MHSAA JUNIOR VARISTY  2023 VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
	GIRLS 1A/2A	BOYS 1A/2A
Gold	Warren Collegiate Institute	Miami School
Silver	Rosenort School	Carberry Collegiate Institute
Bronze	Goose Lake High School	Glenboro School
Antique Bronze	St Paul’s Collegiate Institute (Elie)	Warren Collegiate Institute
	GIRLS 3A	BOYS 3A
Gold	École secondaire Neelin High School	Garden Valley Collegiate Institute
Silver	W C Miller Collegiate Institute	Linden Christian School
Bronze	Collège Béliveau	St John’s-Ravenscourt School
Antique Bronze	Collège Léo–Rémillard	Collège Louis-Riel

MHSAA Girls A/AA Tournament All Star Team

#6 Camryn Oliver – Warren Wildcats; #9 Paige Sidel – Warren Wildcats; #15 Willow Murray – Rosenort Redhawks; #10 Jenna Falk – Rosenort Redhawks; #7 Reese Graham – Goose Lake Angels; #4 Breyannee Moore – St. Paul’s Barrons

MHSAA Tournament Girls A/AA MVP: #3 Torie Galbraith – Warren Wildcats

MHSAA Boys A/AA Tournament All-Star Team

Tucker Forbes (Glenboro Panthers); Chase Hnatuk (Warren Wildcats); Josiah Glaser (Carberry Cougars); Keaton Snaith (Carberry Cougars); Max Koscienly (Miami Marlins); Liam Dyck (Miami Marlins)

MHSAA Tournament Boys A/AA Most Valiable Player: Luke Swain (Miami Marlins)

MHSAA Girls AAA Tournament All Star Team

#21 Kyana Myall – Collage Beliveau; #25  Ava Hall – Leo Remillard; # 12 Kate Swatsky – WC Miller; #9 Isabella Peters – WC Miller; #6 Elli Pomehichuk – Neelinl # 11 Layla Desjarden – Neelin

MHSAA Tournament Girls AAA MVP: #9 Dana Linov – Neelin

MHSAA Boys AAA Tournament All Star Team

# 5 Henry Scarcello SJR; #11 Josh Barrett Louis Riel; #3 Marco Byfield – Linden Christian; #9 Isaak Buhler – Linden Christian; #3 Noah Vandenberg  Garden Valley; #9 Isaak Buhler  Garden Valley

MHSAA Tournament Boys AAA MVP: #11 Alfredo Enns – Garden Valley

MHSAA JUNIOR VARSITY 2023 A – AAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PARTICIPANTS

	Girls	Boys
A/AA	Elton Collegiate Institute	Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute
	Prairie Mountain High School	Carberry Collegiate Institute
	Killarney School	Immanuel Christian School
	Immanuel Christian School	Elton Collegiate Institute
	Warren Collegiate Institute	Warren Collegiate Institute
	Goose Lake High School	Green Valley School
	Collège régional Gabrielle-Roy	Hamiota High School/Shoal Lake School (Co-Op)
	Rosenort School	Glenboro School
	Hapnot Collegiate Institute	Miami School
	Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute	Morris School/ École régionale St Jean Baptiste (Co-Op)
	Carberry Collegiate Institute	Morweena Christian School
	St Paul’s Collegiate Institute (Elie)	Goose Lake High School
AAA	Collège Béliveau	Garden Valley Collegiate Institute
	Niverville High School	Linden Christian School
	Linden Christian School	Collège Louis-Riel
	École secondaire Neelin High School	St John’s-Ravenscourt School
	Collège Léo–Rémillard	Calvin Christian Collegiate Institute
	Collège Stonewall Collegiate	Niverville High School
	W C Miller Collegiate Institute	Westgate Mennonite Collegiate Institute
	Virden Collegiate Institute	St Maurice High School
	Churchill High School	St James Collegiate Institute
	St Boniface diocesan High School	École secondaire Neelin High School
	Springfield Collegiate Institute	Swan Valley Regional Secondary School
	R D Park Collegiate Institute	R D Park Collegiate Institute

To all the teams who travelled north to our community… we know the road well and we know it’s a long one. We wish you all safe travels home and hope that you are leaving with lots of good memories of Flin Flon! Please come visit us again!

Rosenort – 806km; Somerset (P Mountain) – 802km; Île des Chênes(G-Roy) – 799km; Killarney – 783km; Winnipeg (I Christian)- 761km; Elie – 738km; Warren – 717km; Carberry – 708km; Forrest (Elton CI) – 671km; Roblin (G Lake)- 488km; The Pas (M Barbour) – 138km

Flin Flon

Neelin claims JV AAA provincial title

By: Thomas Friesen

The Neelin Spartans were completely unphased by an 0-3 start to provincials.

