Category Archives: featured

featured, Kenaston, Sports

Kodiak senior girls take bronze at provincials

The senior girls basketball team from Kenaston School poses following their bronze medal win at 1A provincials in Moose Jaw on March 19.
The senior girls basketball team from Kenaston School poses following their bronze medal win at 1A provincials in Moose Jaw on March 19.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — Winning the bronze medal at Hoopla last weekend may not have been the way Kenaston’s senior girls hoped their season would end.

But given the challenging year they’ve had, coach Gene Zdunich said, simply making it to provincials seemed out of reach at some points.

“It was a real struggle this season, we had so many injuries and so many people sick,” Zdunich said Tuesday.

“Just surviving it and getting to Hoopla was kind of the high point,” he said. “I didn’t know how far we were going to go in the playoffs.”

The Kodiaks hosted 1A regionals on March 11 and 12, easily defeating both Eston and Paradise Hill and paving the way for them to compete in provincials in Moose Jaw the following weekend.

They began the weekend with a close, physical game against Fillmore on March 18. Their competitors held a narrow lead for most of the game, with Kenaston tying the score at 44-44 with 35 seconds remaining.

However, Fillmore broke the tie with a string of successful foul shots, earning a 48-44 victory.

“We just couldn’t seem to catch a break,” said Zdunich, adding that in the closing minutes, “A lot of it was not in our hands.”

The Kodiaks thus moved on to the consolation game against Asquith on Saturday, which they easily won with a score of 81-34.

“Asquith’s a pretty young team,” said Zdunich, adding that competing in a faster-paced game came more naturally to his players.

Ann Ulmer was the high scorer for Kenaston in both games, scoring 17 points on Friday night and 38 points in the consolation match.

However, Zdunich said both games saw a true team effort from the Kodiaks, adding, “All of our kids worked so hard.”

He noted that he was also working with a younger team this year, with no Grade 12 players on board. On the plus side, the Kodiaks will be able to build on their past success next year, as no players are graduating.

Kenaston’s senior girls have reached 1A provincial finals 12 times since 1971, including a three-year string from 2013 to 2015.

The Kodiaks won gold in 1972, 1973, 1999 and 2013. In the latter year, they defeated Middle Lake 51-38 in the final.

Craik, Davidson, Elbow, featured, Loreburn

Music festival hosts grand finale

Grade 4 students from Davidson School perform on their ukuleles during the grand finale of the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival on Wednesday.
Grade 4 students from Davidson School perform on their ukuleles during the grand finale of the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival on Wednesday.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Friends, family and music lovers filled the Sacred Heart Parish Hall on Wednesday for the grand finale concert for this year’s Central Saskatchewan Music Festival (CSMF).

The program featured 31 music and speech arts performances, introduced one by one by emcee Sharon Riecken.

This was the 56th year for the annual festival, which ran from March 21 to 23 and saw an increase to 140 entries this year, compared to 101 the previous year.

“We were just ecstatic,” said festival president Nancy Wilkins in response to the growth in participation.

She also suggested that the festival take a cue from Lethbridge and change its name to reflect the growing contribution of the speech arts performers, which represented more than a third of the entries.

Riecken proved an affable host, offering a quip or a compliment for each performance.

In response to Reece Johnson and Finn Low’s “If I Were in Charge of the World,” she expressed approval, adding, “Just hope it’s not Trump.”

She also said the festival is “an awesome opportunity for our young people to show their unique talents year after year.”

Deputy mayor Tyler Alexander brought greetings on behalf of town council and paid tribute to the volunteers and teachers behind the festival, as well as the hard work of the students.

He recalled taking part in the festival years earlier and added, “I’m so happy to see it still going strong.”

While some of the Grade 2 and Grade 5 speech arts students were missing from Wednesday night’s concert, their comrades went on for a successful performance despite their diminished numbers.

For a complete list of performers and awards plus a selection of photos, please see the March 28 edition of The Davidson Leader.

featured, Hanley

Cattle truck blocks highway after crash

A cattle liner lies across the southbound side of Highway 11 following a collision with a car on March 11. (Contributed photo by Larry Packet)
A cattle liner lies across the southbound side of Highway 11 following a collision with a car on March 11.
(Contributed photo by Larry Packet)

By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — Most of the three dozen animals on board survived when a semi towing a cattle liner collided with a car on Highway 11 near Hanley.

However, one animal died on impact and two more had to be “destroyed” following the collision, according to local fire chief Les Kroeger.

The crash at the junction of Highway 11 and the access road to Hanley — occuring around 2:30 p.m. on March 11 — left the overturned semi completely blocking the southbound side of the highway.

Kroeger said he and his crew helped provide medical assistance to the drivers of both vehicles. Neither was seriously hurt, but the driver of the car was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Following that, emergency responders turned their attention to the cattle liner. Kroeger estimated that it took workers between 60 and 90 minutes to remove around 35 animals from the vehicle.

“We got them safely out of the truck and loaded onto other trailers,” he said, adding that the cattle were transported to another farm and given proper medical care.

The firefighters also assisted with directing traffic and cleaning up the highway. Kroeger said they were on the scene for upwards of four-and-a-half hours altogether.

Staff Sgt. Greg Abbott of the Saskatoon RCMP detachment confirmed that one driver was treated for injuries and that most of the cattle were safely removed from the semi.

