The championship banners in a high school gymnasium are not only sources of pride, but markers of history.

Some teams can dream of adding to the legacy of a sport in which their school has enjoyed considerable success by placing their year on a banner that already hangs in the gym.

This year’s Northampton boys volleyball team has an opportunity to raise a brand-new banner in Pete Schneider Gymnasium.

Head coach Sue Arndt acknowledged that it is the team’s focus.

“Most of my starting lineup is seniors,” she said. “They’re more united as a group and they have the common goal. There’s a lot more confidence this year.

“That’s what we’re shooting for but we’re doing it one step at a time. It would be awesome to hang that banner.”

Last Friday the team took their first step when they hosted Bethlehem Catholic. No one is going to confuse the Golden Hawks with an EPC contender in boys volleyball. Nevertheless, the K-Kids did more than take care of business as they walked over their overmatched foes, 25-7, 25-10, 25-3.

Johnny Martinez led the team with 9 kills. Jackson Fehnel had 5 kills and digs. Keller Repasch dished out 13 assists. Duane Milnes served 6 aces. Nolan Yost had 5 aces and 8 assists. Alex “Big Al” Schoenen led the team with 9 digs.

A better indicator of the team’s potential was demonstrated the next day as Northampton won the Rover Boys Volleyball Invitational against a field that included last year’s EPC champion, Emmaus. While those matches don’t count toward league or district records, they do establish the K-Kids as legitimate contenders.

While the K-Kids look to have taken a step forward from last year’s team that made both the EPC and district semifinals, they still have formidable roadblocks in front of them in Parkland and Whitehall who are both ranked in the top 10 in AAA in the state.

Northampton will have a chance to see how they stack up against the Trojans when they visit Parkland on Wednesday. They will have to wait until the regular season finale on May 4 to challenge the Zephyrs.