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Zone competitions volley into Okotoks, Black Diamond

Volleyball: Four South Central Zone tournaments being held Nov. 19-20
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Grace Baker of the Foothills Falcons skies for a big hit. The Falcons host the senior boys and girls volleyball 4A South Central Zone Championships from Nov. 19-20. (Brent Calver/Western Wheel)

The route to provincials goes through Okotoks and Black Diamond this weekend.

Foothills Composite is home to both the senior girls and boys 4A South Central Zone championships while the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans and Oilfields Drillers play host the 2A senior girls and boys competitions, respectively, from Nov. 19-20.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our school, it’s been such a long time of COVID for us to be able to host any activities,” said Spartans senior girls co-coach Michelle Bartoshyk. “We’re really thrilled we get this opportunity to host, to have that home-court advantage and be able to have our fans and our families come and cheer.

“And to showcase how our team is doing.”

The Spartans, semi-finalists in the Foothills Athletic Council, are fresh off its victory at the western regional tournament to earn the top-seed in the West at zones.

“It’s been really great, there’s been a lot of growth and development with our players,” Bartoshyk said. “We have a fairly strong team and they’ve grown leaps and bounds as the year has progressed, which has been really exciting to see.

“They’re a really cohesive, kind, hard-working unit so it’s been really rewarding to be their coach this year and for (co-coach) Andrea Weber as well.”

STS is pooled with Three Hills, Prairie Christian Academy, Oilfields and Our Lady of the Snows. The other group features Drumheller, Didsbury, Notre Dame Collegiate, Holy Cross Collegiate and St. Joe’s in the 10-team field at zones.

“I think controlling what the things we can control, so their effort and communication on the court, playing consistently with that same level of energy and focus, that has created some successes for us in the past,” Bartoshyk said. “We are a fairly strong serving team and normally when we serve well, we play well.”

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The Oilfields Drillers host the 2A boys South Central Zone competition from Nov. 19-20. (Brent Calver/Western Wheel)

In Black Diamond, the Drillers boys play host to the 10-team competition in a season marked by an enthusiastic return to the sport.

“I think it’s just a good opportunity and I’m happy the kids are playing sports again,” said Drillers boys head coach Leigh Bretzlaff. “And that’s the biggest thing, it’s given our kids a chance to play at home during zones.”

The Drillers have been strong in tournament play this season with three third place finishes along with a title from the Crowsnest Pass Green and Gold event.

At zones, Oilfields is the second seed in its pool alongside Acme, Our Lady of the Snows, Prairie Christian Academy and Banff. The other pool features the STS Spartans, St. Joe’s, Holy Cross Collegiate, Notre Dame Collegiate and Sundre.

“It’s been a building year,” the coach added. “But it’s been good because all of the kids have had a year off, so it’s just trying to get back into the swing of things and just try to manage their schedules and get them back to enjoying the game they love to play.”

In the 4A ranks, the Falcons girls have enjoyed a well-earned break from the action after playing in a number of tournament and league games down the stretch.

Foothills won the Strathmore tournament just two days prior to locking up its league banner in a four-set battle with Holy Trinity Academy earlier this month.

“It’s been a long season, we’ve had six tournaments and it’s getting to be where everyone needed a bit of a rest before getting amped up for zones,” said Falcons girls head coach Joanne Schoneck.

The 4A senior girls competition will feature Foothills, HTA, Bert Church, Chestermere and Croxford.

The top-four teams through round-robin move into the playoff round at zones.

It’s virtually the same format and competitors in the 4A boys competition with the exception of Croxford.

The HTA Knights boys go into the tournament on the heels of an undefeated regular season and playoffs in the Foothills Athletic Council.

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Spencer Trotter of the HTA Knights tips the ball over the net. The Knights are part of the four-team field in the 4A championships at Foothills Composite. (Brent Calver/Western Wheel)

HTA, winner of its fist league banner since 2016, has defeated all of Foothills, Chestermere and Bert Church this season in league and tournament play — but they can’t take anything for granted.

“We’ve played all of them and we’ve beaten all of them, but that doesn’t mean that they’re the same team they were at the beginning of the season,” said Knights boys head coach Katherine Vigilance. “The important part is our practices, even (the day after the final), yes we’ve won the championship, but it’s still going to be hard practice. 

“It’s a new day, it’s a new competition.”

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Foothills Falcon Nicholi Noseworthy digs up a serve in league playoff action. The Falcons host the 4A South Central Zone competition this year. (Brent Calver/Western Wheel)

The Falcons have seen both HTA and Chestermere, the latter of which they defeated at their home tournament earlier this month, with Bert Church more of an unknown commodity entering the zones.

“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity to compete at zones as well as be the host,” said Falcons boys head coach Jeremy Davies.

“(The focus in practice) is similar to what it’s been all season, we’ve really focused on being the best serving and best passing team, no matter what the match is.

“We really rely on focusing on our side of the court not necessarily what the other team is doing. If we’re able to control the game on our side then we have every possibility to win any match.”

One new wrinkle to zone competition in volleyball this season is the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association decision to lower the number of provincial qualifiers from 12 to 10 as a COVID-19 pandemic measure.

In past seasons, wild card slots would be available for some runner-up teams at zones to advance through to provincials.

For more information go to southcentralzone.com.


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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