Kings of the court
The Cobequid Cougars capped an unbelievable season with a fourth straight Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Division 1 boys volleyball title on Saturday.
The Cougars defeated Par-enBas in straight sets (25-12, 25-12) in the provincial final at Dartmouth High School.
The Cougars finished the season with a jaw-dropping 48-0 record.
“It was awesome,” said thirdyear Cougar Thomas Vickers. “Just kind of a dream; for three years working at it and for it to pay off felt really good.”
Top-seeded CEC had roundrobin wins over Citadel (25-16, 25-11), West Kings (25-16, 25-21), and co-host Dartmouth (25-15, 25-13) before upending co-host Auburn Drive (25-14, 25-11) in a semifinal to book its spot in the provincial title game.
“In the finals we all played amazing,” said Vickers, 17, from Bible Hill. “It was probably one of the best performances our team has ever put together, and it was just a collective performance. Everybody came and just played and finished off in the best way possible.”
Vickers said team chemistry and a strong work ethic played a big role in the Cougars’ success this season. He also credited coach Harvey Maceachern for pushing players to be their best.
“He shows us what we have to do, the work we have to put in to get what we want, and he lets us do that every single day, and he gives us as many opportunities as we possibly can and just wants us to be tough…”
Leading the way for CEC at the provincial championship was Vickers, who had 16 perfect passes, 19 defensive digs, 40 kills and 17 service points, while Adam Mceachren added 18 kills, five stuff blocks and 12 service points.
Libero Isaac Macnaughton contributed 16 perfect passes, while Dean Sangster had a 47 per cent kill efficiency and Sean Gallie had 67 per cent kill efficiency in the final.
Setters Austin Atkinson and Aiden Fitzpatrick combined for 103 assists.