November Highlights

Broncos Bring Home Gold

For the Beaver Brae Bronco’s junior girls basketball team, having the home court advantage for the NorWOSSA “AA” championships proved to be a contributing factor to the team’s success in the tournament.

With a few close losses in the weeks prior to the tournament, coach Patti Chisholm remained optimistic and knew her squad of girls had the dedication and determination to bring home the gold.

In the semi-final game, the Broncos beat the Dryden Eagles 30-26 and then pulled off the upset in the final against Fort Frances with a victory of 35-31 for the gold medal.

“We just put everything together today” said Chisholm. “I was very confident we were to win the last game because the semi-final victory provided a good warm up for the girls. It helped set their focus. It helped them make sure they really wanted it”

Despite having a short bench, the girls play with a lot of energy. Teale Iverson scores 12 points in the semi-final game alongside of Rylee Smith who scored another either to rack up the scoreboard. Iverson had a great showing in the gold medal game as well with a total of 17 points.

Another contributing factor to the team’s success was that the five Bronco girls on the court were all great shooters, which makes it very difficult for the opponent to defend. “A team can shut down one shooter, but not five” said Chisholm.

However, in the finals against the Huskies, the girls needed to step up their defense because the Huskies had the height advantage on them. The girls played extremely aggressive, and that style of play secured them a championship title at the sound of the final buzzer.

George McDougall Golden Boys

The George McDougall Mustangs junior boys volleyball team won the final gold medal game in the south central zone tournament in Okotoks.

This is the first time the boys have wont the zone championship – and they did so by convincingly beating the host Foothills Composite Falcons 25-17 and 25-15. They went undefeated in the round robin, and that helped them build up their confidence to pull off the upset in the finals.

The boys entered the tournament ranked fourth after finishing third in Rocky View league.

They knew the final game was going to be a tough battle. The Mustangs started with four Grade 10s and two Grade 9s, whereas the Falcons started with Grade 10s and 11s.

“It has always been very difficult to win the JV zone for that reason alone,” commented Mustangs coach, Jim Masse.  The boys were on top of their game – making few mistakes and making smart decisions.

“I am so proud of this entire group of players this year. This is a very good team,” stated Masse.

A Tournament for the Titans

The Harry Ainlay Titans Mens Senior volleyball team knew what they were up against walking onto the court for the championship match in the all-Edmonton tournament. Playing against their rivals from Edmonton Christian, it was going to be a tough match.

The Titans journey to the final game wasn’t an easy one. They had fought long and hard beating out 12 of Alberta’s best teams in the “AAAA” division over the weekend. The team played great defense and offense and only got stronger and more in sync with each game. According to the team’s coach, Ryan Flannigan, the biggest challenge was getting the guys to stay focused and to play each game like it were their last.

“We wanted to be in the finals, but sometimes you overlook the game that you’re in at the moment”, said Flannigan. When asked about the team’s dynamic, “it was a really fun team. Our guys really enjoyed each other, and it was really a team effort throughout the entire year. As a team, we progressed more than anyone anticipate at the start of the year”.

Although winning a championship is a great feeling of pride and accomplishment, it is important to make sure your team is having fun too!

Remember the Raiders

No one expected the junior boys championship title for the Haldimand Norfolk Bowl to come down to the final play between the Delhi Raiders and the Waterford Wolves.

The Raiders had the Wolves covered in the end zone when the Wolves attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion. Raider Taylor Kunkle swatted the football out of the air and secured his team a 28-26 victory to bring the bowl home.

The snow-covered field didn’t seem to bother either team at the start of the game. Both teams were determined to play their best and both wanted to bring home the bowl to their respective high school.

The teams were well matched-up with the lead changing a total of five times throughout the first half of the game. With 1:25 left in the second quarter, the Raiders managed to score two touchdowns bringing the score to 21-13 at the half.

The third quarter proved to be challenging for both teams. Fatigue was setting in and injuries were affecting the players’ abilities to get points on the board.

With 8:42 left to play until the final whistle, a Waterford break came from a blocked Raiders punt that allowed the Wolves to run back the ball and close the gap to two points.

After an impressive defensive showing from both teams, the Raiders manage to break through the defense after Quarterback Kyle VanWynsberghe drove his team to the four-yard line. A quick handoff play to running back Jake Dougherty gave the Raiders another 6 points to add on the scoreboard with less than two minutes left to play.

After a missed extra point, the score was 28-20. The Wolves had to give it their all to get to the Raiders end zone and Quarterback Lucas McConnell did not fold under pressure. He connected twice on two long tosses to bring the Wolves in the Raiders’ red zone. They got to the one-yard line and fullback Jackson McClay ran the ball for a crucial touchdown.

With two points needed to tie, the Wolves had no choice but to go for the two-point conversion. The pass did not connect with a Wolves player, and the Raiders took the championship title in a nail biting, edge-of-your-seat type of game.