SSNS 2022 Volleyball Championship

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
DIVISION 1 GIRLS	Lockview High School	Cobequid Educational Centre	Halifax West High School
DIVISION 2 GIRLS	West Kings District High School	Strait Area Education Recreation Centre	École  secondaire Par-en-Bas
DIVISION 1 BOYS	Dartmouth High School	Bay View High School	Lockview High School
DIVISION 2 BOYS	South Colchester Academy	Middleton Regional High	Ambrae/Sacred Heart

Participants

DIVISION 1 GIRLS	DIVISION 1 BOYS
Cobequid Educational Centre	Dartmouth High School
Riverview High School	Bay View High School
Halifax West High School	Cobequid Educational Centre
Citadel High School	Avon View High School
Lockview High School	West Kings District High School
Park View Education Centre	Lockview High School
Sydney Academy	Woodlawn High School
J L Ilsley High School	Park View Education Centre
DIVISION 2 GIRLS	DIVISION 2 BOYS
Strait Area Education Recreation Centre	Middleton Regional High School
École  secondaire Clare	Cape Breton Highlands
École  secondaire Par-en-Bas	Pugwash District High School
Eastern Shores District High School	Annapolis West Education Centre
West Kings District High School	South Colchester Academy
Halifax Grammar School	Ambrae/Sacred Heart
Dalbrae Academy	Dalbrae Academy
Middleton Regional High School	North Queens Community School

Historic first: LHS Dragons capture provincial girls volleyball title

By Pat Healey

FALL RIVER: For  many on the Lockview High girls volleyball team, the provincial championship won Saturday on home court was the culmination of four and five years of playing together.

Sine Grade 7 and 8 at Georges P. Vanier Junior High, many of the girls began playing together as a  team and that continued when they moved on to Lockview High.

That familiarity appeared to be a benefit for the girls as they went 3-0 in round robin play at the School Sport Nova Scotia provincial championship, hosted by Lockview at the Fall River school and at Halifax West.

Lockview High won the gold medal in straight sets 25-21 and 25-22.

It’s the first-ever girls provincial volleyball banner for the school.

Co-captain Camryn Giddens agreed playing together since GPV days helped.

“Growing together with a lot of the girls back when we played for GPV (which was my first ever volleyball team) is really special,” Giddens told The Laker News. “It’s fascinating to compare some of us seniors from grade 7 & 8 to our current selves.”

The Dragons took the championship final over a game CEC squad—one that both Giddens and fellow co-captain Leah Weatherhead gave a tip of the hat too for pushing them to be on their A game, with Weatherhead saying there was no other team she would have wanted to play in the final but CEC.

Weatherhead said being proud of the team is an understatement.

“Every single player and coach on the team had the shared goal to win a provincial championship,” she said. “We have stayed strong through the whole season even when we took some tough losses.

“We learned and worked harder to peak when it was time. It was a phenomenal championship game.”

Giddens, a senior, said she too was extremely proud of her teammates. She feels knowing the home court like the back of their hand was an advantage—one they took advantage of.

“I think playing in our own gym had a sense of familiarity and comfort that helped us dig deep especially when the game got tough,” she said.

Weatherhead said the Dragons had to work for the win because of the hard work by CEC.

“CEC made us work and they pushed us which made it super fun to play,” she said. “I’m proud of everyone. I wouldn’t have wanted to finish the season any other way.”

Giddens and Weatherhead wanted to send a huge thank you to all the friends and parents who came out, and a special shoutout to Lockview’s Prom Committee, Lockview’s JV Girls Volleyball team, and the rest of the kind volunteers that made the weekend run so smoothly.

Halifax West won the girls provincial  bronze over Park View.

In the boys volleyball provincials, Lockview High claimed the bronze medal. Team photo is below as submitted to us.

SCHOOL SPORT N.S. VOLLEYBALL: Dartmouth Spartans boys’ team hope third time is the charm

George Myrer

The Dartmouth Spartans boys’ volleyball team is hoping the third time is a charm as they prepare for the School Sport Nova Scotia championship.

The Spartans, who are hosting the Division 1 boys’ championship, came up a little short in a hard-fought match against West Kings last year. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic kept them from playing the championship game match.

Spartans head coach Peter Halley said his team is excited to take another shot at provincial glory after winning the Capital Region banner two weekends ago.

“The team has made the provincial final the last two seasons,” said Halley. “Two years ago the final got cancelled due to Covid and last year we were so close. I believe the boys are really focused and hungry this year.”

A provincial championship for the Spartans would end a drought that dates back to 1981.

