Category Archives: Sports

Davidson, Sports

Read wins bronze at provincial meet

Emily Read (right) of Davidson School won bronze in junior girls tetrathlon at the provincial track and field meet on June 2.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A bronze medal wasn’t the only thing Emily Read took home from last weekend’s provincial track and field meet.

Read, who competed in the junior girls tetrathlon, scored a personal best in long jump, one of the four events.

She also gets to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and pride that comes from competing and succeeding on the provincial stage.

“It’s an amazing experience just to go to provincials and compete there and see the different athletes,” Read told the Leader last week. “Winning a medal makes it an even better experience.”

The Grade 11 student was one of nine athletes from Davidson School to compete at provincials in Saskatoon on June 2 and 3, and the only one to earn a medal.

She said she was feeling nervous but excited heading into provincials. In training, she said, she focused on the track events, where there was the most room for improvement.

“I was hoping for a ribbon, for sure,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how it would go.”

Her first event on Friday was the 100-metre dash, where she placed second in her heat and sixth overall with a time of 14.46 seconds.

Read then threw 8.32 metres in the shot put, placing second. This was an encouraging result and she realized that a medal might be within her reach.

She recorded a personal best in the long jump, 4.42 metres, earning first place in that event.

She said the pressure was on heading into the final event, the 800-metre run. There she placed sixth with a time of 2:47.58.

The run was held just before 7 p.m. and the results weren’t announced for almost an hour afterward, when Read learned she’d be taking home the bronze.

“I was really happy,” she said. “Going into provincials, I didn’t think I’d get a medal, so I was pumped.”

Read scored a total of 1,851 points, only 31 points shy of the gold-medal winner, Ally Kosteniuk of Balgonie. A total of 16 girls competed in the event.

A banner with Read’s name will be presented to the school and hung in the gymnasium. (Her name is already up there on another banner, presented to the Davidson/Loreburn RaiTec for winning 2A volleyball provincials in 2015.)

Read played basketball and volleyball at school this past year and is also active in softball and dance.

She said she plans to continue with track and field next year with hopes of improving her results at the tetrathlon.

Read also competed at provincials last year in the midget girls long jump, scoring a personal best of 4.26 metres.

Two athletes from Davidson reached the top 10 in multiple events at the provincial meet.

Clay Murfitt competed in four junior boys events. He placed seventh in the high jump (1.65 m, 7/25) and ninth in the 100-m hurdles (15.93 in semis). He also competed in the shot put (10.42 m, 13/28) and the 100-m dash (12.48 s, 21/28).

Meanwhile, in the midget girls division, Jordan Matheson placed eighth in long jump at 4.78 metres (8/28) and ninth in triple jump at 9.78 metres (9/27). She also completed the 100-m dash in 13.75 seconds (16/16 in semis).

For the full story and complete results, please see the June 12 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Hanley, Sports

Back-to-back bronze for Hanley pole vaulter

Jadyn Reiber (right) of Hanley Composite School won bronze in the midget girls pole vault at the provincial track and field meet on June 3.

By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — Flinging your body around with the help of a long, narrow pole might seem daunting, but fortunately it gets easier with time.

“It can be a bit scary hurling yourself into the air, I guess,” said Jadyn Reiber, a pole vaulter and a Grade 10 student at Hanley Composite School.

“It was hard at first . . . Once you get over the fear factor, then it gets a lot easier and your confidence grows.”

Having won two provincial bronze medals in two years, Reiber knows what she’s talking about.

She won bronze in the midget girls pole vault last year, with a height of 1.90 metres.

On June 3, she repeated the feat, increasing her height to 2.25 metres. Both years, she was the only Hanley athlete to return home from provincials with a medal.

Reiber said she participates in other events but has focused on the pole vault in the last couple of years.

“Honestly, I’d see people doing it and I thought that it would be kind of fun,” she recalled.

She and other rural students practised at the field house on the University of Saskatchewan campus once a week, giving them an opportunity they might not otherwise have at smaller schools.

In recent weeks Reiber has been suffering from a virus, which weakened her somewhat on the day of the event. She said she’s still curious to know how she would have done had she been in perfect health.

“I was hoping to do better, but that didn’t happen,” she said, adding, “I’m happy with the way it turned out.”

She has avoided injury so far in her pole vaulting career, though she had a close call while warming up at provincials this year when the mat was harder than she expected.

“My first jump was kind of a surprise,” she said. “I kneed myself in the face.”