Following the collision, traffic was rerouted through the Town of Hanley. Drivers were cautioned by police to expect delays in the area and asked to slow down while approaching the site.

Davidson resident Larry Packet said he was driving northbound past Hanley shortly after the collision. He reported that he had to wait about 10 minutes to pass through the area and that he was redirected through town.

Southbound vehicles were redirected around the highway for most of the afternoon. Kroeger said traffic flow was not restored until midnight.

Abbott said the incident remains under investigation and noted that charges had not yet been laid.

Davidson, featured, Sports

Peewees beat Gravelbourg in provincial semi-finals

The Davidson Peewee Huskies pose for a team photo following their win over the Gravelbourg Stars in provincial "C" semi-finals on March 13.
The Davidson Peewee Huskies pose for a team photo following their win over the Gravelbourg Stars in provincial “C” semi-finals on March 13.

 

DAVIDSON — The Peewee Huskies are headed to provincial “C” finals following a win over the Gravelbourg Stars last weekend.

Davidson hosted the Stars on March 13, following a 7-3 win in Gravelbourg a week earlier.

The Huskies’ Nolan Allan scored the only goal of the first period, assisted by Derek Griffin and Logan Anderson.

The second period opened with back-to-back goals for Davidson within 18 seconds of each other — the first by Jackson Allan and the second by Tyler Bahnman.

Gravelbourg’s Owen Neubeker scored with five minutes left in the period, while Nolan Allan scored for Davidson with 1:18 remaining, assisted by Brodie Ringdal, to bring the score to 4-1.

Nolan Allan scored an unassisted goal midway through the third period, bringing the final tally to 5-1.

Davidson heads into the final provincial series against the Watrous Winterhawks. The first game was scheduled for March 20 in Davidson, followed by the second game on March 24 in Watrous.

Meanwhile, the Peewee Cyclones continued in East Central Minor Hockey League playoffs with a 6-4 win over Watrous 1 on March 16.

Nolan Allan scored four goals for the Cyclones while Brodie Ringdal and Jackson Allan each contributed one goal. The third game in the series was scheduled for Friday night in Watrous.

Craik, Davidson, featured, Kenaston, Loreburn, Sports

Bantams win B-side league title

The Davidson Bantam Huskies pose following their win over Viscount-Colonsay on March 15.
The Davidson Bantam Huskies pose following their win over Viscount-Colonsay on March 15.

 

DAVIDSON — The Bantam Huskies finished the season with a 7-3 win over Viscount-Colonsay, taking the B-side championship in East Central Minor Hockey League playoffs.

Davidson hosted the final game in the best-of-three series on March 15, following a 3-2 loss to Vi-Co on March 6 and a 3-2 win on March 8.

Travis Griffin opened the game with an unassisted goal for Davidson, while their opponents were held scoreless through the first period.

Vi-Co’s Hunter Breckner scored to start the second period, followed by a second goal by Griffin, assisted by Deacon Nolting and Riley Berry.

Davidson’s third goal was scored by Derek Schmiedge, assisted by Josh Warkentin and Phoenix Prpick, bringing the score to 3-1 at the end of the second period.

Back-to-back goals by Derek Schmiedge and Hunter Wall — scored within 32 seconds of each other near the start of the third period — bolstered Davidson’s lead.

Hunter Herback then scored for Davidson, assisted by Hunter Wall and Derek Schmiedge, followed by a second goal for Vi-Co’s Hunter Breckner.

Connor Tetzlaff scored for Vi-Co with seven minutes remaining, followed by a goal for Davidson by Riley Berry, assisted by Josh Warkentin and Derek Schmiedge, bringing the final tally to 7-3.

The bantam boys had finished the regular season with 12 wins and nine losses. Derek Schmiedge was the team’s high scorer for the season with 32 goals and 22 assists, followed by Maguire Scheidt and Riley Berry.

Mark Scheidt coached the Davidson team this season, assisted by Greg Lemcke and Rob Warkentin. Leah Herback served as team manager.

Davidson, featured, Sports

Booker team wins A event in ladies spiel

Dana Ebenal and Val Keeler head down the ice during the Ladies Bonspiel on March 12.
Dana Ebenal and Val Keeler head down the ice during the Ladies Bonspiel on March 12.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Thirteen teams took part in this year’s Ladies Bonspiel, hosted by the Davidson Curling Club on March 11 and 12.

Competition took place over two days with the finals taking place on Saturday night. Prizes were donated by close to 40 local businesses, organizations and residents.

Organizer Marla Dezotell said there was one full team taking part from Saskatoon, along with numerous out-of-town players joining local teams.

“It turned out to be a lot of fun,” she said, adding that the weekend was “enjoyed thoroughly by all.”

Finishing in first prize in the A event was Beth Booker’s rink, consisting of herself, third Tracey Palmer, second Teaka White and lead Terry Firby. Booker’s team defeated the Agnes Viczko rink to claim the title.

Donna Cross’s rink defeated Stacey Belisle’s team to win the final in the B event. In addition to Cross, the winning team included lead Lois Dueck, third Selma Nelson, second Karen Reich and fifth Vonne Johnson.

Andrea Pottie’s team defeated Lindsay Cross’s rink to win in the C event, while Laura Williams triumphed over Liza Dahl to claim the title in the D event.