing. We had one bad set, but other than that we were very competitive.”

Ludvik and Wolski got rolling in the third set, roaring out to a 17-9 lead on Ludvik’s sixth kill of the set.

“We said before the third set just to have fun, enjoy the moment and embrace it,” Ludvik said.

When it seemed as though a fourth set was moments away, Grand Haven punched back with senior Owen Jiang and Caleb Cryst combining for three block-kills that along with two Krugler kills made it 25-24 with senior Carson Moroney serving match point.

Ludvik’s falling away hit rolled along the top of the net and fell on the other side in-bounds to make it 25-25, and Lake Orion survived two more match-point serves as the score reached 29-29. A Grand Haven service error and a Ludvik kill gave Lake Orion life.

“It’s one of those things, every team we play pretty much knows where the ball is going but not every team can stop it,” Scavarda said. “They had the talent and size to slow us down out there. Our guys still got their kills when they needed to and kept us competitive. They definitely made it tough on us because they’re very good on the other side of the net.”

The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair with neither team nudging ahead by more than two points until the Bucs turned a 14-13 deficit into an 18-15 lead. They closed the match on a 12-4 run with a Lake Orion serve into the net ending the match.

Grand Haven had reached three straight state championships in boys volleyball (under the coaches association’s previous direction), falling short each time.

“I feel a lot of adrenaline. I don’t feel like it’s hit me yet,” Caleb Cryst said. “Winning that last point it’s kind of surreal. I’ve been on the opposite side of that the past three years, and to be here feels amazing.”

While Saturday marked the end of Cryst’s high school career, the Bucs return plenty — and will likely have that target etched squarely on their backs again next spring.

“Most of our power guys are back, and our youth program is very strong,” VanTol said. “Our eighth-grade class has two or three or four guys who will push these guys for starting spots.”

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Grand Haven hoists its championship trophy Saturday afternoon at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) Lake Orion’s Cole Essmann (6) leaps to block a Grand Haven kill attempt.