While they didn’t win a match in power-pool play, they saved their best for the ones that mattered most. The Spartans ran the table on Friday and Saturday in Winnipeg to capture the AAA junior varsity girls’ volleyball provincial title.

“They left it all out on the floor and it was so awesome to see,” said Neelin head coach Jen Dixon. “It was such a proud feeling as a coach to see that come out in them. The drive to want to win, it was so awesome.

“We started off kind of slow on our Thursday matches because we were playing some tough teams. We knew it was going to be tough competition and it says a whole lot about the group we had to be able to turn their mindset around.”

The 12-team event starts with three pools featuring the top four, next four and bottom four seeds. Neelin was in the top pool and knew it had a bye to the quarterfinals but losing three in a row meant a tougher quarterfinal.

Neelin gutted out a 2-1 win over Stonewall, then avenged an opening-day sweep against College Beliveau in three sets to reach the final.

They faced Altona’s W.C. Miller Aces, who thumped them in pool play. After dropping the first set 25-19, Neelin won 25-11 and thoroughly dominated the tiebreaker, winning 15-7 to secure gold.

“Quarterfinal, semifinal, final, all hard matches with tough opponents that did a lot on their side,” Dixon said.

“Something our girls did, I feel, that helped them achieve that third set was just control our side and give heart. Our girls really showed it in all three of those games.”

Spartans Elli Pomehichuk and Layla Desjardin were named to the tournament all-star team while setter Dana Linov earned MVP honours.

“Dana is a non-stop effort player. You can ask any coach, spectator in the gym,” Dixon said. “Multiple people come up to me after games, up to her after games and say she’s such a pleasure to watch because she is 110 per cent effort the entire game.

“Not only at provincials, every single game throughout the season she gives her all as a player.”

• • •

The Vincent Massey Vikings are one win away from a Brandon sweep of the AAA and AAAA JV girls titles.

Massey dropped the Sturgeon Heights Huskies in straight sets in the AAAA semifinals on Saturday and plays Steinbach Regional on Monday at 6 p.m. in the gold-medal game at Winnipeg’s Investors Group Athletic Centre.

The AAAA boys’ final features Sisler and Gabrielle-Roy.

• • •

The Viking varsity girls are headed back to the final four with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 26-24) win over the Fort Richmond Centurions.

Jersey Hansen-Young had a massive 24 kills and 20 digs for Massey, with Mackenzie Lyburn posting 17 kills and five aces.

Kypling Black chipped in four blocks.

The Vikings play the No. 1 seed Lord Selkirk Royals on Wednesday at IGAC at 6 p.m. Steinbach and Jeanne-Sauve meet in the second semifinal at 8 o’clock.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» X: @thomasmfriesen

—————————————————————————-

Written by Clayton Drege

The Neelin Spartans are Provincial AAA Junior Varsity girls volleyball champions. Neelin defeated Altona’s Miller Aces 19-25, 25-11, 15-7 in the final. Spartans setter Dana Linov was named the tournament MVP. Neelin’s Elli Pomehichuk and Layla Desjardin were All-Stars.

The Vincent Massey Vikings will face the Steinbach Regional Secondary School in the final of the Provincial AAAA Junior Varsity girls volleyball championship Monday at Investors Group Athletic Centre on the campus of the University of Manitoba in south Winnipeg. The Vikings swept the Sturgeon Heights Huskies 25-18, 25-17, 26-24 in the semifinals Saturday night at Dakota Collegiate.

The Zone 9 champion Killarney Raiders lost out to Gabrielle Roy of Ile des Chenes in a play-in game at the Provincial Junior Varsity A/AA volleyball championship in Flin Flon. The Neelin Spartans will face College Beliveau in the girls semifinals at the AAA championships in Winnipeg. Virden were eliminated by Leo Remillard in the quarterfinals. Neelin boys lost out to St. John’s Ravenscourt in the quarterfinals.

