JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com

Haven’t written an All in the Family column in a while. But when I heard about this story, I jumped on it. Read on …

At Manheim Central High School, volleyball is a family affair.

And thanks to the Strait family, Barons’ volleyball is alive and kicking.

You probably remember Ryan Strait from his days at Hempfield, when he coached the Black Knights’ boys volleyball team to state championships in 1994, 1996 and 1997.

He was one of the original architects who built Hempfield into a boys and girls volleyball powerhouse. The boys team has won nine state titles, including the last two in a row. And the girls team has won a pair of state championships.

But after the 1997 season Strait moved on. After a year and a half off, he coached the girls program at Warwick for two seasons before landing at Central in 2002 as the girls coach after another two-year hiatus.

“My wife says I have the shortest retirements ever,” Strait said, chucking.

Strait spent the next four years coaching his daughter, Becky, who was a three-time first-team all-section performer for the Barons. She now plays club ball for Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland, while her dad continues to coach Central’s girls team in the fall.

But coaching his daughter for four varsity seasons – plus guiding her club team since she was 8 – was just the tip of the iceberg for Strait, who was also instrumental in starting the boys L-L League in the late 80s.

If you scour Central’s roster their names immediately stick out. And if you stick your head in at a Barons’ practice, you can’t miss them.

Steve and Jeff Strait are juniors at Central. Steve is a hitter who plays outside and in the middle. Jeff is a setter, and was an all-section pick last spring.

Yes, they are Ryan’s boys. And they’re fraternal twins. Steve is older by 13 minutes.

So Central’s coach not only coached his daughter for four seasons, but now he’s coaching his twin sons. And to complete the circle, Ryan’s wife, Kathy, is the Barons’ public address announcer for home games. She called every one of Becky’s matches in Manheim, and continues the tradition today with Steve and Jeff – and her husband on the bench.

“To be able to do this with all of them,” Ryan said, “is a joy.”

While Central’s girls program has been on the map for several years, the boys varsity program is in just its second season. The Barons went 2-10 in league matches in their first varsity season last spring, and they’re still building from the ground up.

But for Ryan, who has had the thrill of standing in the middle of the court, holding up a gold state-championship trophy, he’s taking satisfaction in building a program from scratch. And to be able to do that, while coaching his twin boys, he said, is priceless.

“Are we going to win the state title this season? Probably not,” Ryan said. “Are we going to win the league title? Probably not. But to be here with my boys, and to get to watch them develop, and to watch them help the whole program develop is really, really neat.

“It’s a thrill to be with them and watch them help our program. Not many parents get the experience of coaching their kids. I got to coach all three of mine.”

Steve and Jeff, who are both ranked in the top 25 in their class, got hooked on volleyball when Ryan was coaching at Hempfield. They even served as water and towel boys, just like their big sister before them.

“I knew the whole layout of Hempfield High School because Jeff and I were always over there running around the hallways,” Steve said. “I can remember them winning state titles and watching them get gold medals.”

But with no varsity program at Central, Steve and Jeff took up other sports. Both play soccer for the Barons, who reached the Double-A state finals two years ago and the Double-A state semifinals last spring.

Jeff pulls double-duty in the fall, serving as the punter for Central’s football team. He was an all-section selection last fall.

And now they’re key cogs on the Barons’ volleyball team, which got started, incredibly, when Dane Good, who graduated last year, did his senior project on why Central should start a varsity boys volleyball program.

It worked, meaning Strait, who coached his daughter, now gets to coach his twin boys – while his wife announces the starting lineups.

A family affair, indeed.