Talons, Mohawks, Colts all qualify for badminton provincials

A handful of Medicine Hat-and-area athletes medalled at the South Zone high school badminton championships in Lethbridge Friday, with a few punching tickets to the provincial meet next week.

Eagle Butte’s Triston Duchscherer and Lexie Waldbauer teamed up for junior mixed doubles gold, beating Vauxhall’s Dana McLeod and Erik Vanden Dungen in the final.

Monsignor McCoy’s Jordyn Fournier — who won division B silver at provincials last year — will return after taking second in intermediate girls singles. Chinook’s Nicole Madore edged her in Friday’s final but both advance.

Also going back to provincials is Hat High’s James Nguyen, the Vietnamese student who burst onto the scene last year and is allowed to compete at the senior age category for a second straight season. He was beat by Catholic Central’s Nolan Jetten in the boys final but both move on.

Hat High’s Sam Nygaard and Tony Nguyen were second in intermediate boys doubles to a team from Catholic Central. The Hat High senior mixed team of Phoebe Gamao and Irvin Magwali similarly lost their final to Chinook’s Kieran Meadows and Rebecca Maier. But both teams advance to the Alberta finals anyhow.

Senator Gershaw is also sending an athlete to provincials. Jessica Andreas won the junior girls singles division, beating Winston Churchill’s Michelle Wu in the final.

Eagle Butte’s Jessica Balfour and Azlin Ferguson were third in junior girls doubles. Aidyn Phillips of Gershaw was third in intermediate boys singles. They’d be considered alternates if for some reason the firstor second-place finishers couldn’t attend provincials.

The provincial meet takes place in Grimshaw starting next Friday.