SHSAA 2023 BOYS VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
	1A	2A
Gold	Rouleau School	Saskatoon Christian School
Silver	Fox Valley School	Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation School
Bronze	Annaheim School	Ponteix School
Antique Bronze	H Hardcastle School (Edam)	Cornerstone Christian School (Moose Jaw)
	3A	4A
Gold	Esterhazy High School	Meadow Lake Christian Academy
Silver	Assiniboia Composite High School	John Paul II Collegiate (North Battleford)
Bronze	Valley Christian Academy (Osler)	Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate
Antique Bronze	Regina Christian School	Central Collegiate (Moose Jaw)

SHSAA 2023 Boys Volleyball Championships Participants

1A	2A
Rouleau School	Saskatoon Christian School
Annaheim School	Muenster School
Frontier School	McLurg High School (Wilkie)
Yellow Grass School	Ponteix School
William Mason School (Choiceland)	Meath Park Public School
Fox Valley School	Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation School
Lampman School	Cornerstone Christian School (Moose Jaw)
Fox Valley School	Birch Hill Public School
Lafleche Central School	Langenburg Central School
H Hardcastle School (Edam)	Kincaid Central School
3A	4A
Assiniboia Composite High School	Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate
Valley Christian Academy (Osler)	John Paul II Collegiate (North Battleford)
Regina Christian School	E D Feehan Catholic High School (Saskatoon)
Clavet Composite School	Lumsden High School
Spiritwood High School	Sacred Heart (Yorkton)
Esterhazy High School	Central Collegiate (Moose Jaw)
Unity Composite High School	Meadow Lake Christian Academy
Dalmeny High School	Melville Comprehensive School
Kipling School	Humboldt Collegiate Institute
Shaunavon High School	Vanier Collegiate (Moose Jaw)

SSNS 2023 Junior Varsity Volleyball

Gold	Park View Education Centre
Silver	Citadel High School
Bronze	Cobequid Educational Centre
Antique Bronze	Riverview High School

SSNS 2023 Junior Varsity Volleyball Participants

Cobequid Educational Centre	Park View Education Centre
Riverview High School	Citadel High School
Lockview High School	North Nova Education Centre
Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School	Sydney Academy

BCSS 2023 Boys AAA Soccer Championship

	AAA
Gold	Reynolds Secondary
Silver	Royal Bay Secondary
Bronze	Centennial School
Antique Bronze	Vancouver College

BCSS 2023 Boys AAA Soccer Participants

AAA

North Peace Secondary

Reynolds Secondary

Burnaby South Secondary

Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary

Fleetwood Park Secondary

Port Moody Secondary

Abbotsford Senior Secondary School

Vancouver College

Panorama Ridge Secondary

Kitsilano Secondary

Centennial School

Walnut Grove Secondary

Argyle Secondary

Robert Alexander McMath Secondary

Sa-Hali Secondary

Royal Bay Secondary

It’s an exciting day in Roddickton as Indigenous Games are featured at the Cloud River Academy, Fall Meet!

This marks the first time the sport is being played since becoming a Foundation Sport!

3 Schools are competing in both traditional & non-traditional sports.

#SSNLFoundation #SSNLVarsity #SchoolSportsNL

Our school hosted their Fall Meet today. Students from CRA, Mary Simms All Grade and HG Fillier Academy participated in traditional and non-traditional sports. It was a great day of friendly competition, sportsmanship, and teamwork as these students socialized and participated together! We love hosting this event and hope to see more just like it in the future. What a great day of learning!

Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament 2023

	Gold	Silver
Grade 9/10 Girls	F H Collins High School	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School
Grade 9/10 Boys	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School	CSSC Paul-Émile Mercier
Grade 11/12 Girls	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School
Grade 11/12 Boys	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School	F H Collins High School

Participants

	Boys	Girls
Grade 9/10	Robert Service School A	Robert Service School
	J V Clark School – Mayo	Inuvik
	Del Van Gorder School – Faro	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School
	Robert Service School B	Del Van Gorder School – Faro
	CSSC Paul-Émile Mercier	St Elias Community School – Haines Junction
	Inuvik	F H Collins High School
	Porter Creek Secondary School	Tantalus School – Carmacks
	F H Collins High School	Porter Creek Secondary School
	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School
Grade 11/12	Watson Lake Secondary School	Porter Creek Secondary School
	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School	Watson Lake Secondary School
	F H Collins High School	F H Collins High School
	Porter Creek Secondary School	St Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School
	CSSC Paul-Émile Mercier

Photo by Photo Submitted

GOLD STRIKE! – The F.H. Collins Warriors junior girls struck gold at the 2023 Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The DIVT was held Oct. 26-28.

Warriors mine medals at Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament

In the latest edition of the Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament (DIVT) held Oct. 26-28, Dawson once again showcased warm hospitality, and passion for the sport.

By Freelancer on November 6, 2023

In the latest edition of the Dawson Invitational Volleyball Tournament (DIVT) held Oct. 26-28, Dawson once again showcased warm hospitality, and passion for the sport.