Reiber plays volleyball at school and has also played on various club teams. Her other sports include curling and badminton.

“I do pretty much everything the school has to offer,” she said.

With a couple of years to go, she plans to continue her efforts on the field, with the aim of improving her results and perhaps taking home a silver or gold.

“A lot of the girls do club track in the city,” said Reiber. “I think if I push myself, I can hopefully reach that goal.”

For the full story and complete results, see the June 12 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured, Kenaston, Loreburn, Sports

Student athletes hot on the track despite cold weather

Competitors in the bantam boys 100-metre dash included Sam Thomson (far left) and Connor George (second from right) of Kenaston, and Logan Nelson-Schneider of Davidson (far right).

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A chilly spring day greeted young athletes from around the district as they gathered at Davidson School on Wednesday.

Davidson hosted eight other schools, including nearby Kenaston and Loreburn, in the east sectional track and field meet.

Paulette Killoh, one of the staff organizers, said the events ran on schedule for the most part.

Davidson hosts every three years, she noted, adding, “Every time you host you get a little better at it.”

Though the skies were sunny and clear, the temperature hovered between 5°C and 10°C for much of the day, and wind was also a constant presence.

Athletes, supervisors and spectators were bundled up warmly, some wrapping themselves in blankets and sleeping bags to guard against the frigid air.

Volunteers had to keep a close watch on the track during the hurdles events as the hurdles themselves were prone to falling over in the wind.

Killoh said they decided to hold the high jump in the high school gym, to avoid having similar problems with the bar.

It was a successful day for many of Davidson’s athletes, several of whom enjoyed first-place finishes in multiple events.

For the bantam girls, Maggie Boehm took first place in both the 100-m dash and the triple jump.

Among the midget girls, Jordan Matheson was first in the 100-m dash, long jump and triple jump, while Tylar Oliver was tops in both the 200-m and 400-m events.

Nolan Allan was first in three bantam boys events: the 100-m dash, high jump and long jump. Deiondre Boychuk led in the 400-m and 800-m events, while Hunter Herback was first in both discus throw and javelin throw.

Clay Murfitt, competing in the junior boys division, took first in the 100-m dash, 100-m hurdles and shot put.

For the senior boys, Jacob Schilling led in the 400-m and 800-m events.

Loreburn’s Anika Lakinger took first in shot put and javelin throw for the bantam girls, while Abigail Graham led in the 80-m hurdles and triple jump for the junior girls.

The top six competitors in each event are invited to move on to the district meet, which will be held the weekend of May 26 and 27 in Outlook.

Killoh said some Davidson athletes who qualified for districts would be unable to compete due to other commitments such as hockey or volleyball.

For the full story, detailed results and additional photos, please see the May 22 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured, Sports

Davidson minor ball fielding 10 teams this year

Afton Foster winds up for a pitch while coach Tori Sarich looks on during squirt girls softball practice at the Davidson Communiplex on Wednesday.
Afton Foster winds up for a pitch while coach Tori Sarich looks on during squirt girls softball practice at the Davidson Communiplex on Wednesday.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — More than 100 kids are playing minor ball in Davidson this year.

While the ball diamonds haven’t seen much activity yet, the teams have been busy with practices running inside the Communiplex five nights a week.

“The diamonds are looking good,” said co-ordinator Danielle Schneider.

She added that recreation director Trevor Ouellette and the town staff have “been working really hard to get them in shape.”

This year Davidson has a bantam girls team with 14 players, a peewee girls team with 13 and a squirt girls team with 13.

The girls teams are playing in the Moose Jaw Minor Girls Fastball League.

There are also two boys teams, a peewee team with nine players and a mosquito team with 11 players, both playing in a Moose Jaw league.

Twenty kids are registered for the two rookie ball teams, an even split of 10 girls and 10 boys. Meanwhile, 30 players are registered among the three Learn to Play teams, for kids aged six and under.

Registration closed on March 15 and some teams began practising the following week. Most of the teams have their first games scheduled this coming week.

Around 110 players are registered this year, roughly on par with last year. The program draws players from Bladworth, Kenaston, Loreburn, Elbow and Craik.

