Coaching change
The face of Bulldogs Football has stepped down after 10 years as head coach.Chad Hill announced the decision at Monday’s player and parent meeting to discuss program changes for the 2018 season.
“I’m looking forward to exploring other opportunities,” said Hill, a Bellerose Composite High School teacher. “I wish everyone involved with Bulldogs Football all the best this season and beyond.
“I will always be a Bulldog at heart.”
Brayden Guy, head coach of the junior Bulldogs and defensive coordinator for the senior team, will also not return.
Replacements for the senior and junior head coaching vacancies have not been named.
Hill, the 2016 and 2017 Metro Athletics Coach of the Year in the division one Carr conference, guided the Bulldogs (7-4) to their first Carr final, first Tier I (1,250-plus students) provincial playdown win and first Tier I (1,250-plus students) north final in team history during an injury-plagued 2017 season.
Bulldogs Football was formed in 1998 after the breakup of the Bellerose-based St. Albert Storm and the arrival of the St. Albert Catholic High School football program and Hill’s last year of high school football as a Bellerose student was 1996 with the Storm.
Hill was also the junior head coach from 2005 to 2014, highlighted by three consecutive undefeated metro Edmonton premier/division one championship teams, before Guy made it four undefeated championships in row in his first year as head coach in 2015.
The only metro Edmonton junior football team in St. Albert last year was based at Bellerose.
Guy, a teacher at Elmer S. Gish School, played for the 2005 Bulldogs in the return of the junior program at Bellerose and in Hill’s first season at the helm the team lost the premier division final to the Skyhawks.
In Grade 12, Guy huddled up with the 2007 Miles conference champion senior Bulldogs, winners of the first metro Edmonton banner for the high school football program at Bellerose since the Storm era.
Hill and Guy were also recipients of the Lee Grant Memorial Award in their Grade 12 seasons at Bellerose for demonstrating outstanding qualities of fair play, sportsmanship, leadership and community involvement.
Kluyts top rookie
Paul Kane High School graduate Catherine Kluyts of the Alberta Pandas is the Canada West female rookie of the year in track and field.At the recent Canada West championships, Kluyts was the 300-metre winner at 39.31 seconds, finished fifth in the 60m hurdles and sixth in the 60m and was a member of the first-place 4x200m relay team as the Pandas placed second behind the Saskatchewan Huskies for the women’s team banner.
The U Sports national championships are this weekend at the University of Windsor.
In Grade 12, Kluyts won the senior women’s 200m at 25.94 at the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association provincials.
The former resident of South Africa was also the ASAA intermediate 100m champion at 12.62 seconds and the runner-up in 200m and the 4x100m relay in Grade 11 and placed second in the junior 80m hurdles in Grade 10 for Paul Kane.
SLAM basketball
St. Albert SLAM teams are swishing shots at the Youth Provincials this weekend at Saville Community Sports Centre.The medal contenders are as follows:
Mini Boys A: SLAM Rivet.
Mini Girls C/D: SLAM Haley and SLAM Hugi.
Bantam Boys B: SLAM Walter.
Bantam Girls B: SLAM Guppy.
Bantam Girls C/D: SLAM Nunez, as well as the Morinville Sabretooths.
Midget Boys B: SLAM Perry.
Midget Girls A: SLAM Froment.
Midget Girls B: SLAM Walters.
Midget Girls C/D: SLAM Bunting.
Provincials are hosted by Basketball Alberta and Edmonton Youth Basketball Association.
Visit www.abbasketball.ca for the schedules and results.
Meanwhile, the following SLAM teams were awarded medals in their respective divisions in the EYBA playoffs.
Mini Boys Rivet: bronze.
Mini Boys Cupido: gold, city champions.
Mini Boys Wangler: bronze.
Mini Boys Elzen-Hoskyn: silver.
Mini Girls Hugi: silver.
Mini Girls Carr: gold, city champions.
Bantam Boys Walter: gold, city champions.
Bantam Boys Frizzell: bronze.
Bantam Girls Guppy: gold, city champions.
Bantam Girls Nunez: bronze.
Midget Girls Froment: silver.
Midget Girls Walters: bronze.
Midget Girls Bunting: gold, city champions.
Midget Boys Perry: bronze.
Midget Boys Thorsley: bronze.
Juvenile Girls McLeod: gold, city champions.
Visit www.stalbertslam.com for more information.