“The boys know the history but honestly, we’ve had one focus this year,” said Halley. “We’re focused on us, on us playing well.”

And Halley knows about winning. The longtime educator captured five consecutive provincial boys’ titles as the head coach of the Sackville Kingfishers from 2006 to 2010.

But he’s not about to get nostalgic over past titles.

“It was a great run but my mind is totally focused on this year with this group.”

This year’s championship is wide open with no team dominating, said Halley.

“At provincials, you can never count anyone out. West Kings are the defending champions. Bayview are the metro champions. Lockview won the Dalhousie tournament this year. We are the regional champions. So there are a lot of teams that can play good volleyball,” said Halley.

The Spartans will host Pool A with Bay View, Cobequid, Avon View. Pool B, being held at Auburn Drive, features West Kings, Lockview, Woodlawn and Park View.

Round-robin play begins on Friday. The playoff and medal matches on Saturday are at Dartmouth High.

Division 1 Girls

Capital Region champion Lockview Dragons will host Pool B play on Friday. Joining the Dragons are Park View, Sydney Academy and J.L. Ilsley.

Halifax West will host defending provincial champion Cobequid, Riverview and Citadel in Pool A.

The championship matches will be played at Lockview on Saturday.

Division 2 Boys

Middleton, last year’s champion, Cape Breton Highlands, Pugwash and Annapolis West comprise Pool A while host South Colchester, Armbrae, Dalbrae and North Queens round out Pool B.

The action begins on Friday with the medal matches on Saturday.

Division 2 Girls

West Kings hosts the championship tournament and will compete in Pool B with Halifax Grammar, Dalbrae and Middleton. Defending champion SAERC, Clare, Par-en-Bas and Eastern Shore round out Pool A.

The action begins on Friday and the medal matches on Saturday.

BCSS 2022 BOYS VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
BOYS A	Vancouver Christian School	Cedars Christian School	Unity Christian School
BOYS AA	Langley Christian School	Mennonite Educational Institute	Duchess Park Secondary School
BOYS AAA	Kelowna Secondary School	Claremont Secondary School	Elgin Park Secondary School

BCSS 2022 VOLLEYBALL AWARDS

	A	AA	AAA
Most Outstanding Player	Brennan Wicke, Vancouver Christian	William VanHuizen, Langley Christian	Walker Sodaro, Kelowna
Most Outstanding Libero	Ethan Soon, Vancouver Christian	Elijah Lindberg, Langley Christian	Kaden Nelson, Steveston-London
Most Sportsmanlike Team	Maple Ridge Christian	Victoria High	Mount Baker Secondary School
First Team All-Stars	David Loki, Bulkley Valley Christian	Isaac Lank, Duchess Park	Kian Boss, Kelowna
	Calvin Hsu, Vancouver Christian	Zach Hofer, Langley Christian	Nash Semeniuk, Kelowna
	John Jeong, Cedars Christian	Noah Friesen, MEI	Owen McParland
	Calvin Vanderkooi, Nanaimo Christian	Alex Howard, South Kamloops	Benn Carr, Elgin Park
	Same Nelson, Cedars Christian	Ben Brandsma, MEI	Zack Sagodi, Claremont
	Jay Smiens, Unity Christian	Hudson Brandsma, Abbotsford Christian	Justin Peng, Claremont
Secondary Team All-Stars	Dylan Beuhler, Cedars Christian	Brett Kester, Duchess Park	Niko Robles, David Thompson
	Asher Hovius, Vernon Christian	Anthony Muller, Langley Christian	Isaac James Stevenston-London
	Noah Kezin, Brockton School	Jared Sikma, Abbotsford Christian	Tyler Valuck, Kelowna
	Mason Bowman, Unity Christian	Joris Mika Knoll, Cariboo Hill	Andy Carr, Elgin Park
	Dylan Grim, Credo Christian	Josh de Bruyn, Pacific Christian	Ethan Chang, McMath
	Jack Johnson, Vernon Christian	Finn Brandsma, Abbotsford Christian	Fraser Scott Moncrieff, Oak Bay
Honourable Mention			Kasper Giesbrecht, Oak BAy
			Lynden Infanti, Kelowna
			Alex Coppard, Claremont
			Tyler Tran, McMath
			Dominic Sodaro, Kelowna

