The Sturgeon Spirits and Bellerose Bulldogs are playing for banners in their respective conference finals Thursday in metro Edmonton high school men’s rugby.
The Spirits (3-0) will line up against the St. Francis Xavier Rams (4-0) for premier honours and the Bulldogs (1-3) tackle the O’Leary Spartans (1-3) for city conference bragging rights.
Game times are 6:30 p.m. at Ellerslie Rugby Park.
The Spirits, provincial Tier I (4A schools) bronze medallists the past two years, are gunning for their third-straight premier title.
The last city championship for the Bulldogs was 2010.
Meanwhile, the premier women’s semifinals were played Tuesday. The Paul Kane Blues (1-3) were in tough against the defending champion Bev Facey Falcons (4-0) and the Bulldogs (2-2) battled the Beaumont Bandits (2-2). Scores were unavailable at press time.
Thursday’s premier final kicks off at 4:45 p.m. at Ellerslie.
Last year Beaumont ended the Bulldogs’ undefeated season with a 24-5 victory in the city final.
Dylan Gates of the bantam AAA St. Albert Cardinals struck-out 13 Red Deer Braves in 4-2/3 innings of relief while allowing two earned runs to record the win in Sunday’s 10-8 decision at Legion Memorial Park.
Starting pitcher Nate Brisson fanned four while giving up three earned runs over two innings.
Dan Gerlach finished off the win on the mound.
The Cardinals spotted the Braves four runs in the top of the second, then replied with three of their own and added five more in the third to go up 8-4.
However, a key throwing error in the fourth allowed the Braves to knot the score at eight apiece.
Peter Corrigan banged out three hits and drove home three runs. Max Barclay Ward, Ryley Fetter and Ross Supruniuk had two hits apiece.
The win was the second in a row for the Cardinals in the seeding round for provincials after going 1-5 in the season-opening developmental round.
Tonight the Cardinals host the Sherwood Park A’s at 6:30 p.m.
The following St. Albert and Sturgeon high school students recorded top three finishes at the Edmonton zone track and field championships last week at Foote Field.
• Brendan Thera-Plamondon, St. Albert Skyhawks: first, senior boys’ long jump (5.75 metres); second, triple jump (12.75m) and discus (36.26m).
• Hayley Francois, Skyhawks: first, senior girls’ 1,500m (5:30.28).
• Brandon Jillings, Skyhawks: first, junior boys’ discus (32.14).
• Tyler Lazarenko, Bellerose Bulldogs: first, intermediate boys’ 100m (10.93); second, 200m (22.80).
• Kyle Speer, Sturgeon Spirits: first, senior boys’ discus (38.71m); second, shot put (12.62m).
• Zane MacDonald, Spirits: second, intermediate boys’ 1,500m (4:40.95) and 3,000m (8:59.35).
• Hailey Rosenthal, Spirits: second, junior girls’ 100m (12.36).
• Lindsay Riege, Paul Kane Blues: second, junior girls’ 3,000m (11:54.72).
• Morgan Christensen, Bulldogs: second, intermediate girls’ 100m (12.01) and 200m (25.31).
• Jakob Brinkhof, Bulldogs: second, junior boys’ javelin (38.90m).
• Paige Knull, Skyhawks: second, intermediate girls’ shot put (9.96m) and discus (25.13m).
• Monica McDowell, Skyhawks: third, intermediate girls’ 1,500m (5:35.28).
• Casey Schell, Skyhawks: tied for third, intermediate girls’ high jump (1.40m).
• Emily Groenenboom, Skyhawks: tied for third, intermediate girls’ high jump (1.40m).
• Corey Parks, Spirits: third, intermediate boys’ 400m (52.53).
• Mark Sherstan, Blues: third, senior boys’ triple jump (12.23m).
In the girls’ open 4x400m relay, the Skyhawks’ team of Francois, Charity Price, Katarina Annich and Anysia Beier placed third at 4:33.57.
Provincials are next weekend in Calgary.
Jack Hanna and Jackson Ryan of the Bellerose Bulldogs were awarded with player of the game honours for the Alberta Rising Stars at the first annual All Canadian Gridiron ABC Border Bowl for Grade 10 and 11 players on Saturday in Kelowna.
Hanna, a Grade 11 nose tackle, was a disruptive force in the British Columbia Rising Stars’ backfield as Alberta’s most valuable lineman.
Ryan, a Grade 11 running back, was selected Alberta’s most valuable offensive player. The newcomer from Sexsmith scored Alberta’s first touchdown on the opening drive, a 15-yard effort that saw him drag a number of defenders the last seven yards to the goal line. He rushed for 50 yards overall on the drive.
The six-foot-one, 240-pound Ryan has been compared favorably to Devin Kondro, a bruising runner and three-time senior Bulldogs’ most valuable player.
Defensive end Dean Ciampanelli, linebacker Cody Johnston, cornerback Tyler Moroz and slotback Seth Waselenchuk also represented the Bulldogs at the Border Bowl. Waselenchuk, the lone Grade 10 Bulldog, made a TD saving tackle off an interception to hold Alberta in the game at the end of the third quarter.
The contest featured several lead changes as B.C. prevailed 30-23. It was 23-all at halftime. B.C. scored on the opening drive of the third quarter to wrap up the scoring.