This year’s tournament witnessed a remarkable increase in rural team participation, with teams traveling from various locations including Watson Lake, Haines Junction, Faro, Mayo, Pelly, Carmacks, and Inuvik.

Dave Rawlins, returning from Whitehorse, played a pivotal role in organizing the event and expressed his gratitude for the incredible support from the good people of Robert Service High School, and Dawson.

The competition was fierce, with several finals being decided by just a few points in the third set. St. Francis emerged as the champions in three divisions, while Mercier is trying to become more than just the new kid on the block, and the F.H. Collins Junior girls displayed an unstoppable determination on their path to securing the gold. It is worth noting that head coach Sean McCarron, who teaches at St. Francis, highlighted the remarkable success of the school, suggesting there may be something special in the water.

The DIVT also featured a lively pep rally involving the entire Dawson elementary school, creating an electrifying atmosphere that carried over onto the volleyball courts.

The path to gold was paved with standout performances in every division. Coach Holway’s St. Francis Junior Boys left spectators in awe as Joe Popadynec unleashed a barrage of incredible hits, while Mannix Bingham’s unwavering serving found Mercier in distress. Meanwhile, coach McCarron’s F.H. Junior girls showcased their dominance with not one, but two formidable middles reigning supreme. Lia Hinchey and Sabine Kelsey commanded the court, leaving their rivals puzzled. Coach Paula Stoker’s St. Francis Senior Girls, guided by the exceptional setting of Kia Larkin and amazing court play of Denise Alfaro, proved to be an unstoppable force.

And let’s not forget coach Dwayne Stoker’s St. Francis Senior boys, whose journey to victory was propelled by the awe-inspiring prowess of Ethan Stoker, who unleashed a fury of attacks. Adding to the excitement, Krish Shwarma’s spooktacular jump serve astounded the crowd, delivering an impact that sent shock waves, keeping Liam Milford and the Warriors on their toes. This was a display of sporting excellence to be remembered.

In addition to the thrilling matches, the DIVT offered a Halloween dance at Diamond Tooth Gerties, (no gambling though), adding to the festivities of the event. The participants represented their schools admirably, and everyone had a great time. In good taste, no one tried to spike the punch.

The excitement is far from over, as the Super Volley finals between F.H. and St. Francis happened Thursday, Nov. 2 at F.H.C. Following that, the Sr. Volleyball Yukon Championships will be Nov. 16-18. With well-coached players and teams continuing to improve, it is a must-watch for sports enthusiasts.

Keep an eye on your calendars, as basketball season and the Jamie Shaw Tournament are around the corner.

F.H. Collins thanks Lotteries Yukon for supporting their participation in this year’s DIVT.

– Submitted by Ronald Service.

Photo by Photo Submitted

TWICE THE TRIUMPH – THE F.H. Collins’ junior 9-10 Warriors pose with their championship banners at St. Francis secondary school in Whitehorse Friday.

Double glory as Warriors secure two Yukon Championship banners

F.H. Collins’ 9-10 Warriors left an indelible mark on the Yukon Championship, dazzling fans with a stellar performance that earned them not one, but two championship banners.

By Freelancer on November 15, 2023

F.H. Collins’ 9-10 Warriors left an indelible mark on the Yukon Championship, dazzling fans with a stellar performance that earned them not one, but two championship banners.

The championships were played Nov. 8-9 at St. Francis Secondary School.

Guided by the strategic brilliance of coach Jeremy Staveley and assistant coach Liam Milford, the Junior Boys faced fierce competition, most notably the formidable St. Francis team. Despite a setback in the form of an ankle injury sidelining key player Andrzej Benson, the team’s resilience, fuelled by the precision passing of Jaxson Long and Ezra Quaile, and the savvy play of Maze Clemente, led to a jaw-dropping upset.

In a thrilling final showdown, Benson’s triumphant return propelled the Warriors to victory over Mercier, sealing the Championship banner.

The F.H. Collins Junior Girls, under the astute leadership of Sean McCarron and Tonya Hinchey, executed a winning formula that culminated in the conquest of the Championship banner.

With invaluable advice from Tonya, the team navigated through challenging matchups, including a riveting rematch against St. Francis 1 in the final. Captains Leah Hinchey and Sabine Kelsey showcased exceptional skills, playing pivotal roles in a commanding 25-13, 25-13 victory.

The team’s unwavering energy and contributions, both on and off the court, underscored their collective determination and seamless teamwork.

