Category Archives: Sports

Sports

Sabers and Bisons advance in Sask. high school 6-man football playoffs

It’s football weather for the Hanley Sabers and LCBI Bisons senior boys football teams as they battle through the cold and snow and opposing defences in their quest for a birth in the provincial finals.

The Bisons finished off the Gull Lake Lions 46-33 in the quarterfinals Oct. 27 at Gull Lake in a breezy -10 C fall day before returning to the Bison Dome to tackle a strong Kelliher/Ituna Trojans team last Saturday. A win against the Trojans would secure them a spot in the provincial finals held this weekend.

Phil Guebert, head coach of the Bisons, said it was a hard match-up against the Lions on a cleared but frozen field that could have gone the other way late in the game, but their defence stood up to the task and stopped a surging Lions offence when it was needed most.

“We were up 38-17 at the half, but we did escape a little bit because they scored a touchdown on the last play of the half, but it got called back for holding,” said Guebert. “Nobody scored in the third quarter and then they forced a few fumbles on us. We had three fumbles in the fourth and they scored twice off of it and closed the gap.

“Two touchdowns could have tied it up or won it for them, but our defence held them and our offence controlled the ball at the end of the game to win it.”

Guebert said the team would have to keep pressuring the Kelliher/Ituna defence if they hope to make it to the finals and keep the Trojans from making it to the finals themselves for a second straight year. He said the game is being played at the Bison Dome, so the home crowd should give them an edge.

“It’ll be nice to have support here,” he said. “We did have some on the road, but to have a crowd here in Outlook supportive of us will be good and we’re suspecting field conditions should be OK because it is supposed to be above zero almost all week.”

Hanley Sabers

The Sabers faced the defending Saskatchewan 6-man football champion Raymore Rebels last weekend at home in the semifinals after beating the Kerrobert Rebels 51-0 Oct. 27 in the Jungle at Hanley. A win against Raymore will advance the Sabers into the provincial finals where they hope to win their first championship since 2009.

Mark Anderson, head coach of the Sabers, said his team would be in tough against an experienced Raymore squad that understands the pressure of playoff football, but he hopes the “great crowd” at the Jungle will help even up the stakes.

“The leaders on our team were in Grade 9 when we last won provincials, so they weren’t playing,” said Anderson. “Raymore will obviously have the upper hand in experience, but we’ll have the upper hand in hosting. The atmosphere at Hanley is a neat thing, so hopefully our guys will be able to handle it and we can give them a good game.”

Anderson said the weather wouldn’t be a factor against Raymore and wasn’t a factor against Kerrobert. He said the team doesn’t feel the cold when they’re on the field and just executed a “real steady” game plan against Kerrobert in capitalizing on their chances in both the first and second halves of the match.

“It was 28-0 at half, so it wasn’t a huge score, but we are just kind of relentless,” said Anderson. “We’re pretty methodical about our approach and we have some pretty dynamic players on offence.”

Anderson singled out star quarterback Josh Anderson who helped guide the team to victory by rushing for over 100 yards and had a hand in seven touchdowns, rushing for two and throwing for five, but said it was the whole team that stepped up to get the win.

“It was just a good solid team effort. Obviously the defence played extremely well”

Davidson, Sports

Davidson Cyclones ready to hit the ice

The Davidson Cyclones senior hockey team is ready to hit the ice for their first game of the 2012-13 regular-season next week.

The team, who will essentially keep their core together from their Long Lake Hockey League (LLHL) and provincial “C” division championship season of last year, face off Nov. 9 against the Drake Canucks in Drake in a rematch of the championship finalists. The team will open up their home schedule at the Davidson Communiplex on Nov. 17 against the Lanigan Pirates.

Jason Shaw, head coach of the Cyclones, said the team only lost five players from last year due to a couple retirements and a few moving away, but the core of the team including 2011-12 league MVP Steve Dasilva, Derek Allan, Brady Willner, Mark Zoerb, Brett Siroski, Kevin Johnson, Chad Manz and Colton Allan are back to try and repeat as league and provincial champs.

