The St. Francis boys Senior team recently attended the Hugh Hoyles University of Alberta School Boys volleyball tournament and gave a good account of themselves at the event.

The tournament took place on Sept. 8-9 in Edmonton and saw 32 high school teams match up against each other.

The team consisted of players Ethan Stoker, Ben Bonilla, Brit Pagobo, Erwin Cachola, Evan Howells, Kaelan Basnett, Krish Sharma, Kurt Rubio, Mark Alfaro, Miguel Portea, Pier De Leon and Malakai Alatini with coaches Caroline Holway and Sean McCarron.

It was the first time St. Francis attended the tournament.

According to Holway, the boys described their experience as “ecstatic and memorable.”

“Along with representing the Crusader name at a high standard, the team created many memories both inside and outside the venue. Coaches Caroline Holway and Sean McCarron led the team to a 4-2 win-loss record over the weekend. On Friday’s Pool Play, they won 2-0 (25-16 and 25-20) against Strathcona-Tweedsmuir (Calgary), lost 0-2 (22-25 and 17-25) against tournament #1 seed Magrath, and won 2-1 (26-28, 25-19, and 15-9) against Ecole Secondaire (St. Albert). In the play-off round, they won 2-1 (25-19, 27-29, and 15-12) against Crescent Heights (Calgary), lost 0-2 (19-25 and 18-25) against tournament #2 seed Lindsay Thurber (Red Deer), and ended the tournament with a 2-1 win (25-21, 15-25, and 16-14) against Memorial (Stoney Plain).

Holway said winning three matches in tie-breaking sets showed the team’s determination and grit.

“The last match against Memorial was a nail-biter. There were some ups and downs but staying aggressive while blocking and hitting combined with a never give up attitude on backcourt defence helped the team battle it out. The boys came back from a 12-14 deficit to win the set 16-14, ending the tournament on a high note.”

Holway said the boys were happy with the tournament results and proud of their performance.

“Knowing that their level of play was at par with some of the top school teams in Alberta was validating and has inspired them to keep focused on areas of their game that need improvement while celebrating successes. They’ve put a lot of time into training since the beginning of high school and this recent success story was a great way to start what will be the final high school season for all but two of the players.”

The coaches were also proud of the team’s performance.

“As coaches we were honoured to be working with such a great group of athletes and took pride in the team’s results. Because this was the team’s first out-of-territory high school volleyball competition ever, we were somewhat surprised that they could win against teams with so much more tournament experience. It was difficult to judge how they would do before attending because they haven’t played against schools outside of Yukon. Alberta has excellent grass roots volleyball so we knew we would come up against players that played on provincial teams this summer. The Memorial coach commented that he recognized the boys had solid skills during the warm-up. It was great that the tactical aspects of game play matched the team’s technical strength.”

Holway added, “The tournament organizer said there is a spot for the team next year, so we expect an invite sometime in May 2024 when the Golden Bears extend invitations to next year’s participants.”