BCSS 2022 Boys Volleyball Participants

A	AA	AAA
Vancouver Christian	Duchess Park Secondary School	Kelowna Secondary School
Cedars Christian School	Langley Christian	Robert Alexander McMath Secondary School
Unity Christian School	Abbotsford Christian School	Claremont Secondary School
École Jules Verne	Mennonite Educational Institute	Sa-hali Secondary School
Brockton Preparatory School	South Kamloops Secondary School	Kitsilano Secondary School
Nanaimo Christian School	College Heights Secondary School	Elgin Park Secondary School
Kelowna Christian School	Pacific Christian School	Oak Bay Secondary School
Credo Christian Schools	Pacific Academy	Delta Secondary School
St Ann’s Academy	Victoria High School	Mount Baker Secondary School
Vernon Christian School	Gladstone Secondary School	Steveston-London Secondary School
Maple Ridge Christian	Cariboo Hill Secondary School	Okanagan Mission Secondary School
Brookes Westshore	Richmond Christian School	Moscrop Secondary School
Duncan Christian School	Lambrick Park Secondary School	North Peace Secondary School
Fernie Secondary School	Sutherland Secondary School	Yale Secondary School
Bulkley Valley Christian School	Kootenay River Secondary School	Burnaby Central Secondary School
White Rock Christian Academy	Hazelton Secondary School	David Thompson Secondary School

BCSS 2022 Girls Volleyball Championship

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
GIRLS A	Credo Christian High School	Southpointe Academy	Immanulata Regional High School
GIRLS AA	Kalamalka Secondary School	Mulgrave School	Langlely Fundamental Middle/ Secondary School
GIRLS AAA	Robert Alexander McMath Secondary School	West Vancouver Secondary School	College Heights Secondary School
GIRLS AAAA	Okanagan Mission Secondary School	Mount Baker Secondary School	South Delta Secondary School École Riverside Secondary School

BCSS 2022 GIRLS VOLLEYBALL PARTICIPANTS

A	AA
Unity Christian School	Notre Dame Regional High School
Credo Christian High School	Langlely Fundamental Middle/ Secondary School
Immanulata Regional High School	Mulgrave School
Nanaimo Christian School	Kalamalka Secondary School
Southpointe Academy	West Point Grey Academy
Surrey Christian School	Brentwood College
Cedars Christian School	Fernie Secondary School
Highroad Academy	Clarence Fulton Secondary School
Ebenezer Canadian Reformed School	Langley Christian
St Ann’s Academy	St Thomas More Collegiate Institute
Lions Gate Christian Academy	Holy Cross School
Osoyoos Secondary School	Seycove Secondary Community
Sparwood Secondary School	Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School
Maple Ridge Christian	Smithers Secondary School
Duncan Christian	Merritt Secondary School
Fort St James Secondary School	John Barsby Community School
AAA	AAAA
Little Flower Academy	Okanagan Mission Secondary School
WL Seaton Secondary School	Mount Boucherie
Crofton House	École Riverside Secondary School
College Heights Secondary School	Dover Bay Secondary School
Robert Alexander McMath Secondary School	Seaquam Secondary School
Duchness Park Secondary School	Kelowna Secondary School
South Kamloops Secondary School	South Delta Secondary School
George Elliot Secondary School	Nanaimo District Secondary School
West Vancouver Secondary School	Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School
Stelly’s Secondary School	Claremont Secondary School
Grandview Heights Secondary School	Yale High School
Earl Marriott Secondary School	Mount Douglas Secondary School
Pitt Meadows Secondary School	Burnaby North Secondary School
Langley Secondary School	North Peace Secondary School
Gladstone Secondary School	Sentinel Secondary School
LV Rogers Secondary School	Mount Baker Secondary School

BCSS 2022 Football Championships

Grade 8	Vancouver College 12-13 St Thomas More Collegiate
Junior Varsity AA	École Windsor Secondary AA 13-12 Vernon Secondary AA
Junior Varsity 3A	New Westminister Secondary 32-55 Vancouver College
Senior AA	Robert Bateman Secondary 45-14 John Barsby Community School
Senior AAA	GW Graham Secondary 12-13 Vancouver College

JV AA Semi Final Playoff	Wed, Nov. 23	2:00P	Robert Bateman AA (AAA/AA Metro Hybrid)	14	Vernon AA (AAA/AA Interior Hybrid)	35
JV AA Semi Final Playoff	Wed, Nov. 23	3:00P	Windsor AA (AAA/AA Coastal Hybrid)	14	John Barsby AA (AAA/AA Coastal Hybrid)	13
JV AAA Semi Final Playoff	Thu, Nov. 24	1:00P	Notre Dame (AAA West)	6	Vancouver College (AAA West)	38
JV AAA Semi Final Playoff	Thu, Nov. 24	5:30P	Carson Graham (AAA West)	0	New Westminster (AAA Central)	43

