Matthew Halton and St. Michael's co-host post-season Jr. volleyball tournament

F.P. Walshe A Girls Volleyball team, League and Post-Season champions
South Western Junior High Athletic Association

WCCHS A Girls Cobras, League and Post-Season 2nd place
South Western Junior High Athletic Association

Chris Davis/Toni Lucas

On the evening of Thursday, November 10,  Matthew Halton and St. Michael's schools in Pincher Creek co-hosted the South Western Junior High Athletic Association  (SWJHAA) "A" Girls Post-Season volleyball tournament.  8 teams participated, with concurrent games at both schools leading up to the SWJHAA final.

Each match was a best-of-three.   The first two sets of each match went to the regular 25 or more points, with a two point margin required for victory.  Any required tie-breaking sets went to 15 points or more, again with a two point margin required.


Piikani vs Lundbreck Sabres

Sabres vs Piikani

First up at the Dale Wentz Memorial Gymnasium at St. Michael's School, a match between the Lundbreck Sabres and the Piikani team.  The Piikani team, newly formed last season, has come a long way, and demonstrated their new-found prowess on the court.  The Sabres put up a good effort, but ended up losing the match to the Piikani girls in two straight sets.  Piikani won the first set 25-19, with Lunbreck pressing hard all the way.  It all came down to successful serves in that one.  In their second set, the two teams demonstrated that equally matched teams can make for an exciting exhibition.  22-22, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, 26-26, neither team seemed able to get the edge on the other.  Piikani took the set 28-26 for the match, but it really could have gone either way.    Bravo to both, but specially to the Piikani girls for molding such an exuberant team out of new clay.

Sabres vs Piikani video:

F.P. Walshe Flyers 1 vs St. Michael's Dragons

Dragons vs Flyers 1

Flyers 1 vs Dragons

The St. Michael's "A" Girls Dragons had a difficult season, and seemed determined to end it on a high note.  Facing a powerhouse team in the F.P. Walshe Flyers 1, the Dragons really rose to the challenge.  Playing easily their best game of the season, they were still outmatched by the Flyers, losing the match in two sets of 12-25 and 13-25, but they played hard and made the Flyers work had for their victory.  The Dragons showed improved volley ability, but had some difficulty with their serves.  The Flyers eventually proved to be the toughest team to beat of the whole event.  They showed themselves to be a matured team, with each athlete knowing her role and executing it with great dedication.

                 Meanwhile, at Matthew Halton High School...

 J.T. Foster Raiders vs WCCHS Cobras

Claresholm Cobras vs JT Foster Raiders

The Claresholm Cobras were quick to show their fangs, making quick work of the J.T. Foster Raiders in two sets.  The Cobras won the first set 25-19 and the second 25-18.

Halton Hawks vs the F.P. Walshe Flyers 2

Halton "A" Hawks

The Halton Hawks and the F.P. Walshe Flyers 2 then vied for the chance to win their way up to the semi-final round.  They provided the onlookers with an exciting, tight game, between two evenly matched opponents.  It took all three sets to decide the match.  The first set was the closest, the Flyers winning it 25-22.  The Hawks bounced back hard in the second set, winning it handily by a score of 25-15.  It was all over for the weary Flyers at that point, and Halton took the final set 15-10 for the match.

Halton Hawks vs F.P Walshe Flyers 2

Hawks Coach Tanis French was thrilled at her girls performance, and at the fact they had grown as a team enough to move on to the semi-final round.  French re-iterated the three rules she has for her girls. "One: Have fun.  Two: Learn something. Three: Win.  If you follow one and two, three should be easy.  Look at them, right now, they are winners."  Although she was excited for the girls win, she knew that her team`s next opponent was more experienced, and would be a serious challenge.

Semi- Finals: Hawks vs Flyers 1

Hawks' fans Martyna, Dakota Rae, and T.J.

In the semi-finals the Hawks once again faced a Flyers team, fresh from their win at St. Michael`s.  The difference was this was the Flyers 1.  The girls looked older, bigger, and worked together like a machine. The Hawks held their own in the first set, losing by a slim 25-23 margin.  In the second set, the Flyers clicked into high gear, knocking the exhausted Hawks out of the tournament by a score of 25-8.

Semi-Finals: Piikani vs Cobras

Piikani vs Cobras
T. Lucas photo

Meanwhile, back at St. Michael's School the Piikani girls faced the Claresholm Cobras.  The Claresholm team seemed a shoe-in for the win, being a more experienced team, but Piikani made them fight hard for it.  In fact, the match came down to successful serves.  The Cobras took the first set 25-19 and the second 25-20, and with that it was time for the Final match at the Matthew Halton gym.

Final match: WCCHS Cobras vs F.P. Walshe Flyers

FP Walshe Flyers vs WCCHS Cobras 

The final match of the event was a classic confrontation between two long-time rivals.  Claresholm's Cobras squared off against the Fort Macleod Flyers, and the crowd settled in for some stellar volleyball.  The Flyers took the early lead, winning the first set by a seemingly definitive 25-16 score.  Not to be counted out so easily, the Cobras bounced back in a neck-and-neck set that saw them edge the Flyers 25-23.  Unfortunately for the Cobras, they seemed to have used up every last reserve of their energy heading in to the third set, which the Flyers took easily, 15-7.

Cobras Assistant Coach Jillisa Quinton was beaming after the final match.   "I cant be disappointed it these girls.  They have put in a lot of work, and have improved immensely.  It is a very close team, and they deserve to enjoy this."
Flyers' coaches Laura Jensen, Alanna Paskel, and Leanne Maxer were very excited, and difficult to distinguish, one from the other.  "They worked really hard through the season," they said.  "They're a dedicated team who would never quit.  They have improved through the season by leaps and bounds."

The FP Walshe Flyers are somewhat reserved in victory

Matthew Halton's Randy Whitehead, one of the hardest working men in the Pincher Creek sports scene, undertook the honour of handing out the prizes.  For the Cobras, Second Place League and Post-Season medals.  For the Flyers, First Place League and Post-Season medals and the SWJHAA Junior "A" Girls Championship banner.

It was a pleasure to see the good sportsmanship of the two teams as they cheered each others' accomplishments.

For the fans, it was a non-stop evening of truly exciting volleyball.

Diehards