F.H. Collins’ dominance reverberated beyond the Junior divisions, with the Warriors now claiming banners in three out of four divisions, and the Senior teams eagerly awaiting their turn on the court.

The level of volleyball play in the Yukon continues to improve, which is a testament to the unwavering dedication of the players, educated coaches, and the steadfast support from officials (like Peter Grundmannis and Gary Sealy), volunteer club coaches (who extend the training year-round), parents, and the roaring fans. Heartfelt congratulations to all involved for orchestrating a resounding success at the Yukon Championships, creating memories that will be cherished for years to come.

– Submitted by Ronald Service

BCSS 2023 Boys AA Soccer Championships

	AA
Gold	Mulgrave School
Silver	Windsor Secondary
Bronze	Notre Dame Regional Secondary
Antique Bronze	Notre Dame Regional Secondary

Participants

AA

Langley Fundamental Middle Secondary School

Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School

St Michaels University School

Windsor Secondary

L V Rogers Secondary

South Kamloops Secondary

Hugh McRoberts Secondary

St Andrew’s Regional High

Nechako Valley Secondary

Lambrick Park Secondary

Notre Dame Regional Secondary

Westview Secondary

Mulgrave School

Langley Christian

Kalmalka Secondary

Delta Secondary

NWT 2023 Table Tennis Championship
	Girls	Boys
Grade 6 Singles	Kathleen Cai, WMS	Carter Sadowick, DG
Grade 7 Singles	Ana Villegas, ÉSJS	Owen Bowden, ÉSJS
Grade 8 Singles	Pontiac Mace, WMS	Cale Knight, WMS
Middle School Doubles	Logan Doll/Oliver Reitsma	WMS
Grade 9 Singles		Aiden Langer, SPHS
Grade 10 Singles	Lily Brennan, SPHS	Kai Shimada, SPHS
Grade 11 Singles	Raine Mingo, SPHS	Gabriel Brost, SPHS
Grade 12 Singles	Gracie Brennan, SPHS	Nikhilesh Gohil, SJ
Senior School Doubles	Gracie Brennan/Zachary Mathison	SPHS
Overall Jr High Banner	École William McDonald Middle School
Overall Sr High Banner	École St Patrick High School

*School Abbreviations

ÉSJS – École St Joseph School (Yellowknife); SPHS – École St Patrick High School (Yellowknife); DG – Deh Gáh Elementary & Secondary School (Fort Providence); WMS – École William McDonald Middle School (Yellowknife)

A big thank you to École St Patrick High School facebook page for the awesome photographs and story

The great thing about school sports is the connections that are made. Take a peek at these two absolute gems – Raine and Gabriel, from École St. Patrick High School, who have been table tennis partners since they were at St. Joes! Is it any wonder that they won the Senior High Doubles and were smiling as they did it?

Oh, and École St. Patrick High School also won the Senior High Banner!


Thanks to @tabletennisnorth for organizing and running the tournament with such passion and love for the game. You inspire us to be better!

The NWT Table Tennis Tournament’s first day is done. Doubles are in the book and École St. Patrick High School have some results… they won both divisions they were in!

Owen and Najib won the Grade 8 doubles!

Raine and Gabriel won the Grade 9-12 doubles division (with Aiden + Kingston coming in 2nd and Jacee + Paul coming in 3rd). WE SWEPT THE PODIUM!!!

Singles will be tomorrow! Come on out to the SP gym and cheer the competitors on!

Future stars hold court at NWT School Table Tennis Championships

by Kaicheng Xin

Table Tennis North hosted its NWT School Championships at St. Pat’s Gymnasium this past weekend, attracting more than 120 students from eight schools across the territory.

The school tournament, which has been running since 2016. “It is a fun and competitive way to introduce students to table tennis,” said Thorsten Gohl, executive director of Table Tennis North.

The tournament included doubles and singles matches, as well as a team competition.

Gohl said that this year was especially exciting because they had students from Fort Good Hope and Fort Providence, who traveled to Yellowknife for the first time to join the event.

“They were very enthusiastic, they were very happy to be here, they were very curious about the sport, and they were very eager to learn,” he said.

Gohl said he hopes the tournament will inspire more people to play and enjoy table tennis, and to promote the sport in the NWT.

