LAKELAND – Holy Rosary High School from Lloydminster won both 3A Northeast Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (NEASAA) zone volleyball championship in St. Paul on Nov. 19 and will be heading to provincials.
Eight boys’ teams and eight girls’ teams fought for a chance to compete at the 3A provincial volleyball championship during the weekend tournament in St. Paul.
On the girls’ side, Holy Rosary Raiders beat J.A. Williams High School during the semi-final, qualifying them for the finals.
The École McTavish Public High School Marauders from Fort McMurray beat the St. Paul Saints in their semi-final.
In the gold medal game, the Raiders and the Marauders battled, with the Raiders winning the final set 25-15, taking home the zone banner.
Brad Johnston, coach for the Raiders, said the team played “excellent” on the weekend, winning 10 games, with no losses.
“We’re really young with nine rookies, so we’re only going to get better next year and the year after,” said Johnston. “So, we’re pretty excited about this group.”
He also commended École McTavish for a well-fought battle.
“They’re probably really disappointed, but I think they should be pretty happy with how they played,” he said. “They played really well.”
Kim Bishop, coach for McTavish Marauders, said winning silver is a big deal for the McTavish girls’ volleyball team.
“This is the first time the McTavish girls have made it to the championship game in the zone,” she said. “And [we] came in with our highest ranking ever – we have lots to be proud of.”
With a team made up of young, promising players, the team from Fort McMurray is looking forward to next season. Bishop concluded by congratulating the Raiders for the win. “They deserve the opportunity to go to provincials and I wish them all the luck in the world.”
In the bronze medal game, the St. Paul Saints faced off against J. A. Williams from Lac La Biche, with the hosts winning the game. Despite the Saints being unable to qualify for the Zone final, coach Hank Smid said the team is happy with the win.
“Bittersweet, but we had a good tournament, and we just came a bit short in our semi-final,” he said, adding, the team “bounced back” in the bronze medal game and played well.
“The girls played hard so I’m proud and happy for them,” said Smid.
Boys
For the boys’ semi-final, St. Paul, Holy Rosary, École McTavish, and J.A. Williams were also the final four remaining teams.
Holy Rosary defeated St. Paul, while J.A Williams beat École McTavish.
During the final game between Holy Rosary and J.A Williams, both teams fought, with J.A. Williams winning the first set.
The match only intensified in the second set, with neither team letting up. However, with the score at 24-22, J.A. Williams only needed one more point to win the game.
But Holy Rosary caught up, tying the score 24-24, and ultimately winning 26-24.
Finally, the third set was a fierce race to 15 points. While one team scored, the other team responded with their own point.
Both teams displayed they were worthy of a spot at provincials, as neither team could widen the gap beyond one point. The score was 12-12 until Holy Rosary finally reached match point first 14-13.
Then, they scored once more to win the championship and a spot at provincials.
Meanwhile, St. Paul won the bronze medal against École McTavish.
Saints coach Brandon Strocki said despite not moving on to the final, “the boys rallied in the bronze medal with heads held high” and won their last game of the year.
“Even though it wasn’t the championship, they still were able to win the last game of the year and that’s always a nice feeling to end the season,” said Strocki.
Strocki said he has never seen such parity in the 3A Zone where any of the top four or five teams could have easily won the banner. According to Strocki, St. Paul only had two losses during the zone tournament, “and they both happened to be versus Holy Rosary.”
While both losses were tough, Strocki said he was “super proud” of the Saints’ boys volleyball team, and “the way they battled their competitors and gave everything they had.”
He added, “There’s nothing to be ashamed of walking away with the bronze medal.”
“I’ll also tip my hat to our one Grade 12 player Jessie Smyl (#14),” who Strocki said was unable to play volleyball when he was in Grade 10, due to the pandemic.
Last year and this year, “[Smyl] stepped up and has been a big part of this team,” said Strocki. “So, for him to graduate with a bronze medal is great for him.”
Nicholas Billo (#7), team captain for the St. Paul Saints said the team performed well despite the challenges and the stiff competition. While there were “ups and downs,” Billo said, “that’s the theme of volleyball.”
“We didn’t come on top this time around, but we did in the bronze match – and that’s what matters.”
Billo said the team will come back “harder than ever” for next year’s season. He concluded by commending the team and all those who came out to show their support.
“It’s nice playing at home and doing what we can do.”