Grade 8
Semi-Final 1	Tue, Nov. 15	1:00P	Lord Tweedsmuir	6	Vancouver College	36

Semi-Final 2

Tue, Nov. 15

3:30P

Notre Dame

8

St. Thomas More

39

BCSS 2022 Boys Football Playoff Participants

Grade 8	Junior Varsity 3A	Junior Varsity AAA/AA Hybrid
Vancouver College	Centennial School	Argyle Secondary AA
St Thomas More Collegiate	Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary	École secondarie Ballenas Senior Secondary AA
Notre Dame Regional Secondary	New Westminister Secondary	Handsworth Secondary AAA
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary	Seaquam Secondary	John Barsby Community SchoolAA
Holy Cross Regional High School	St Thomas More Collegiate	West Vancouver Secondary AAA
École Heritage Park Middle School	Terry Fox Secondary	École Windsor Secondary AA
	Abbotsford Senior Secondary	Clarence Fulton Secondary AA
	GW Graham Secondary	Okanagan Mission Secondary AAA
	Kelowna Secondary	Pleasant Valley Secondary AA
	Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary	Rutland Senior Secondary AAA
	Sardis Secondary	Salmon Arm Secondary AA
	WJ Mouat Secondary	South Kamloops Secondary AA
	Belmont Secondary	Vernon Secondary AA
	Carson Graham Secondary	Westsyde Secondary AA
	Mount Douglas Secondary	Holy Cross Regional High School AA
	Notre Dame Regional Secondary	Mission Senior Secondary AAA
	South Delta Secondary	Robert Bateman Secondary AA
	Vancouver College	Sullivan Heights Secondary AAA

Senior AA	Senior AAA
Argyle Secondary	South Delta Secondary
Holy Cross School	Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary	St Thomas More Collegiate
Nechako Valley Secondary	Mount Douglas Secondary
Robert Bateman Secondary	WJ Mouat Secondary
College Heights Secondary	New Westminister Secondary
Vernon Secondary	GW Graham Secondary
South Kamlooops Secondary	Seaquam Secondary
Clarence Fulton Secondary	Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary
John Barsby Community School	Vancouver College
École secondarie Ballenas Senior Secondary	Carson Graham Secondary
Langley Secondary	Rutland Senior Secondary
	Terry Fox Secondary
	Notre Dame Regional Secondary

SSNL 2022 Boys Volleyball Championship

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
BOYS A	J C Erhardt Memorial	Southwest Arm Academy
BOYS AA	Canon Richards Memorial Academy	Phoenix Academy	Gill Memorial Academy
BOYS AAA	Jens Haven Memorial	Jane Collins Academy	Pasadena Academy
BOYS AAAA	Gander Collegiate	Smallwood Academy	Clarenville High School

SSNL 2022 Boys Volleyball Award Winners

1A	Sportsmanship	MVP
Mary Simms All Grade	Devon Piligrim	Devon Piligrim
William Gillett Academy/St Lewis Academy	Chris Penney	Noah Poole
Bishop White School	Nathan Cotter	Spencer Bailey
JC Erhardt Memorial School	Logan Andersen	Jesse Ford
Southwest Arm Academy	Michael Lyver	Riley Kelly
Grandy’s River Collegiate	Jay Hiscook	Ashton Taylor
Sportsmanship Team Award	Mary Simms All Grade
2A	Sportsmanship	MVP
Bay D’Espoir Academy	Ethan Organ	Marcus Hoskins
EA Butler All Grade	Davin Tapp	Lucas Reader
Glovertown Academy	Jaden Glover	Kaleb Tulk
Phoenix Academy	Brady Whalen	Anthony Bursey
Canon Richards Memorial Academy	Trav Williams	Will White
Dorset Collegiate	Jordan Rowsell	Carter Walters
Gil Memorial Academy	Luke Stirling	Isaac Abbott
Labrador Straits Academy	Brendon Linstead	Konnor O’Dell
Sportsmanship Team Award	Glovertown Academy
3A	Sportsmanship	MVP
Pasadena Academy	Connor King	Sam Warren
Heritage Collegiate	Owen Whalen	Adam Penney
Roncalli Central High	Grant Simms	Jalen Vokey
Leo Burke Academy	Adam Brace	Michael Macdonald
Jane Collins Academy	Jamie Persaud	Kyle Dyke
King Academy	Jaylen Augot	Shannon Skinner
Jens Haven Memorial	Aden Kalleo	Tristan Denniston
Crescent Collegiate	Kaiden MacLeod	Giacomo Tintori
Sportsmanship Team Award	Jens Haven Memorial
4A	Sportsmanship	MVP
Waterford Valley High	Matthew Minnett	Mark Russell
Gonzaga Regional High School	Luke Martin	Keegan Ryan
O’Donel High School	Ronald Collins	Alex Crobett
Gander Collegiate	Gavin Barry	Jack Hillier
Corner Brook Regional High	Jacob Mercer	Liam Freake
Holy Heart of Mary High School	Colson Chipman	Sebastien Delisle
Smallwood Academy	Ethan Rogers	Liam Dyke
Clarenville High School	Owen Thistle	Matthew MacLean
Sportsmanship Team Award	Clarenville High School