Here are the winners of each division courtesy of Table Tennis North:

Grade 6 girls — Kathleen Cai, William McDonald

Grade 6 boys — Carter Sadowick, Deh Gah School (Fort Providence)

Grade 7 girls — Ana Villegas, St. Joe’s

Grade 7 boys — Owen Bowden, St. Joe’s

Grade 8 girls — Pontiac Mace, William McDonald

Grade 8 boys — Calen Knight — William McDonald

Middle school doubles — Logan Doll and Oliver Reitsma, William McDonald

Grade 9 boys — Aiden Langer, St. Pat’s

Grade 10 girls — Lily Brennan, St. Pat’s

Grade 10 boys — Kai Shimada, St. Pat’s

Grade 11 girls — Raine Mingo, St. Pat’s

Grade 11 boys — Gabriel Brost, St. Pat’s

Grade 12 girls — Gracie Brennan, St. Pat’s

Grade 12 boys — Nikhilesh Gohil, Sir John Franklin

High school doubles — Gracie Brennan and Zachary Mathison, St. Pat’s

Jr. high champions — William McDonald

Sr. high champions — St. Pat’s

Auburn Drive High School 31 – 6 Bay View High School

Sydney Academy 31 – 35 Lockview High School

N.S. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Ayres Perry scores three touchdowns as Auburn Drive soars past Bay View

Glenn MacDonald

Ayres Perry wanted redemption.

The Auburn Drive senior receiver had contracted COVID just days before the Eagles’ Week 3 meeting with Bay View. The Sharks smothered the Eagles 16-0, propelling them to first place in the regular season and a No. 1 seeding in the Nova Scotia High School Football League playoffs.

Perry was champing at the bit prior to the teams’ showdown in the championship final Sunday afternoon and the all-star receiver delivered, scoring three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 31-6 rout at Huskies Stadium.

“I went into that game in the middle of battling COVID,” recalled Perry, the championship final MVP. “I was barely playing that game. I had a really rough game, probably the worst game in my whole life. So, I just erased that from my memories. We also didn’t have our starting running back or a starting linebacker in the game. We figured it’s a whole different game and put it behind us. We knew we could beat these guys and we did it.”

A first-quarter rouge by Auburn Drive accounted for all the scoring through most of the first half. That was until Eagles quarterback Jake Wamboldt dropped back and found a sprinting Perry bolting down the middle of the field for a 70-yard touchdown reception with 2:04 left in the second quarter. Auburn Drive held a 7-0 lead at halftime.

Wamboldt and Perry connected again on a screen pass late in the third quarter which the receiver rumbled 20 yards for the major and a 14-0 Eagles advantage.

On the Eagles’ first drive of the fourth quarter, Wamboldt went back to the well with Perry and found his favourite receiver up the middle and Perry did the rest, racing to the end zone on an 82-yard TD reception with eight minutes remaining to put the Eagles ahead by three scores.

“I knew my speed would take me there and I trusted my boy Jake to give me the ball so I just took off,” said Perry, who was the Nova Scotia high school league’s special teams MVP this season.

“After we scored the first one, coach came up to us at halftime and said we’re running it again. Later in the half, I looked at Jake like I was saying, ‘you know where I’m going to be.’ And he’s like I got you. He put the ball in the same spot, and it was the same result.

“Jake and I have great chemistry. I’ve played N.S. football with him since U16 and he was one of the people who welcomed me warmly to Auburn (after transferring from Dartmouth High following his Grade 10 year). He’s been there the whole time for me. The last two years have been a ride. I love that guy.

“But I gotta thank my coach for that play. It’s a great one.”

Grade 12 offensive lineman Noah Wells had a front row seat as the dominant duo put on a show.

“They are just phenomenal athletes,” said the six-foot-six, 305-pound Wells, a league all-star.

“Jake just stepped back and fed it in the air right into the arms of Ayres, not once but twice. They’re both dogs out there every single game. And I got to watch them front and centre. It’s an honour to block for them.”

While the offence was clicking, the Eagles’ defence neutralized Grade 12 quarterback Owen Aucoin. Auburn Drive sacked the Division 1 league MVP three times, including two by Jayden MacLean. His second sack came with 2:20 left in the fourth, a devastating hit on an unexpected Aucoin which knocked him out of the game with a suspected shoulder injury.

The Sharks’ only score came on a late quarterback sneak by backup Peyton Flint with 15 seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles’ Elliott Dawood returned it for a major with eight seconds left.

“Our defence is the best in the league, no question about it,” Wells said. “We also have the best offence and that’s why we should have been the No. 1 team coming in here today.”

During his high school career, Wells won as a Grade 10 rookie – a 30-20 victory over Bay View in the 2021 final – and was involved in the Citadel Phoenix’s 39-0 thrashing of the Eagles in last year’s championship.