For the full story, please see the May 1 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Kenaston, Sports

Kenaston girls take gold at Hoopla

The Kenaston Kodiaks pose with the championship plaque after winning gold at 1A senior girls basketball provincials in Regina on March 25. Pictured are (from left) coach Jenna Zdunich Fisher, Jessica Zdunich, Calina Evans, Leah Libke, Alyssa Evashenko, Ann Ulmer, Eve Matovich, Rachael Matovich, Morgan Taylor, Kylee Evans, Anne-Marie Collins and coach Gene Zdunich.
The Kenaston Kodiaks pose with the championship plaque after winning gold at 1A senior girls basketball provincials in Regina on March 25. Pictured are (from left) coach Jenna Zdunich Fisher, Jessica Zdunich, Calina Evans, Leah Libke, Alyssa Evashenko, Ann Ulmer, Eve Matovich, Rachael Matovich, Morgan Taylor, Kylee Evans, Anne-Marie Collins and coach Gene Zdunich.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — It was a fight to the finish for the Kenaston Kodiaks, and this time they came out on top.

The senior girls basketball team won gold at Hoopla 1A provincials in Regina on March 25 with a 53-47 win over Middle Lake.

“It was hard-fought,” said Jenna Zdunich Fisher, who coached the Kenaston team with her father, Gene Zdunich.

“It was a battle, like it always is in that last game of the year,” she added. “They gave everything they got, and so did we.”

The Kodiaks were on their way to the provincial championship after hosting regional play the weekend of March 17, defeating both Cupar and Gladmar.

They played their provincial games at the University of Regina, opening the weekend against Lake Lenore on March 24.

“We had a slow start,” said Fisher. “It took us a while to get a basket.”

After faltering in the first quarter, the Kodiaks recovered and played three strong quarters.

Kenaston led 27-13 at half-time and ultimately won 62-42. Ann Ulmer was their leading scorer with 21 points.

For the final, they faced Middle Lake with the game scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday evening.

“It’s always nice to have that last game of the day,” Fisher remarked. “We don’t have to rush off the court at the end.”

The Kodiaks had to work hard before they could savour the taste of victory again.

While the team played well in both directions, Fisher said the score was close throughout.

Kenaston led 28-26 at half-time and eventually won the game 53-47, with a lead of just six points.

Ann Ulmer was again the Kodiaks’ top scorer with 17 points. Rachael Matovich and Morgan Taylor also cracked double digits, each scoring 10 points.

This was the final game for Ulmer and two of her classmates, Alyssa Evashenko and Kylee Evans.

Fisher said the three players would be missed next year as they each made a strong contribution to the team’s success.

The win meant the oldest players got to bookend their careers with provincial wins.

The team last won gold in 2013 — when the oldest players were in Grade 8 — followed by back-to-back silver medals in ’14 and ’15, and bronze last year.

“We really had to fight for this one,” said Fisher. “Their character showed . . . It was awesome to end (the season) with a gold this year.”

 

Craik, Sports

Warriors claim league title with Game 5 win

Craik Warriors captain Bert Watkins hoists the Wheatland Senior Hockey League championship trophy.
Craik Warriors captain Bert Watkins hoists the Wheatland Senior Hockey League championship trophy.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — It was as exciting a series as they come.

The Craik Warriors earned their league title with blood, sweat and tears this year, defeating the Foam Lake Flyers in a full five-game series to become the Wheatland Senior Hockey League champions.

The team hosted the fifth game on March 26 before a packed house, estimated at more than 200 spectators, at the Craik Memorial Rink.

The Warriors led throughout in a highly physical game, ending with a 5-3 win.

“It was a hard-fought series,” said manager Rick Reich. “Our guys, they buckled down and got the job done. . . You couldn’t have wrote it any better.”

Besides the hard work, Reich said the team’s success in the playoffs was partly due to its strength on special teams and its penalty kills.

The games with Foam Lake were close and there was no room to relax, he said.

“If you took a shift off, you paid for it,” Reich said, adding that the teams were generally evenly matched. “Seemed like we maybe wanted it just a little bit more.”

The teams played the last three games in the series on the same weekend. Between the gameplay and the travel, Reich said it made for a long three days.

The championship caps a strong year for the senior team, with 37 games played altogether and only six losses, including three regular-season games, one provincial game and two league playoff games.

The Warriors had a short run in this year’s provincial “C” playoffs, losing to Bredenbury in the second round.

However, they were unstoppable in league playoffs, beating the Allan Flames in three straight games to win the south division final before taking on Foam Lake.

The team won back-to-back league titles in 2009-10 and 2010-11, but had been denied ever since. Last year the Warriors reached the league finals but came up short against the Naicam Vikings.

Reich said this year’s lineup was the best they’ve ever had, but also noted it’s necessary to keep growing and improving as league play becomes ever more competitive.

For the full story, please see the April 3 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.