SSNL 2022 GIRLS Indoor Soccer Championship

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
GIRLS AAA	St Lawrence Academy	Mealy Mountain Collegiate	St Bonaventure’s College
GIRLS AAAA	Gonzaga Regional High School	Mount Pearl Senior High School

SSNL 2022 Girls Indoor Soccer Award Winners

3A	Sportsmanship	MVP
Valmont Academy	Greta Binder	Kate Blanchard
Copper Ridge Academy	Teralyn Fitzgerald	Fayth Barker
Stephenville High School	Greta Binder	Rayen Park
Crescent Collegiate	Kaitilyn Smith	Norah Young
St Bonaventure’s College	Sofia Butler	Addison Lee
St Lawrence Academy	Madison Slaney	Toni Lundrigan
Mealy Mountain Collegiate	Grace Norman	Emma Mayo
Sportsmanship Team Award	Valmont Academy
4A	Sportsmanship	MVP
Gonzaga Regional High School
Carbonear Collegiate
Queen Elizabeth Regional High School	Sara Crowley	Grace Nolan
Gander Collegiate
Holy Heart of Mary High School
Holy Spirit High School
Mount Pearl Senior High School
Sportsmanship Team Award	Gander Collegiate

BCSS Member schools! This is an amazing night celebrating the best of sport in BC. There are 2 awards for high school athletes for their interschool accomplishments. Check out criteria, and let us know if you want to put in a nomination! Deadline is Dec 12.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR We know there are exceptional high school athletes in our province and Sport BC is seeking nominations for our student athlete categories! Deadline is Dec. 12

Click here for application

OFSAA 2022 FOOTBALL BOWLS SERIES

	UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH  – MONDAY NOVEMBER 28TH
CENTRAL BOWL – 10:00 A.M.	St Patrick High School, NWOSSAA 24-13 St Roch Catholic Secondary School, ROPSSAA
SIMCOE BOWL – 1:30 P.M.	Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School, LOSSA 26-24 Bear Creek Secondary School, GBSSA
METRO BOWL – 5:00 P.M.	Chaminade College, TDCAA 14-56 Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, CWOSSA
	UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH  – TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29TH
INDEPENDENT BOWL – 10:00 A.M.	Thomas A Stewart Secondary School, COSSA 48-7 St Michael’s College, CISAA
WESTERN BOWL – 1:30 P.M.	Huron Heights Secondary School, YRAA 12-13 Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School, WOSSAA
GOLDEN HORSESHOE BOWL – 5:00 P.M.	A.N. Myer Secondary School, SOSSA 3-30 Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, GHAC
	UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH  – WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30TH
NATONAL CAPITAL BOWL – 10:00 A.M.	Northern Secondary School, TDSSAA 15-24 St Matthew Catholic High School, NCSSAA
EASTERN BOWL – 1:30 P.M.	Belle River District High School, SWOSSAA 9-15 Frontenac Secondary School, EOSSAA
NORTHERN BOWL – 5:00 P.M.	Korah Collegiate and Vocational School, NOSSA 52-14 Jacob Hespeler Secondary School, COWSSA

First high school wrestling event in 20 years a big success

By Morris Prokop on November 28, 2022

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The first high school wrestling event in 20 years in Whitehorse was a big success.

The “Fall Brawl” took place at CSSC Mercier school on Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m.

It was organized by the Yukon Schools Athletic Association and Grapple Yukon, a new wrestling organization.

Toosis Abel Shitze, 13, from Pelly Crossing took part in the wrestling and got taken down hard by one opponent.

“I got slammed pretty good but I still got up,” he stated.

Despite the hard fall, Shitze enjoyed the event.

“It was good.”

Kaleb Parry, 16, of F.H. Collins, was also there to wrestle.