He’s thrilled to close the curtain in the winner’s circle.

“Last year, 39-0, that just didn’t sit right with all of us,” Wells said. “We needed to win today. But it wasn’t going to be easy. The Bay View Sharks whooped us earlier in the year. They punched us square in the mouth. We had to get it back and give it back to them.

“I’m so proud of this team. Guys were locked in.”

——————————————————————————————————

Championship Sunday: Sydney Academy Wildcats searching for first-ever high school football title this weekend

Jeremy Fraser 

SYDNEY, N.S. — When the Sydney Academy Wildcats football program began 10 years ago, Lorne Burke and his staff knew winning a championship would take time. 

In the early days, the program saw a mixture of football players and regular athletes who wanted to give the sport a chance – and the growing pains were felt.  

“We knew it was going to be about five years to build the program,” said Burke. “High school football in Nova Scotia is very competitive.” 

Since then, the program has evolved and is receiving more players who play the game through the Football Cape Breton minor program, which has become a feeder system for the Sydney Academy team. 

In recent years, the tide has been turning for the Wildcats team. They’ve managed to secure their spot in three of the last four Division 2 high school provincial championship games.  

This weekend, the Wildcats will play in their fourth championship game when they take on the Lockview Dragons of Fall River on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Huskies Stadium at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.  

The game will be broadcast live on Eastlink Community TV on channel 10 for Eastlink subscribers. 

Sydney Academy and Lockview met during the Nova Scotia High School Football League regular season in week 7. The Wildcats held a 7-4 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Dragons scored late and took the game 11-7. 

“Some of their top guys weren’t in the game and some of our top guys weren’t in the game,” said Burke. “I think everyone is going to be in the game on Sunday so it’s going to be interesting.”  

The Wildcats were missing running back Payton Barter, who Burke considers to be the team’s most valuable player this season, for the game against Lockview. 

Last weekend, Barter rushed for 283 yards and scored all four of the team’s touchdowns in a 28-14 victory over Woodlawn in the league semifinal in Dartmouth.  

Barter will be in the Wildcats lineup for the championship game.  

Burke acknowledged the Dragons and coach Mike Korecki, who was an offensive lineman for the Saint Mary Huskies during the days of Larry Uteck as the team’s coach. 

“Lockview’s offensive line is very strong and we know that,” said Burke. “They know us well and both teams are kind of built the same way – heavy run teams.”  

The football program at Sydney Academy has never won a provincial title. Last year, the club lost to Woodlawn in the championship game 21-13, despite leading the game late.  

Last year, the Wildcats beat the Dragons in the semifinal to advance to the championship game. The one year they didn’t make the final in recent years came as a result of a loss to Lockview in the semifinal.  

“We have a great history with Lockview in the playoffs,” said Burke. “We have to limit the mistakes. We found this year that we didn’t really lose many of our Tier 2 games based on not being able to compete with the teams, but rather mistakes that we made. 

“Against Lockview, they scored all of their points off our turnovers. We had a fumble punt and they ended up kicking for a field goal and then they had an interception late in the game and that turned into a drive where they scored a touchdown.”  

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CHAMPIONSHIP GAME INFO:

•  Teams: Sydney Academy Wildcats vs. Lockview Dragons
•  When: Sunday
•  Where: Huskies Stadium, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax
•  Time: 5 p.m. 
•  How To Watch: Eastlink Community TV (Channel 10)
   

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The Sydney Academy team, who finished the regular season with a 2-5 record, considers the championship game as an opportunity to redeem themselves from last November’s final. 

“It’s more about the excitement for another opportunity, I wouldn’t call it revenge,” said Burke. “We knew there was going to be some growing pains this year and we did experience that, but we’ve overcame it and looking at the teams in the playoffs that we competed against, we felt that we were very competitive and could win this.”  

Regardless of the outcome, Burke said the team was able to accomplish at least one of its goals for the 2023 season and that was to make it to the championship game. 

“Because we played in the Tier 2 championship game last year, we knew our schedule would be difficult this year because we’re considered to be one of the top Tier 2 teams, meaning we have to play at least two Tier 1 teams in regular season,” he said.  

“We will be in that situation again next year, but things are looking good for the Sydney Academy program next year. We have 10 seniors graduating from 50 players.” 

Sydney Academy and Lockview won’t be the only high school football provincial final scheduled for Sunday at Saint Mary’s University.  

The Division 1 championship will feature the Bay View Sharks of Upper Tantallon and the Auburn Drive Eagles of Westphal at 1 p.m. at Huskies Stadium. Like Sydney Academy and Lockview, the game will be broadcast on Eastlink Community TV. 

