Miami High’s Denzel Madrigal is Dade’s Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year

Since arriving from his native Cuba six years ago, Denzel Madrigal progressively made his presence felt on the volleyball scene in Miami.

Madrigal left his biggest mark over the past two years on the program that resides at Miami’s oldest high school.

Once a raw talent, Madrigal refined his skills in the sport and was a key cog in the revival of the boys’ volleyball program at Miami Senior High leading the Stingarees twice to the state tournament after what had been a 17-year absence.

It’s why Madrigal is the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade County Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year.

Madrigal, a 6-foot, 4-inch senior outside hitter who is verbally committed to play collegiately at Bluefield University, an NAIA school in Virginia, led the Stingarees to a 24-7 record this past season.

Although Miami High lost in the state quarterfinals to eventual champion Winter Park, it dominated most of its competition this season and won the GMAC championship for the first time in school history.

“When we started we didn’t have much of a team and didn’t know how to play,” Madrigal said after the state quarterfinals. “We started training and getting better and now we’ve started something here (at Miami High).”

Madrigal recorded 363 kills and 227 digs while blocking 47 shots and serving up 46 aces.

Madrigal drastically improved from last season, getting more comfortable playing on the outsides than just in the middle and adding more tools to his overall game as a server and passer.

Madrigal being able to switch positions and move primarily outside opened up the Stingarees’ attack better and allowed for other players like Bryan Meza, Aurel Nyemeck and Eduardo Hernandez to contribute more and frustrate opposing teams’ blockers.

“We’ve been working hard and looking forward to this,” Madrigal said after Miami High beat perennial state contender Southwest in the GMAC final. “I’m definitely more comfortable being in a lead role this year.”

Madrigal is one of six seniors who built a strong foundation at the school the Stingarees hope will lead to future success.

“I think we started something over the past two years,” Miami High coach Rafael Cabanzon said. “They saw that this group and guys like Denzel did and now more and more kids want to be a part of the program.”