To put it bluntly, the CCHS Grade 9 boys volleyball team is on fire.
After winning gold in their first two tournaments of the year, the squad hosted its first tournament of the season, claiming silver in a hard-fought final against Westlock on Saturday (Oct. 29).
Team captain Josh Lewis led the precise serving, hard digging squad to the final.
“We played a good one. We had good spirit and overall good play,” Lewis said.
In the final against Westlock, the teams traded leads with Lewis and Ben Thompson leading a no quit defence. The undersized yet athletic Canmore club threw down several powerful strikes on the Westlock squad, however, the opposition matched them at every turn.
Canmore switched to a softer attack, however, a few mistakes ended up costing them the first set 25-23.
In the second set, Westlock jumped out to a 10-6 lead on the strength of some truly stellar digs. Early on, Canmore struggled to bury their chances, but gained momentum, finally tying the game at 16. The teams battled back and forth, knotting the match at 18, 20, 21 and 22 before Westlock secured the win in extra points.
Head coach Vince Stock praised the play of his team, stating his group has a lot of talent and guts.
“They’re really a diehard team. They dug everything up, and so did the opposition. We’ll work on fine tuning a few things for the next match.”
Stock has high aspirations for the squad, who he believes can go all the way.
“Only the zones is left. Bring on the banner.”
The Banff Grade 9 team captured the bronze medal in the tournament, defeating Piikani in its final match. Coach John Petroff said the goal was to increase the team’s skill development and said he saw good things from his players.
“We improved all day, working on our transition game, just as we have all year,” Petroff said.
The teams have three weeks until zones in Okotoks. Lewis said by then, the team should be in top shape.
“We’re going to try our hardest to win,” he said.
