Volleyball, football playoffs are set
The Southern Alberta High School Volleyball League varsity playoffs hit the hardwood this week. Kudos to athletic director Jon Vande Griend and company for stepping up and hosting the 12-team girls event at Picture Butte High School. It’s the most entrants ever. In order to fit in all the action, the schedule has been extended to three days, beginning Thursday.
LCI, who also have a rather large football game to present this week, is the site of the 10-team boys’ affair. It’s a Friday-Saturday showcase.
Volleyball zones are next week, with provincials Nov. 23-25. ••• The Alberta Schools Athletic Association Football Championships hit the gridiron this week with quarter-final action, leading to the five-game Alberta Bowl in Lacombe, Nov. 24-25.
In terms of Southern Alberta High School Football League representation we have four teams for sure involved; potentially five depending on whether Catholic Central vanquished Medicine Hat High Tuesday, long after I’ve completed this missive.
Three local teams are home, with one proviso.
In Tier I, LCI hosts Calgary Notre Dame at University of Lethbridge Community Stadium, Saturday, at 2 p.m.
Tier IV sees Claresholm Willow Creek entertains Canmore in Claresholm. That start time is also listed at 2 p.m.
As for Tier III, Cardston has chosen to play its home game at U of L. Sylvan Lake is the opponent Friday at 6 p.m.
Taber W.R. Myers is in Calgary to face Rundle College at 1 p.m. Saturday in Tier IV.
The Hat High/Catholic Central Tier II Region 1 survivor is on the road for a 1 p.m., Saturday clash with Okotoks Foothills. ••• This is a truly busy time on the school athletic calendar with volleyball and football in the home stretch and basketball practice season now on.
But even more ASAA sports are now in action. For example, I was really pleased to see what appeared to be a large group of kids from various schools practising wrestling in the LCI small gym Monday night. I truly believe wrestling is one of the fairest sports in terms of different body types and sizes. It’s wonderfully accessible for females, too. Just a heck of a good sport to me. No wonder it’s passed the test of time. ••• This weather certainly makes scheduling challenging. Most people feel there are two teams involved in any game. I’d vote for four. You need game officials and people to run facilities, too.
Kudos to the the folks running all football facilities in the area currently.
As for officials, my dealings with Southern Alberta Football Officials Association’s Wayne Wilson, plus Southern Alberta Volleyball Officials Association’s
Jordon Wong, Frances Hiebert and Karl Hiebert, are habitually professional (even though their monetary compensation is far, far from it), but dealing with the havoc provided by last weekend’s weather brought out an even greater appreciation for their skill and dedication. Wow, what a circus they had to master.
I understand Wayne is likely giving up all of his SAFOA duties and moving before next season. The entire football community owes him a debt of gratitude for many years of service.
WELLSIE’S WORLD — Next Wednesday the 2017 Southern Alberta High School Volleyball League individual awards will be handed out. So, I decided to see how 2016 male MVP Colm Guyn is doing at the start of his true freshman campaign playing for the University of Waterloo. Turns out, the LCI product is doing very well indeed!
The six-foot-five setter (think quarterback for you football types; let’s say a combination of scrum-half and fly-half in rugby) is starting. Not just starting, though, excelling. He was Waterloo athletics male athlete of the week after the first regular season twin-bill, recording 88 assists, plus human swept the floor for nine digs. Two weeks into the campaign he’s eighth in U Sports nationally in assists per set.
Actually, the first thing I noticed about the Waterloo roster is their height in the team picture. There are seven players listed at six-footsix or taller, including six-foot-11, six-foot10 and six-foot-nine. Counting Guyn, there are five who reportedly stand six-foot-five. And from the photo gauging the lads compared to Guyn, I’d say these are very legit heights. Heck, even the three liberos were listed at six-feet or over.
Sometimes, around here, I’m not sure many folks realize just how good U Sports men’s volleyball is. Top-shelf indeed.
• As for a sport where heights are often (although really not much on these teams) inflated, I’m of course tickled to see both University of Lethbridge basketball outfits 4-0 to start their Canada West regular seasons. The Horns, filled to the brim with local high school grads on both rosters, have a rare mid-week league home appearance tomorrow (yes, Thursday) night when they entertain Calgary’s Mount Royal University.