“We’ve had a pretty good run in the past three years and it would be nice to repeat as league and provincial champions, but we’re quite a ways from that at the start of the season,” said Shaw. “Championships are what we’re looking for, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done between now and then.”

The Cyclones senior hockey team, who has played out of Davidson under different names since 1905, won their first league championship in the LLHL last season. The team came over to the LLHL in the mid-1990s after competing in the River Lake Hockey League and many others throughout the years previous.

The team has won three straight provincial titles including the “D” division championships in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and the “C” division championship last year.

Shaw said the team plays a high-tempo offensive game as evidenced by their league leading 172 goals for last season, but that is not the only aspect of their game.

In the 22 regular-season games last year in which the club won 18 and only lost one in regulation, the team also posted a second best total of 96 goals against and the second most penalty minutes total of 420 in the six-team league that also boasts clubs from LeRoy, Lanigan, Watrous, Drake and Nokomis.

“We’d like to be up there in scoring again, but the penalties we’d probably like to rein those in a bit,” said Shaw. “We’re more of a wide open and free-skating team. We’ve got the biggest rink in the league ice surface wise, so with our talent we’d like to play more of an open game and not quite as tight-checking.”

Sports

Volleyball players raise funds for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

The Davidson Raiders senior girls volleyball team played with heart this past week both on the court and off. Despite a losing record during week play the players still managed to bring hope to those who have more to worry about than a game of volleyball.

The Raiders ended the week with a loss to the Loreburn Aztecs at the Davidson gym last Wednesday after coming out on the short end in tournament play Oct.12 and 13, but the club and other schools at the tourney raised funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in the third annual tournament for the cause held at Craik and Davidson schools.

Tony Baldwin, head coach of the Raiders, said the team raised funds for the Foundation through canteen sales. Donations were also made by the competing teams at the Friday night and all-day Saturday tourney, which also saw the other schools bunk at Davidson School on the first night.

“We had a lot of teams stay over which was lots of fun for the kids,” said Baldwin. “They stay in the school and play volleyball half the night. Those are good tournaments as far as fans because they generally bring a pretty good entourage with them from the towns they’re from.”

He said all four teams that were in their pool including Asquith, Colonsay, Elrose and St. Walburg stayed overnight at Davidson School, which is “better than driving home.”

The Davidson team was split in two for the tournament, a blue and a white club, but both came out with equal results.

“We played our hardest,” said blue team member Elise Packet who played at Davidson. “We didn’t do very well, but it was nice to see some good volleyball and lots of girls supporting the breast cancer society.”

To read more please see the Oct. 22 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Raiders second football season comes to a close against Panthers at The Ranch

Raiders quarterback Mike Kowalski and running back Jon Taylor ended their high school football season on a high note last Thursday, despite the 68-12 loss to the Hague Pathers at the Ranch.

The two players teamed up for a beautiful reverse fake on the Panthers 15-yard line leading to a open run down the left side of the field that ended with Taylor celebrating in the end zone and bringing the Raiders back into the game with the score at a respectable 22-12 for the away team halfway through the second quarter.

The Raiders (0-5) went on a run in the second, dominating the Panters (2-3) and bringing the big crowd that lined the field on a cold but sunny day to their feet. Unfortunately, the home team couldn’t hold that momentum and watched the Panthers score three quick touchdowns after the reverse to bring the game out of reach for the Raiders at 46-12 at the half.

“The game was pretty good,” said Jason Low, head coach of the Raiders. “Our offence showed some spark and we had a couple of exciting plays. We moved the ball quite a bit and it was nice to get a few touchdowns and give the fans something to cheer about.

“We experimented (on defence) and got everybody into the game, so that led to a few breakdowns and a few big plays (for the Panthers), but overall I was pretty happy with the game.”

