Gold returned to the Klondike in the form of junior boys volleyball medals Saturday.

The Robert Service School Knights defeated the Porter Creek Rams in three sets to earn a rare championship for Dawson City.

The deciding games of the Yukon volleyball championships were held Saturday at F.H. Collins Secondary School.

(See tomorrow’s Star for coverage of the senior championships.)

The Knights stormed out to an early lead in the first set, but went on to lose it 25-22 after the feisty Rams eventually evened things up at 22-22.

But backed by a rowdy crowd of Dawson City supporters, the Knights regrouped to win two straight sets by scores of 25-17 and 15-7.

Knights powerhouse Zack Bartholomeus was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

“It’s really exciting,” the Grade 10 student told the Star post-game. “We’ve been working hard all season. I’m really happy.”

The Knights finished second to the F.H. Collins Warriors No. 1 team in the round-robin, but beat both Vanier Crusaders teams in the playoffs to earn a berth in the final.

Meanwhile, the Rams upset the first-place Warriors in their semifinal Friday night to gain a date with the Knights.

Bartholomeus said the small-town nature of Dawson City helped his team grow together over the years.

“We all know each other and work really well together as a team,” the 15-year-old said.

“We’ve been working as a team since Grade 7.”

He expected a big party to be thrown upon the team’s return to the Klondike.

“It will be awesome,” he said.

This year’s championship actually marked the third kick at the can for the Dawson squad, who bypassed the Grade 8 triple-ball format to compete against older players in Grade 9 and 10.

The group won the Grade 8 championships in 2011 when they were all in Grade 7.

Rams coach Tara Wardle said she was happy for the Knights program.

“It’s just fantastic,” she said. “It’s been a long time since the communities have come in and been able to field a team that’s not only competitive, but can win this tournament.

“I have to give credit to the coach up in Dawson. They’ve been doing a phenomenal job with their program and it’s starting to pay off.”

Wardle said her team’s bench was decimated by injuries and other issues prior to the weekend.

“We didn’t win a game in the round robin,” she added. “It took us a while to find our chemistry.”

Porter Creek was represented in all four volleyball finals this year.

Alongside Bartholomeus, other members of the Knights included: Jacob Caley, Caleb Verdonk, John Kolpin, John Dagostin, Will Connellan and Connor Fellers.

Kolpin and Dagostin served as co-captains for the young club.

“It’s special,” Knights coach Steve Laszlo said of the gold medal win.

“They’ve been a special group since I’ve started with them in Grade 7.

“They’ve worked hard and it’s really neat to see. They were a really determined bunch this year. They wanted it and I think it showed on the court.

“We’ve been to the dance but we haven’t won in this division in a while,” Laszlo added. “It’s special to win.”

Prior to the medal presentation, tournament official Peter Grundmanis told the crowd that the junior players were the first to play developmental triple-ball when it was first introduced in the territory three years ago.

“Look where it’s got them,” he said, noting that this group will form the backbone of the Yukon’s next Canada Games squad.

The Warriors No. 1 team beat the Crusaders No. 1 team for bronze.