“It was pretty interesting. Got to wrestle a few people. It was a lot of fun. I haven’t wrestled – it’s hard wrestling recently and it was nice to get out here and wrestle against a few more people.”

“I’ve done some of the elementary school tournaments back when but not recently. I just started again recently … I’m trying out for the Arctic Games team and if I make that … that’d be pretty sweet.”

Of his last match, Parry said “It was hard. It was sweaty. We were both in jeans … but it was pretty fun.”

Noah Lapierre, 13, from Mercier and Nicholas Shorty, 14, from Pelly took part in the last bout of the day.

Shorty said “I wanted to see how good everyone is and …”

“Wanted to see girls!” Shitze interjected.

“… and see girls. I just wanted to have fun, too. It was really fun,” finished Shorty.

Grapple Yukon assistant coach Dave Gillis came with four boys, including Shitze and Shorty.

“I brought four athletes from Pelly from Eliza Van Bibber School. We were supposed to have a lot more but stomach flu going around – but the guys who showed up, they’ve been coming to practice for months now.

The other boys with Gillis were Tyson Simon Joe and Keelan Sawyer.

“We started last year, so this is our first actual competition against other teams, so it was just rippin’ the Band-Aid off and maybe having them a chance to see the sport, actually compete against somebody else instead of people they train against consistently,” related Gillis.

“I’m really proud of Nic, Toosis, Keelan and Tyson. They came from Pelly, they showed up early this morning, great group of athletes.

Gillis said the afternoon went well.

“This is the first time wrestling against people who aren’t their friends, so getting over those nerves and just seeing what the sport’s all about.”

The event also included a judo demonstration.

Lia Hinchey took part in it.

“We have a very strong club,” she said. “We’re trying to get more athletes to join.”

Hinchey enjoys both wrestling and judo.

“It’s been really fun. I’ve been doing judo a lot longer. We travel a lot for judo and go to lots of tournaments and starting to do that for wrestling as well.”

Hinchey is going into the Arctic Winter Games in wrestling and the Canada Winter Games in judo.

She said she’s looking forward to the Games.

“I think it will be really fun.”

Hinchey added, “We have a really good group of kids and we need more people in wrestling and judo.”

Jason Basnett, head coach for Grapple Yukon, also said the afternoon went great.

“It went fantastic. We had to be kind of fluid in our expectations because there’s so many kids sick at all the schools right now, so we didn’t have as many show up as we thought we would. But I think it worked really well. We got a bunch of training in. People tried some new stuff. We got kids from Pelly wrestling with kids from Whitehorse, met some new friends.

“We’re looking to make Arctic Winter Games team, Indigenous Games team, as well as for other teams in the future, so getting all these kids together to meet each other, this is kind of the start of a beautiful thing, hopefully.”

“We had the judo kids come out and do some excellent demos of judo. Liam Gishler did the judo demo along with Hinchey.

“They’re both longtime judo athletes, as well as wrestling and have been training forever,” said Basnett. “They’re going to the Canada Winter Games for judo. And they’re going to go to Arctic Winter Games for wrestling. Don’t tell them because they’ll get fat heads, but they’re kind of our superstars right now … they’re pretty good.”

“I’m really pleased with how it went, really happy that the Pelly guys got down here,” he said.

“We got lots of kids out and they showed some pretty good spirit, some good wrestling.”

“Our trials are in Pelly Dec. 10. People have to register online before the trials … so we know they’re coming, and then we form the Arctic Winter Games team.

“Other kids or other people, if they want to wrestle, or want to do judo, we’re always training. So come on out. And if you’re too old for Arctics, that’s OK, there’s other Games … we’ll get to Nationals and stuff,” Basnett added.

For those interested in wrestling in the Arctic Winter Games or just coming to check it out, Grapple Yukon practices take place Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Yukon Regional Training Centre at 123 Copper Road in Whitehorse.

“Once we have the trials and decide the team, then we’re going to be practicing more often and then the Games are (the) end of January,” added Basnett.

Fall Brawl’ wrestling event coming to Whitehorse

The ‘Fall Brawl’ is coming to Whitehorse.

By Morris Prokop on November 22, 2022

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The ‘Fall Brawl’ is coming to Whitehorse. The high school wrestling event takes place Nov. 23 at CSSC Mercier in Whitehorse. Grapple Yukon is running the event.

There will be three types of matches: friendly, challenger, and grudge matches.

Grapple Yukon Head Coach Jason Basnett explained how the ‘Brawl’ came about.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time through wrestling and judo and in the last several Games we’ve just picked up kids from the judo club mostly and I taught them to wrestle and we went out for the Games. We did really well but I wanted very badly to get high school wrestling going again in the territory for quite a while. I coached the Christ the King school for the elementary school tournament that used to go on and was very successful at that but had nowhere for those kids to go afterward.

