The end is near for high school sports season

By this time next week the entire 201718 area high school sports season will be history, with only the June 8-9 Calgaryhosted provincial high school rugby finals left to be contested in Wild Rose Country. ••• The Alberta Schools Athletic Association High School Track & Field Championships are scheduled for Red Deer this Friday and Saturday. It’s a truly massive event, including approximately 1,100 competitors. Absolutely a highlight of the Grade 10-12 athletics calendar. ••• Thanks to perpetual organizer

Kevin Holland I was made aware the Southern Alberta High School Girls Slo-Pitch League slides into Softball Valley this week for title tournaments. Varsity is scheduled for today, with the junior varsity diamond show Friday.

There are 14 teams in two varsity divisions. As of this writing a number of weather make-up dates were still to be played. However, the records at the start of the week showed:

East Division — Vauxhall (111), Coaldale Kate Andrews (9-1), Milk River Erle Rivers (6-4), Picture Butte (5-5), Taber St. Mary’s (4-8), Brooks (2-10), Bow Island (1-9).

West Division — Chinook (91), Magrath (7-3), Vulcan County Central (5-1-6), Cardston (4-2), Claresholm Willow Creek (3-1-4), Catholic Central 1-1-6, Kainai (1-1-8).

Junior Varsity — Kate Andrews JV (7-3), Magrath JV (6-0), LCI JV (5-4), Vauxhall JV (5-2), Catholic Central JV (24) County Central JV (2-5) Nobleford (0-9). ••• The Southern Alberta High School Rugby League playoffs, which are combined with the ASAA South Zone Championships, are already underway. Next Monday June 4, five finals kick off on two adjacent northside Lethbridge Sports Park Sherring Field pitches, between 4 and 7 p.m.

Here were the regular season records of teams in the circuit as of the past weekend:

(Table points are awarded on the following basis: Win - 4; Draw - 2, Four or more tries scored - 1; Loss within seven points - 1; Loss greater than seven points - 0.):

Boys Tier 1 — LCI (6-0, 30 table points), Winston Churchill (5-2, 26 points), Medicine Hat High (3-3, 15 points), Chinook (0-7). Fort Macleod F.P. Walshe are also listed as having played three games, going 1-2 for 6 points.

Boys Tier 2 — Fort Macleod F.P. Walshe (4-2, 19 points), County Central (3-3, 17 points), LCI JV (3-2-1, 15 points), Chinook JV (3-3, 13 points), Hat High JV (1-4, 4 points), Winston Churchill JV (1-5, 4 points).

Girls Tier 1 — Raymond (6-0, 30 points); Winston Churchill (3-3, 17 points); Taber W.R. Myers (3-3, 16 points), LCI (0-6).

Girls Tier 2 — F.P. Walshe (6-0, 30 points); Chinook (5-1, 28 points), County Central (3-3, 16 points); Pincher Creek Matthew

Halton (1-5, 6 points); Medicine Hat Crescent Heights (0-6).

One stat that jumps right off the page is the Raymond girls having scored 389 markers in six tilts, while allowing zero. I presume there must be tremendous widespread buy-in among top level school female athletes in terms of team membership.

WELLSIE’S WORLD —By special request I’m going with baseball wind-up info in this section. Both area loops crowned their 2018 champs this past week.

Catholic Central, under the guidance of former University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey stay-at-home defensive stalwart Andrew Gilbert, captured the Lethbridge Regional High School Baseball League title Friday with a 10-3 triumph over Chinook at Lloyd Nolan. The Vulcan County Central baseball alumnus praised his squad’s long and limber lefty and righty starting pitchers among other strengths.

From what I can gather, the loop, which expanded to seven teams this season, had a very strong campaign.

The venerable Southern Alberta High School Baseball League’s Tier I champions were Medicine Hat High McCoy. That final event was played in the Gas City. Meanwhile, in Milk River, Okotoks Holy Trinity topped Tier II.

If one were to make a depth chart ranking locals by importance on the Canadian basketball scene there’s certainly a strong argument for placing long-time game official

Morgan Munroe in the pole position. This was brought home to me over the weekend as Morgan led a crew of veteran whistle blowers giving tips to dedicated younger blind folk during a Prairie Elite Basketball League U-15 Girls League event at Catholic Central West and the UofL.

Not only is the retired Catholic Central teacher, multisport athlete and coach the president of the Canadian Association of Basketball Officials, the former Lethbridge College hoop guard is the National Basketball Officials Commission chair.

Think of the latter post as general manager of all elite basketball officials in Canada. Last I looked there are 14 Canadians at the current international whistle blowing standard. Six are from Alberta and Morgan has no doubt had a hand in helping refine that number.

As for PEBL from a elite player development standpoint, there is nothing like it on the spring basketball scene. It really is that good.

For example nine players from the U of L champion U-17 team two years ago have gone on to sign at post-secondary, most in universities.

Kudos to referees and players who availed themselves to PEBL growth opportunities this spring.