The Carpenter High School Senior ‘A’ boys volleyball team has the momentum it needs heading into the upcoming Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) regional championship. The Spartans finished first overall in their final regular season tournament held this past weekend at St. Mary High School in Prince Albert.
“On Friday (Nov. 6), we played three games,” stated Spartans head coach Cheyne Dallyn. “We played Warman first, beating them in two straight sets. We then played the St. Mary ‘B’ team and also beat them two straight. We then played Carlton Comprehensive in P.A. to finish off the night, beating them in three sets.” This put CHS first in its pool and landed the team in a quarterfinal matchup Saturday (Nov. 7) against Waldheim School. “We won the quarterfinal two straight, which put us against Swift Current in the semi-final,” Dallyn continued. “We beat them in a close match 25-22, 25-22.” In the final, Meadow Lake came up against the team from Lloydminster Comprehensive. “We pulled out the win in three sets,” he said. “It’s good to end off the season on a high note. The boys are playing well and are now looking to heal up a little bit as we look ahead to our provincial run.”
The boys are off this coming weekend and will compete at SHSAA regionals in North Battleford the following weekend. In spite of what happens at that event, the Spartans have already secured a spot in the SHSAA provincial championships, held the weekend after that, as CHS is the host school. “The more important thing right now is to heal up because the boys are a little banged up right now,” Dallyn said. “We automatically make it to provincials, but I feel we would have a really good shot anyway. We are looking forward to provincials and to bringing the event into our community. It will be nice to see some of the best volleyball in the province right here in Meadow Lake. To be able to host that tournament will be great, and it will be a chance to showcase our team, particularly our veterans as this is their last year. It would also be nice to go out on top at home. If we can continue playing as we have, we will have a good shot.”
Meanwhile, the CHS Senior ‘A’ girls volleyball team took bronze this past weekend at their final regular season tournament, which was held in Melfort. “It was a good tournament and we want to thank Melfort for the invite,” remarked CHS girls volleyball coach Jim Snodgrass. “We had some girls away due to the break and some dealing with injuries, so we did well. We are proud of the way the girls competed this weekend.” The CHS girls will be back in action this coming weekend when they host SHSAA 4A regionals in Meadow Lake.