“My own kids got to be the age to do the high school thing so I coached the Canada Games this summer and before … so this year, earlier in the year, we re-formed the sport governing body because we hadn’t had one of those in probably a decade. We had to give it a new name, Grapple Yukon, because all the wrestling names were used.

“As you know, Judo Yukon’s been doing really well and we have a bunch of really good athletes in Judo Yukon that are able to cross over into wrestling cause the skills are so similar.

“I do judo as well,” related Basnett. “I’m a judo sensei (teacher) as well so over the last while it’s been building and building and just figured this was the year to try to make it and actually get back into the schools in some form. Ideally, this is just the first year and we’re gonna build from there. I’m hoping to have high school programs running in the next couple years and then maybe even get some elementary school programs running again and re-institute that giant elementary school tournament we had.”

According to a Grapple Yukon press release, the Elementary Wrestling Championships was the largest one-day school wrestling tournament in Canada. However, the tournament was cancelled in 2018 and has not returned.

It’s been 20 years since Whitehorse high schools have hosted a wrestling tournament.

“I’m a Yukon grown athlete,”said Basnett. “I was really sad to see Wrestling Yukon kind of sink. We lost a lot then by having that not happen and when they folded down, it was time to start a new organization.”

Yukon wrestlers have been having some success lately.

“The most successful (Yukon wrestling) athlete the first week of the Canada Games this summer was my athlete Jaymi Hinchy. She got fifth at the Games, beat several provinces … my son, Eban Basnett, as well as Jayden Iskra, they both beat guys from Newfoundland, which as you can appreciate, any territorial team to beat a province is really a big thing.

“Jaymi is an absolutely phenomenal athlete. She got silver at the Western Canada Summer Games and even that – she got robbed by the ref. It was just disgusting.”

Jaymi Hinchey is also the B.C. provincial champion in judo this year.

“We’ve had a lot of success with this small group of athletes that are doing both judo and wrestling and I just decided that it’s a good time to try to get back into the high schools and recruit more athletes,” recalled Basnett.

“We also have a coach up in Pelly, my friend Dave Gillis, who’s the president of our association. I’m the vice-president. He’s a teacher in Pelly. He’s a phenomenal coach, was a phenomenal athlete. He’s quite a bit younger than me. His experience is more recent, but he’s getting that fired up in the communities and we’re just trying to get it started up everywhere.

“You can get wrestling scholarships, you can go to the Olympics, there’s so many opportunities created by wrestling. I myself went to school on a wrestling scholarship for a little while, so I really wanted to give that back to the kids and get things fired up again and I think the territory’s been missing it.”

Gillis is also the assistant coach of Grapple Yukon.

Basnett explained how the upcoming event works.

“The Fall Brawl is just a fun day for the kids that are interested to come and we can match them up and they can do a friendly match, which is a match on your knees, so there’s not a lot of big throws or anything like that going on. It’s a little safer introduction.

“And then a challenge match where you start off standing and then you wrestle and if you pin your opponent, you win. So it can be a very short match.

“And then just for fun, we’ve introduced what we’re going to call a grudge match … a three-minute match and if you pin your opponent, we’re just gonna stand you up and keep wrestling. You get a point for that pin but it’s not over.”

According to Basnett, the idea is “to show them how insanely hard it is to wrestle for three minutes.”

“It’s fun. It’s a jamboree style, so everybody comes there and we just mark their weight class on their hand and then they’re able to go and find other kids … in the same weight class.

“We’re gonna keep track of who won … but it’s not gonna be a full tournament.

“Just gonna have fun, introduce them to wrestling, and show them a little bit of some judo demos, and give them a chance to try it with their friends.”

Basnett is also involved in Judo Yukon.

“I’m on the board of Judo Yukon and have been for quite a while,” he said.

“We have a really strong relationship with Judo Yukon. Pretty much all of our board members on one organization are on both and we work together, train in the same gym. Basically right now they’re all the same athletes … the two sports really mesh together beautifully and the crossover between them is big. Our secret to success in wrestling is that we’ve been using judo athletes for the last while.”

Males and females are welcome at the Brawl in several weight classes.

“Because the Arctic Winter Games are the next tournament we’re going to, we’re going by the Arctic Winter Games weight classes with one exception being that we’re going to have an open weight division for people that are bigger than the AWG classes and an open weight division for people that are smaller.”

