Colts and Ardens host home badminton tournament

The Swift Current Comp. Colts and Ardens hosted 10 other high school badminton teams for their home tournament on Saturday.

Four different schools won the five divisions, led by the Rosetown Central Royals with two gold medal performances.

Meagan Wenzel had an unbeaten performance as she defeated seven different opponents in the Girls Singles round robin event. Wenzel rattled off victories over Swift Current 1 (21-14, 21-11), Swift Current 2 (21-9, 21-8), Frontier (21-11, 21-9), Gravelbourg (21-0, 21-4), Leader (21-19, 21-2), Maple Creek (21-4, 21-3), and Ponteix (2117, 21-18).

Ponteix’s Sara Kendall placed second in girls singles with a 6-1 record.

Kennedy Martens and Mark Hill also went undefeated for the Royals in Mixed Doubles. They finished 5-0 in the Pool B round robin with wins over Swift Current 2 (21-7, 21-9), Fox Valley (21-7, 21-12), Ponteix (21-9, 21-9), Eston (24-22, 21-8), and Frontier (21-10, 215).

Martens and Hill defeated Leader (21-12, 21-12) in the semi-final. They took on Eston’s Madison Hobbs and Riley Leahey in the gold medal game and won 21-15 and 21-15.

Leader’s Kerstyn Wenzel and Megan Tumbach also won all seven of their games to win gold in Girls Doubles.

They finished 4-0 to top the Pool B round robin with victories over Swift Current 2 (21-9, 21-7), Ponteix (2112, 21-8), Maple Creek (21-6, 21-4), and Gravelbourg (21-8, 21-6).

The Saints duo opened the playoffs with a win over another Gravelbourg team (2112, 21-0) and then defeated another Leader pairing in the semi-final. Wenzel and Tumback defeated Fox Valley’s Olivia Hudec and Joren Gramlich 21-16 and 21-13 in the final to claim gold.

Frontier’s Garrett Mitchell won all seven matches to win gold in Boys Singles. He rattled off wins over Swift Current 1 (19-21, 21-4, 21-16), Swift Current 4 (21-14, 21-14), Herbert (21-5, 21-6), Fox Valley (21-15, 21-12), Elrose (2114, 21-10), and Leader (21-19, 21-2).

Mitchell defeated Gravelbourg’s Julien Gauthier 21-13 and 21-14 in the championship match.

Ponteix’s Tyson Goffinet and Kim Mendoza won all seven matches to win gold in Boys Doubles in Swift Current. They topped Pool A with wins over Swift Current 1 (2110, 14-21, 23-21), Swift Current 3 (21-9, 21-10), Leader (21-11, 21-14), Rosetown (2119, 21-14), Frontier (21-8, 2117), and Eston (21-11, 21-9).

The Ponteix duo defeated Swift Current’s Jayesh Budhrani and Aussie Wiebe 21-11 and 21-19 in the final.

Swift Current will be the site of the Rolling Hills Sectional Playoffs on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. to open the SHSAA Provincial Playoffs. The Colts and Ardens will be joined by athletes from Gull Lake, Herbert, Hodgeville, Ponteix, and Vanguard.

Swift Current will host SHSAA Provincials on May 11.