It was the last game of high school football for graduating players Kass Ebenal (quarterback) and Kurri Reich (tight end). They both came out strong and made a couple of good plays.

To read more please see the Oct. 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Raiders and Bisons engage in a hard-hitting affair

The Raiders senior boys football team lost 44-0 to the LCBI Bisons in chilly football weather last Thursday at the Bison Dome, but that didn’t stop them from having a bit of fun and enjoying a game they are all happy to play no matter what the score happens to be in the end.

Raiders head coach Jason Low said he was “pretty happy” with the game, which featured a number of hard tackles, long bombs and interceptions, despite the uneven score. He said the game plan heading into the Dome was more focused on the little things and they pulled off some great plays.

“It’s easy to get down with the score, but to me it’s the second year of the program and we’re looking more at plays and players,” said Low. “We’re gelling as a team, are more focused and I think we did well.

“Mike Kowalski (Raiders running back and quarterback) had a great game and the defence is starting to figure things out.”

Low said the team has to remember why they are playing football in the first place and that is to have fun. He said the goal is to win games, but just having a good game as a team is a great reward as well.

Raiders linebacker Jon Taylor had fun laying out a few bone-crunching hits during the game on a couple Bisons, while defensive lineman Kirby Manz may have had the highlight of the game when he drove into Bisons QB Damon Berggren for a teeth-rattling sack in the fourth quarter. On the Bisons side, tight end Jordan Bott was a force to be reckoned with as he took out any Raiders trying to run down his side of the field.

Phil Guebert, head coach of the Bisons, said the Raiders “played with a lot of heart” and he was even rooting for them to get into the end zone in the fourth quarter when Kowalski tried to muscle the ball in from in-close, but he’s still happy his team held them back too.

“We played with good intensity today, but not high intensity,” said Guebert. “We were short staffed and didn’t have many guys. There were a few guys playing out of position, but they did a good job.”

The Raiders are now preparing to host the Hague Panthers Oct. 11 for their last home game of the year at The Ranch and are hoping for a good crowd.

Kowalski said the team will need to try hard to improve their game against the Panthers, but he is confident they can do better on their home field.

“It’s pretty plausible it’ll be a very close game,” he said. “We’re expecting to give them a run for their money.”

Davidson, Sports

Cross-country running team finish tough season

The Raiders cross-country running team crossed the finish line last week, which capped off a successful season for the Davidson School group that saw them compete in three meets and most recently the district championships last Thursday in Eston.

Karen McConnell, head coach of the running team, said the 15 participants in the group, who range from grades 5 through 9 students, had a demanding but fantastic year. She said the team gave their all to the sport that had the kids run through a gruelling before school practice schedule, not to mention the four meets they compete in during such a short period of time.

“I’m very proud of them,” said McConnell. “I’ve played and been involved with a lot of sports and I can honestly say that cross-country running is the most physically demanding sport I have ever been a part of and they did absolutely excellent.”

The coach had the kids up and running in the early morning hours two to three days a week along the walking trail in Davidson and also doing hill sprints by the Davidson Health Centre to get them used to uneven terrain.

She said they had to complete this rough practice schedule in order to be ready for the demanding meets they compete in that sees the Grade 5 students run through a 2 kilometre marked course, the grades 6 and 7 pupils through a 3 km course and the grades 8 and 9 students in a 4 km course.

“It’s more to set their pace (through practice) and then to be able to sprint after they’ve set that pace,” said McConnell. “They don’t want to start off sprinting the whole thing, because they’ll really never make it. You want to set a nice pace, but it is so demanding at the end of the race that they need to be able to have that sprint left in them for that last coming home stretch.”

She said the great thing about building a love of running in these kids at such an early age is it gives them a life-long connection to the sport that promotes a healthy lifestyle and a dedication to fitness.

“It’s a very easy sport to do, because all you need is a pair of runners. If you’re competitive with yourself, it’s a great sport to do because you can always push yourself to go faster. It doesn’t matter where you are as you can always have that as a physical activity to do.”