There are six weight classes for girls and seven for boys.

“At this point, I think we have 20 or 21 kids coming from three different schools,” said Basnett.

Basnett said they will be picking the AWG team at the event in Pelly.

“What we’re trying to do is have this to get Whitehorse kids interested and then I’m running practices at the Yukon Regional Training Centre, which is 123 Copper Road. It’s a judo dojo. We have wrestling practices there Wednesdays and Sundays, so I’m hoping that we get kids interested at this Fall Brawl.

“Dec. 10 in Pelly Crossing we’re having a tournament there and … that’s gonna be the Arctic Winter Games trials … and the Pelly First Nation and the school and everybody is really excited to be hosting us. And we’re going to go up there and put on a show.”

SSNS 2022 Junior Varsity Volleyball Championship

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
Girls D1	Cobequid Educational Centre	Park View Education Centre	Riverview High School

SSNS 2022 Junior Varsity Volleyball Participants

Sydney Academy

Park View Education Centre

Cobequid Educational Centre

Citadel High School

Strait Area Education Recreation Centre

Lockview High School

Horton High School

North Nova Education Centre

ASAA 2022 Volleyball Championship

	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
GIRLS A	Bawlf School	Central Alberta Christian High School	Stirling School
GIRLS AA	Notre Dame Collegiate	Magrath High School	Vauxhall Junior Senior High School
GIRLS AAA	St. John Paul II Catholic School / Faculté St. Jean–Paul II	Cochrane High School	Holy Rosary High School
GIRLS AAAA	École secondaire Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School	Salisbury Composite High School	Strathcona Composite High School
BOYS A	École Plamondon School	Bawlf School	Jasper Junior Senior High School
BOYS AA	Our Lady of Mount Pleasant Catholic School	Kate Andrews High School	Edmonton Christian High School
BOYS AAA	Barrhead Composite High School	Peace Wapiti Academy	Cardston High School
BOYS AAAA	Magrath High School	Centennial High School	Ross Sheppard High School

Participants

BOYS 1A	GIRLS 1A
École Plamondon School	Bawlf School
Picture Butte High School	Stirling School
Olds Koinonia Christian School	Parkland Immanuel Christian School
Paul Rowe Junior Senior School	École Plamondon School
New Norway School	Bassano School
Bawlf School	Morrin School
Parkland Immanuel Christian School	St Thomas More Catholic School
Jasper Junior Senior High School	Warburg School
St Michael’s School	Central Alberta Christian High School
St Mary’s Catholic School	Picture Butte High School
Boys 2A	Girls 2A
École Notre Dame	Magrath High School
La Crete Public School	Our Lady of Mount Pleasant Catholic School
Our Lady of Mount Pleasant Catholic School	Notre Dame Collegiate
Oilfields Hill School	Edmonton Christian High School
Rundle College	Rundle Senior High School
Immanuel Christian High School	Vauxhall Junior Senior High School
Calgary Christian High School	Calgary Christian School
Kate Andrews High School	Peace River School
Edmonton Christian High School	John Maland High School
Holy Redeemer Junior Senior Catholic High School	Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School
Two Hills School S.P.E.R.D.	David Thompson School
Prairie Christian Academy	Willow Creek Composite High School
Boys 3A	Girls 3A
Barrhead Composite High School	Cochrane High School
Peace Wapiti Academy	St. John Paul II Catholic School / Faculté St. Jean–Paul II
École Camrose Composite High School	West Island College
Cochrane High School	Holy Rosary High School
Monsignor McCoy High School	École secondaire St Albert Catholic High School
Strathcona Christian Academy	Eagle Butte High School
Cardston High School	Strathcona Christian Academy
École secondaire St Albert Catholic High School	R.F. Staples Secondary School
Holy Rosary High School	Winston Churchill High School
St Gabriel the Archangel School	École Camrose Composite High School
R.F. Staples Secondary School	Springbank High School
Winston Churchill High School	Peace Wapiti Academy
Boys 4A	Girls 4A
Salisbury Composite High School	École secondaire Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School
Magrath High School	Salisbury Composite High School
Centennial High School	Strathcona Composite High School
Hunting Hills High School	William Aberhart High School
Ross Sheppard High School	Western Canada High School
Western Canada High School	Bowness High School
Harry Ainlay School	Harry Ainlay School
William Aberhart High School	Notre Dame High School
Jasper Place Composite High School	Chinook High School
Catholic Central High School	Charles Spencer High School
Charles Spencer High School	Catholic Central High School
Holy Trinity High School	Holy Trinity High School