Morell Regional High School 1 – 4 Three Oaks Senior High School
Charlottetown Rural High School 0 – 2 Bluefield High School
Three Oaks Senior High School 1 – 2 Bluefield High School
Bluefield High School
2024 PEISAA Senior Men’s Baseball Champions
Bluefield
Isaac Fraser; Evan MacCormac; Kael Larter; Ryan Evans; Cal King; Jordan Noble; Richard Osoteo; Chase DeRoches; Rylan MacPhail; Dylan Drummond; Drew Watts; Seth Hansen; Gabe Wolfe
Coaches
Bobby Craig; Greg Stapleton; Mitchel Callaghan; Brandon Watts
PEISAA BASEBALL: For the second year in a row, Bluefield wins PEISAA title in thrilling fashion
The Bluefield Bobcats edged the Three Oaks Axemen 2-1 in nine innings to repeat as P.E.I. School Athletic Association Senior Boys Baseball League champions. The title game was played at Queen Elizabeth Park’s Legends Field in Summerside on Oct. 22. Members of the Bobcats are, front row, from left: Ryan Evans, Drew Watts, Gabe Wolfe, Dylan Drummond, Rylan MacPhail, Jordan Noble, Evan MacCormac and Richard Osoteo. Back row: Bobby Craig (assistant coach), Brandon Watts (assistant coach), Isaac Fraser, Cal Hemphill-King, Kael Larter, Seth Hansen, Chase DesRoches and Greg Stapleton (head coach). Missing from the photo is Mitchy Callaghan (assistant coach). – Jason Simmonds/The Guardian
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — For the second year in a row, the Bluefield Bobcats demonstrated a flair for the dramatic in the P.E.I. School Athletic Association Senior Boys Baseball League’s championship game.
After rallying from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 walk-off win in the 2023 final, the Bobcats staged another dramatic victory – 2-1 – in a rematch against the Three Oaks Axemen in the 2024 gold-medal game, played at Queen Elizabeth Park’s Legends Field in Summerside on Oct. 22.
“They all showed their school spirit, which is what Bluefield is renowned for and especially when it comes to sports. I am so incredibly proud of these young men!” – Greg Stapleton, Bobcats head coac
“It was such an incredible way to end off our season,” said Bobcats head coach Greg Stapleton. “These players really showed their determination and resilience throughout the entire game when being faced with physical challenges, and just the mental and emotional rollercoaster that presented itself as the game went on.
“They all showed their school spirit, which is what Bluefield is renowned for and especially when it comes to sports. I am so incredibly proud of these young men!”
Down to final out
Trailing 1-0 with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh inning, the Bobcats scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Bluefield then escaped a jam in the bottom of the seventh inning as Three Oaks had runners on second and third base with one out but could not get the winning run across home plate.
The Bobcats scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning on an errant throw to first base on an attempt for an inning-ending double-play.
“We didn’t really have any problem all year long scoring runs but for some reason we left it to the seventh inning to get our first one,” said Stapleton. “The guys just stayed with it… we just powered through and tried to play every inning the best we could. We stayed positive and knew good things would happen – we are too good of a team and these guys are too good of ballplayers to not have something good happen.
“It happened in the seventh inning and carried on… it was a great character win for the school.”
Outstanding pitching
The Axemen took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning in a game that featured outstanding performances from starting pitchers Seth Hansen (Bobcats) and Caleb Gallant (Axemen). Hansen worked seven strong innings while Gallant tossed 6 2/3 innings.
“The boys played well,” said Hansen, a 17-year-old senior from New Haven, P.E.I. “There was a lot of good defence and I got a lot of help.”
MVP
Hansen was named the most valuable player of the provincial playoffs.
“I was excited (to receive the award) but it should have gone to Kael Larter,” said Hansen. “The kid caught two games (on Oct. 22) and is a great catcher… He also scored the winning run.”