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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Bay View Sharks hoping ‘bounce back’ season ends with a title

George Myrer 

Evan Brown said it’s been ‘a nice bounce-back year’ for his Bay View Sharks football team.

That may be a bit of an understatement by the third-year coach, whose team went 6-1 and cruised into the Nova Scotia High School Football League championship game with a 37-0 victory over the Horton Griffins.

“It’s funny how one year can change so much,” said Brown, a former quarterback with the Sir John A. Macdonald Flames, before the Upper Tantallon high school was renamed.

“Last year was a bit of a down year for us. We didn’t win any games against Division 1 teams at all. It was a weird year. We were littered with injuries and whatever we tried ended up backfiring.”

The 2023 season has been mostly up for the Sharks, whose only loss came against the Cobequid Cougars.

“This year has been the opposite of that. Everything seems to have fallen in line, knock on wood,” said Brown. “We have been healthy for the whole season, which has been great.

“We have a really strong group of Grade 12s and a good group of Grade 11s behind them. This is a year we have been eyeing for a great opportunity to do something special.

“We are a really solid group. In high school football, it is rare when you don’t have many holes and that’s been the case for us. Right across the board, we have great athletes and a lot of size. We have some Grade 12s in key offensive positions. I coach the offence and we have five starters who have been starters for three years now. They started in Grade 10 and are now reaping the rewards from some of the beatings they took last year.”

Standing in the way of a ‘special’ season for the Sharks are the Auburn Drive Eagles, who held off the Citadel Phoenix 21-18 in the other semifinal. The Sharks defeated the Eagles 16-0 in the only matchup between the teams this season.

Title rematch

The title game on Sunday (1 p.m.) at Huskies Stadium is a rematch of the 2021 championship game between the two teams.

Bay View went into the 2021 final as a huge underdog against the Eagles, who had won their previous nine games in a dominating fashion that season.

Brown was in his first season as Bay View coach and remembers the championship game vividly.

“The was my first year with the team,” said Brown, who played quarterback at Acadia University. “They were a dominant team all year.

We were actually up in the fourth quarter, which was our goal to give them a challenge that they hadn’t had all year to see if they could handle the adversity. And they stepped up to the challenge, came out in the fourth quarter and exploited some mismatches that we couldn’t handle.”

The Eagles scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 30-20 victory to cap a perfect 10-0 season.

Drawing from that experience, Brown knows being the favourite doesn’t mean much of anything at game time. Plus the fact that Auburn coach Dion Thomas-Hodges has his team in the championship game for the third consecutive year.

“This year, it’s a more evenly-matched game,” said Brown. “They are very athletic with lots of speed. They are a team that if you take a play off, they will punish you for it. They have some guys that can score from anywhere on the field. It is a concern, but the other side of that is as solid as we are, hopefully, we can keep those big plays to a minimum.”

The Sharks are led by Grade 12 quarterback Owen Aucoin, who started as a rookie in the 2021 championship game. Aucoin has many targets, including running back/ receiver Ty Boone and receivers Jase LeBlanc and Des Crawford. The offensive line is anchored by Luke Stanley and Quinn MacDonald.

“Owen is our QB, a three-year starter who had a fantastic year, all-star of the league. We have Ty Boone, a fantastic athlete who can do everything. He’s our go-to guy when we need a play. I could list off so many players because it’s a solid group.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Bay View is led by linemen Romaine Randall, and Keldon Axhorn, linebackers Owen Luedee and Sam Lecker-Evans and defensive back Drew Kinley.

The Eagles are led by all-purpose star quarterback Jake Wamboldt, who has scored touchdowns on kick returns, receptions and passing this season, and receiver Ayres Perry, who had 10 majors.

On defence, the Eagles have several big-play contributors. Defensive lineman Tyree Williams had 19 sacks, while defensive backs Kurrell Johnson-Thompson, Isaiah Boutin and Kayden Fraser combined for 11 interceptions and linebacker Elliot Dawood had 60 tackles.

Back home

Brown is enjoying coaching at his hometown school with several former Sir John A. Macdonald players.

“I coached for seven years at Dalhousie and then came home. I live in the area here, and it’s nice to be back in my community.

“There are a handful of guys who also went through the (Sir John A. Macdonald) program who are back with me now. We have a good mix of coaches who understand the history of the program and some people who came in with an outside view.”

Note: The Division 2 championship between the Lockview Dragons and Sydney Academy Wildcats will follow at 5 p.m.