Junior Blues rule The Paul Kane Blues were not to be denied their first junior men’s volleyball banner since 2008.
Junior Blues rule
The Paul Kane Blues were not to be denied their first junior men’s volleyball banner since 2008.
The Blues went the distance in Monday’s metro Edmonton division two final to defeat the Archbishop Jordan Scots in five sets at Jasper Place High School.
The last championship was celebrated in the city conference before the merger of the metro and public Edmonton leagues.
The Blues finished 13-1 and the only loss was to the Scots (12-2) in five sets Oct. 19 in Sherwood Park.
The Blues were also 14-3 in three tournaments with first-place results at Memorial in Spruce Grove and W.P. Wagner and a second-place showing at Tri-Volley.
Captain Colin Martin, assistant captain Jackson Tymko and Alex White are the returning players from last year’s 12-1 semifinalists.
The Blues were also finalists in 2015 at 14-1.
Skyhawks lose
The first loss of the season for last year’s undefeated St. Albert Skyhawks was Wednesday’s division three junior men’s final.
The Skyhawks dropped a 21-25, 25-21, 15-25, 20-25 decision to the J. Percy Page Panthers at Jasper Place High School.
In league play, the Skyhawks (14-1) beat the second-place Panthers (12-3) by scores of 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17 Oct. 26 at J. Percy Page.
Last year the Skyhawks finished 13-0 as division three champions and the banner was the first for the junior men’s team since 1998 in the city conference.
Matt Cruthers, captain of the Skyhawks, was the only returning player on this year’s roster.
SAPEC finals
The Sir George Simpson Voyageurs and Lorne Akins Gators will defend their St. Albert Physical Education Council junior high volleyball championships Thursday.
The Tier I city finals start at 6 p.m. between Simpson (9-1, 29 GW/6 GL) and Lorne Akins (8-2, 25 GW/13 GL) for the girls and 7:45 p.m. between Lorne Akins (9-1, 28 GW/7 GL) and the William D. Cuts Crusaders (10-0, 30 GW/4 GL) for the boys at Bellerose Composite High School.
In league play, Simpson swept the Gators 25-21, 25-20, 25-15 in week two of the SAPEC schedule and the Crusaders knocked off Lorne Akins 25-23, 24-26, 25-23, 26-24 in a barnburner Oct. 17.
Last year’s SAPEC championship for Simpson was the fourth in seven years and the 13
th in school history after sweeping the Richard S. Fowler Falcons in the final to finish the season undefeated.
The 16th SAPEC boys’ banner for Lorne Akins was celebrated in the four-set decision against Fowler in the final to cap off a 10-0 league record while going 23-1 overall.