Stapleton said it feels incredible to repeat as provincial champions. Last year’s title marked the first provincial baseball title for Bluefield.
“We lost a couple of Grade 12s last year but we had a real good group of younger guys coming up in Grade 10 and a good core group that was still left from the previous years,” said Stapleton. “We knew we would have another strong team.
“It wasn’t quite the final we were expecting, but it makes it even better winning it like that.”
Stapleton also made a point to recognize the Axemen.
“I also tip my hat to TOSH,” said Stapleton. “They have a great group of players who are extremely well coached by one of the very best in Blair Creelman and his team.
“And just a big thank you as well to all the administrators, umpires, schools and all that make high school baseball what it is here in P.E.I.”
Jason Simmonds is a sports editor with The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached by email at jason.simmonds@theguardian.pe.ca
The J.M. Olds Collegiate Tigers in Twillingate won the SSNL AAAA Boys Softball provincial championship in Carbonear earlier month. To do that, they had to knock off schools with sometimes double their school population. Contributed photo
TWILLINGATE, N.L. — The J.M. Olds Collegiate boys softball team entered the School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador (SSNL) AAAA Boys Softball provincial championships in Carbonear as the underdog.
Not only was it the first time the school of 60 students was playing at the highest level, they were going up against schools that may as well have been giants.
They were met on the fields in Carbonear, schools like Mount Pearl Senior High, Ascension Collegiate in Bay Roberts, Corner Brook Regional High, Marystown Collegiate and the two-time defending champion Clarenville High.
With that kind of competition in front of them, you could call the Tigers David to their Goliath.
J.M. Olds slew the giants on the way to an undefeated tournament and the AAA provincial championship, which included a 13-12 win against Mount Pearl in the final and knocking off Clarenville High in the semifinals.
“There was no feeling to describe it,” said coach Mitchell Watkins.
“Really, it’s just above your expectations, and some that you’re never supposed to be able to do, that you can just accomplish, and everybody always tells you can’t do it, but you defeat the odds.”
Getting there
The Tigers’ march toward the provincial AAAA championship began two years ago when they won the AA championship.
A year later, they fell in the final of the SSNL AAA boys softball championship. That stage was set for another leap in competition.
Still, they didn’t make that decision right away.
Coach Jody Cooper, a fine softball player in his own right, knew his team could compete with any team defensively, but questioned if his players were strong enough at the plate to compete.
“Defensively, they’ve always been excellent. We can keep up with anybody,” said Jody.
That question was answered over the summer when the core parts of the team participated in the provincial udner-18 slo-pitch tournament.
After their performance against teams they saw at the AAAA tournament, Jody knew his charges could compete.
“It was a good gage to see if we beat them there for us to jump for AAAA,” he said.
Proud of the team
The accomplishment isn’t lost on the players, especially those who got to finish their high school softball career on the game’s biggest stage.
As a Level 3 student at J.M. Old Collegiate, Jase Oster won’t be a part of the team next year, but he’s looking forward to being able to watch them compete.
“I was proud of the team,” said Oster of the win.
Blake Cooper was the Tigers’ tournament MVP. Not only did he get the chance to win at the top level, but he got to share it with his father, Jody.
Like Oster, he felt the win proved that softball in Twillingate is in a good spot.
“We’ve been playing for a long time, and to finally win a big tournament is good,” said Blake.
School history
A couple of weeks later, the AAAA championship banner is now hanging in the rafters of J.M. Olds Collegiate as a sign of when their small team toppled the large ones.
It represents how far the school and the town’s softball development has come, which at one time saw teams with not enough gloves to go around.
It’s also a piece of school history and something Watkins figures everyone involved with this team will never forget.
“That’s something that is going to live and die in this building until they literally take the rafters down,” he said. “That banner is going to be raised in our gym and forevermore.
“You’re going to be a walk in that gym and know that a small school 60 came over every single school in the province, and they are the best team.”
