And just like that, the first three months of SHSAA sport are done. The last medals for fall sports were handed out this weekend at the Boys Provincial Volleyball Championships. A huge ‘thank you’ to all our SWAC junior/senior coaches for working with our kids in our fall sports (Cross Country, Soccer, Football and Volleyball). Your hours dedicated to school sport are appreciated more than you know. SWAC also wants to recognize and thank our soccer, football, volleyball officials for all you do for student athletes in our district and province.
PROVINCIAL VOLLEYBALL
Both Frontier and Fox Valley were in Middle Lake/Lake Lenore for the 1A boy’s provincial championship. The Frontier Raiders came out on the short end of many close games in pool play. The Raiders lost in the second set to Rouleau (27-25) and Thunderchild (25-22). Frontier won a very exciting match with Annaheim (25-23, 22-25, 16-14), but a 2-0 loss to Edam Saturday morning hurt their chances to advance to the playoff rounds. Skill wise, they matched up with the top teams, it was just very even and competitive in their pool. They finished tied for fourth and were eliminated from playoffs due to the tie-break procedure.
Fox Valley finished first in their pool with a perfect 3-0 record. It took three sets to get by both Cutknife and Middle Lake, and they beat Bellevue and Arcola in two straight sets. Being first in Pool B meant that they would cross over and play Edam in the quarterfinal. After securing a 2-0 win, they went on to face Annaheim in the semifinal. It was a very tough match for Fox Valley and they had to come from behind on more than one occasion. The Legends battled to a huge 2-1 win and a spot in the gold medal final against Thunderchild.
The final was a battle of the only two unbeaten teams left in the tournament. In set one, Fox Valley charged back again and again, when they were down, but came out on the losing end of a 25-23 score. In the second set, Fox Valley did not have an answer for the attacking power of Thunderchild. Though the Legends tried to rally late in the second set, it was not enough on this day, and Fox Valley lost (2-0). The Fox Valley Legends came home with a well-deserved silver medal.
Leader Saints (2A boys) were in Kinistino/Melfort for the SHSAA Championship. At the end of pool play, they were tied for first with a record of 3-1. They had wins over Kinistino (2-0), Montmarte (2-1) and Saskatoon’s Ecole Canadienne (2-0). Their only loss came at the hands of Medstead (1-2). The loss to Medstead meant those two teams were tied for first place in their pool, but Leader was placed second after the tie-break was applied.
The Saints defeated Pinehouse 2-0 in the quarterfinal, but lost to the strong team from Wawota in the semifinal. That meant Leader would be playing for bronze against Wilke. The Saints came back from being down on more than one occasion in the bronze medal game. After a heart stopping three sets, the Leader Saints came out on top and claimed the bronze medal! (28-26, 28-30, 18-16).
SUBMITTED PHOTO
BASKETBALL OFFICIAL’S CLINIC
SWAC will be holding a Basketball Official’s Clinic on Wednesday, November 28. The clinic starts at 6:30 and takes place in the lecture theater at Swift Current Comp. We are actively trying to increase the number of basketball officials we have in SWAC. If you are interested in more details, about how to become a basketball official, contact Valerie Gordon or Tyson Krause (MCCHS).
WINTER SPORTS
Our SWAC winter activities (basketball, wrestling, curling) have officially begun. The schedules for the SWAC junior and senior basketball leagues will be sent out as soon as teams are finalized.
The Chinook Sports Report is submitted by Valerie Gordon
