Sports | DrumhellerMail

Schools combine for Senior boys volleyball

Players from DVSS and St. Anthony’s have banded together to get back on the volleyball court this season.
While it did not appear that either school was going to be able to put a senior high school boys volleyball team on the court this year, a few interested players decided they wanted to play.

Talon Marshall spikes over a Morrin blocker last Tuesday. Players from DVSS and St. Anthony’s have collaborated to play this year.

    Coach Audrey DeBona said they have been playing for about two weeks. They have nine players, five from DVSS and four from St. Anthony’s.
   “The kids phoned each other and asked if they wanted to play and they said ‘we can fit it in.’ And then they asked me to coach, and I said ‘I can fit it in,” said DeBona. “The first practice we had three, the second practice we had six and the third practice we had nine.”
   The team is already in action. Last weekend they were in Bassano for a tournament and on Tuesday they played Morrin.
   “We went to Bassano and it was a ton of fun, and did they ever progress in a single day,” said DeBona.
   DeBona said they are not playing in a league, but are picking up exhibition play. Because of the combined numbers of both schools to draw upon, they may be in tough when it comes to zones, as they will play at the 3A school population level. In the mean time, the players are learning the game and having fun.
   DeBona said a couple of the players have never actually played, but are picking up the game quickly and doing well.
   “And they are only going to get better,” said DeBona.

Titans step up versus Medicine Hat Colts

    Gage Berdahl picked up the slack on a depleted squad and ran in four touchdowns as the senior Titans downed Monsignor McCoy last Friday.
   The Titans headed down to Medicine Hat on September 27 to take on the Colts. The team has been feeling some injuries and were looking for players to step up. They got it.
   “Defense was playing solid all game. McCoy had some good long drives, but eventually the defense would shut them down,” said coach Ken Fournier. “We were missing both of our starting wing backs and Gage Berdahl and Jakub St. Jean were running with it and Gage had four touchdowns. Jake ran well too.”
   The Titans won 31-7.

The Titans were in Medicine Hat to play the McCoy Colts and came away with a 31-7 victory. The team has a bye this week and will wrap up league play travelling to Brooks.

    Coach Fournier said special teams were very strong and were able to continue drives down the field, keeping the Titans in the game.
   “Even though they were still stopping the ball every second set, we were still marching the ball down the field with special teams,” said Fournier.
   “Steven Robertson (quarterback) played a great game. We tried passing the ball a lot and he was excellent on special teams,” said Fournier. “Defensively it was Adam Shymanski he had three bat downs in the first quarter, he was all over the field.”
   This win puts the Titans in third place in the Rangeland League, but also fortified their position in first place at Tier IV provincial ranking. Fournier said this week the team has a bye, which will help them heal up before heading into the final stretch of the season.
   “Our last regular season league game will be with Brooks, and by the looks of it we will be hosting the first playoff game,” said Fournier.
   While they had a week off, they won’t be resting on their laurels.
   “We will be going over game film on Monday and practicing right until Friday. These bye weeks later on in the season are the practices we use to refine everything and put in new plays if we need to, work on the little things,” said Fournier. “These practices are pretty important we can’t be missing any at this point in the season.”

Dynos serve up volleyball season home opener

Volleyball season at Drumheller Valley Secondary (DVSS) served up the first game of their regular season last week.
On Wednesday, September 18, the DVSS Dynos hosted the Trochu Blue Jays for their home opener, where the Dynos lost 2 sets to 1.

The Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS) Dynos hit the court last week for their first home game of the volleyball season. The Dynos lost a hard fought 2-1 game against the Trochu Blue Jays, then travelled to Three Hills over the weekend for a tournament. Their busy schedule continues this week with an away game tonight and a tournament in Calgary this coming weekend.

    In the first set, the Blue Jays managed to pull ahead early, but the Dynos were able to get some key blocks at the net and big serves to come back win 25-21.
   The Dynos fell behind early in the second set and couldn’t gain any traction against the defense of the Blue Jays and some miscommunication by the Dynos cost them a 25-15 loss.
   In the tiebreaker set, the two teams started off neck-and-neck, but after several missed plays and miscommunication by the Dynos, the Blue Jays pulled ahead for a 15-6 win.
   “We have a lot of new people playing together for the first time, so they’re not quite sure where everyone is on the court, but it’s coming,” said head coach Dawn Sullivan.
   The team then travelled to Three Hills over the weekend for a tournament. There, the girls faced some tough competition and came away with a 1-10 record.
   “Even though our win loss record wasn’t the best, there were about four games we were within reach of winning,” said Sullivan.
   The Dynos were in Acme on Monday night, where they lost two sets, both 25-18.
   The roster for the Dynos is packed this year. Eleven players have signed up for the team, many of whom are in Grades 10 and 11. The team has been practicing hard for the past two weeks to get ready for the season.
   “They are improving every time they step on the court. We’re on the basics, because if you have them, everything else falls into place,” said Sullivan.
   The girls will be away facing Prairie Christian Academy tonight. Then, the Dynos travel to Calgary over the weekend for a tournament.

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