MEADVILLE — Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes there is that one player who stands heads and shoulders above anyone else.

Other times it is downright exhausting. Because sometimes  — All right. Often times — there just isn’t any separation between District 10’s most elite boys volleyball players.

This was one of those years.

The Meadville Tribune’s annual Dream Teams and players of the year are just that. They are honors chosen solely by the Tribune sports staff.

We do poll area coaches for their thoughts, but utimately the decision rests in the hands of the staff. And while there were numerous talented players in District 10 this year receiving nods from area coaches — namely liberos Alex Minnis of Meadville and Austin Acel of Maplewood — there was one player who earned notice from the entire staff.

That player was Cochranton senior middle hitter Josh Oertly, the unanimous choice for The Meadville Tribune’s Boys Volleyball Player of the Year.

Oertly made a huge impact for the Cardinals both on and off the court and was a major factor in their run to the District 10 championship and their first PIAA Class AA state quarterfinal berth since 2003.

Oertly missed the first four dual matches of the season while recovering from a broken right hand he suffered during a final regular season basketball game. He returned on April 24 in a home match versus McDowell and instantly contributed, tallying 11 digs, three blocks and nine kills in a sweep of the Trojans.

“Josh made a huge impact for us this year,” Cochranton coach Brad Custead said. “Would we have been there in the end if he hadn’t been there? Probably not. He made that big of an impact. He was a huge block out there.

“That was one of the biggest things,” Custead added. “He held the block for Michael (Shirey). Everyone thought the ball was going to him. When Josh came back, the defense never knew where the ball was going to go. It became a whole new ball game when he came back.”

For sure.

Not only was Oertly a big presence at the net with his hitting and blocking, he played outstanding defense in the backcourt and was a lethal option on attack from there as well.

“He’s such a complete player,” Maplewood head coach Sheila Bancroft said. “He plays the whole way around. And I thought he was a leader in everything he did, blocking, passing, defensive.

“And when it was down the stretch, he dominated. At regionals, he was the difference. He really became the kind of player I thought he would be.”

In seven regular season dual matches, Oertly tallied a total of 76 kills, 40 blocks, 63 digs and nine service aces — an average of 10.9, 5.7, 9.0 and 1.3 per game, respectively.

The Cards were 13-5 after Oertly’s return. That run included a 7-3 effort during the postseason that ended with a pair of losses at Penn State University in the state quarterfinals.

“He gave them some offensive outs that they weren’t getting earlier in the year,” Conneaut Valley coach John Chapman said, “and more play at the net. He got very hot at the right time and rode a good streak. He made a different presence.”

The area Oertly, who was also named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s state championships all-tournament team, took most pride in this season, though, had little to do with his athletic play. Rather, it was his contribution as a leader on the floor, which resonated to a young team and helped it grow along the way.

“I tried to add excitement and be a leader on the floor,” he said. “I tried being loud and being excited.”

He learned just how important that was while sitting on the bench early in the season.

“I got to see from (the coaches’) point of view what they see from us,” he said. “And it helped me to be able to communicate to them from the sidelines.”

For a while, it wasn’t known when or if Oertly, who will try to win a spot on the Penn State Behrend men’s basketball team this winter, would return to the Cardinals’ lineup. The 6-foot-2 middle hitter didn’t have the hand X-rayed until after the postseason in basketball.

“It’s high school volleyball,” Custead said. “If we got him back later in the season that was fine, but he came back at the perfect time.”

And he wound up pushing the Cards over the top and to a season finish they will remember forever.

“It’s something they are never going to forget,” Custead said.