Hayley Francois of St. Albert was the runaway winner at the provincial cross-country age-class championships Saturday at Goldstick Park.
Francois, 16, was the fastest female in the youth division’s four-kilometre final with a time of 16 minutes, one second. In second place was Emma Bibault of Calgary at 16:40. There were 21 finishers in the race.
Francois represented the Edmonton Columbian Track and Field Club at provincials.
The Grade 11 St. Albert Skyhawk is also the 2011 Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association champion in the intermediate 4,000 metres at 17:20. The 2010 Athletics Alberta cross-country midget female of the year was the only Edmonton zone runner to win gold at high school provincials.
Today at 4:45 p.m. the Sturgeon Spirits host the Paul Kane Blues to determine the third Metro Edmonton High School Athletic Association team in the Edmonton zone men’s volleyball playoffs.
The winner travels to play the Edmonton public league finalist next Wednesday for a berth at the 4A provincials, Nov. 24-26 at Dr. EP Scarlett High School in Calgary.
Last year Sturgeon finished 11th at provincials.
In the metro league’s premier conference Sturgeon placed second at 8-1 and the Blues were fifth at 4-5. In the last match before the playoffs, Sturgeon beat the Blues in four sets at Paul Kane.
In Monday’s semifinals the Spirits lost 3-2 to the third-place O’Leary Spartans and the Blues were swept by the undefeated Bev Facey Falcons, ranked third in 4A.
Meanwhile, the lady Spirits visit the St. Francis Xavier Rams in today’s playoff at 4:45 p.m. The public league finalist will host the winner in next Wednesday’s 4A provincial qualifier.
The Spirits finished eighth in premier at 4-7 and the Rams were sixth at 6-5.
The Spirits needed five sets Monday to knock off the seventh-place 5-6 Archbishop McDonald Marauders for the right to play the Rams.
Provincials are Nov. 24-26 at Strathcona Composite High School.
Carleigh Miller, a fourth-year Alberta Pandas’ midfielder, is the Canada West nominee for the CIS Student-Athlete Award.
The graduate of St. Albert Catholic High School has dedicated her time to youth soccer, Special Olympics, the Stollery Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity and the University Athletics Board while enrolled in the nursing program.
Miller was also named a conference first-team all-star after scoring one goal and earning two assists in 14 games this season.
She is also a two-time CIS Academic All-Canadian and was recently a member of the 2011 FISU games team.
Miller and the Pandas are in Montreal this week for the CIS national championship at McGill University.
The Edmonton Chargers lit up the St. Albert Riders for 19 unanswered points in the second half of Saturday’s 25-16 comeback victory in the tier II peewee football final at Johnny Bright Park.
The Riders opened the scoring with Keaton Zaychkowsky’s 54-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage. His two-point convert kick split the uprights.
The Chargers replied on their first possession with a 69-yard TD romp.
On the third last play in the first half, Zaychkowsky reeled in a long bomb from quarterback Sam Cuciz for an 85-yard TD. Zaychkowsky’s two-point convert kick extended the lead to 16-6 at halftime.
After a short kickoff by the Riders to start the third quarter, the Chargers marched the ball 54 yards and scored from the one-yard line.
On the ensuing kickoff the Chargers recovered the ball on a lucky bounce at the Riders’ 38. A few players later they ran the ball into the end zone from outside the 10 to lead 18-16.
The last TD by the Chargers was from the one on third and goal in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers will now represent the Capital District Minor Football Association at provincials this weekend in Calgary.
Last month in the Johnny Bright division the fourth-place Chargers defeated the second-place Riders 20-14.
The Riders finished the year with a 6-4 record. The Chargers were 6-3-1.
