HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Collegiate Institute football team is looking to earn its first win of the season on Friday.
The 0-2 Mohawks host the Martensville High School Royals. In the season opener for both gridiron squads, the Royals prevailed at home, 43-27.
“Martensville is a very good team that is very well coached,” HCI offensive line coach Brian Hinz said. “Offensively, we need to be able to move the ball on the ground and in the air while at the same time limiting our turnovers. Something we didn’t do a great job of last time we went to Martensville. Defensively, we know they have an excellent run game, and we need to do our best to take that away.”
The Mohawks did not play last week. Hinz said having a bye week can be beneficial for teams as players have an opportunity to heal from injuries and there is more time to install systems and watch film.
“We have a lot of work to do and need a good showing for our next two games to keep our playoff hopes alive so we will just continue to focus on the next game,” he said.
Senior Girls Volleyball
The HCI senior girls volleyball team is hosting the Jayda Hoppe Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The event, in honour of the HCI student who passed away in 2020, is expected to draw 12 teams. Coach Jarrod Regush said his team is looking forward to “being able to face some new competition we have yet to see this year.”
In preparation, the team has been focusing on its passing in the past week.
“Passing is something that we struggled with in our last tournament,” Regush said. “We are hoping to turn things around for our upcoming weekend and see better results.”
Junior Golf
HCI’s AJ Paulsen won the Horizon Central Athletic Association Junior Male Golf District Championship on Sept. 21 at Watson’s McNab Park Golf Club. He led a strong showing by Humboldt golfers.
Paulsen shot an 88 for the victory, while his HCI teammate, Ian Haeusler, was just one stroke behind. Also from HCI, Kayd Rudig (95) placed sixth while Duke Brochu (107) was 11th.
“We are very proud of how they all played and their sportsmanship,” HCI co-coach Kerri Archibald said. “A coach from another team even reached out to me by email to say what a great sport one of our students was - cheering on and encouraging a younger, less experienced golfer that was in his group.”
Tryce Wallin from St. Dominic School finished seventh with a score of 96. St. Augustine School’s Dayne Beuker (111) was 14th, while Jonah Hayward (133) of Humboldt Public School was 21st. LeRoy School representatives Dylan Froess (94) and Lukas Tuplin (105) were fifth and ninth, respectively.
On the female side, McCartney Johnson of Wadena Composite School claimed the championship with a score of 108. LeRoy’s Geri Lon Valdesimo was fifth at 124. St. Dominic School’s Boey Tamme (142) and Kalli Schemenauer (143) were seventh and eighth, respectively.
Senior Boys Volleyball
The HCI senior boys volleyball team takes to the court this season with talent and youth. There are only two Grade 12 student-athletes on the squad.
“We have some really talented athletes on the team,” coach Paul Raycroft said. “We lack a little in height but more than make up for that in athleticism, attitude, and competitiveness. I believe we'll be competitive this year and will have a shot to make provincials by the end of the season.”
HCI has a strong record of recent senior boys volleyball success. Last season the team was ranked in the top two in the province but was unable to compete for a provincial title due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the three seasons prior to that, HCI won gold, made it to the quarterfinals, and earned bronze at provincials.
Senior Soccer
Last week the HCI senior girls team fell 6-0. The squad is slated to play in Lake Lenore on Friday.
On the senior boys’ side, HCI shut out St. Brieux 6-0.
“Our team was vocal, worked well as a unit, and our keeper made big saves when needed,” coach Nicole Unrau said.
The team is 2-0 on the season and leads the Horizon School Division league standings with nine points. As St. Brieux and HCI do not play a home and home series, the victory last week counted double – six points – in the standings.
Cross country
The HCI cross country team consists of 10 runners – five male and five female – in the intermediate, junior, and senior categories.
“The HCI team has been very motivated, and our athletes have great positive attitudes,” assistant coach Brian Grest said.
The HCAA Pre-District Meet will be held Wednesday. The top 20 finishers from each of the 12 categories move onto the District Championship. The top 10 runners from the intermediate, junior, and senior categories at that Oct. 7 meet move onto the provincial championship.
All three meets will be held at Dixon Hills, which is 18 kilometres northwest of Humboldt. Grest said some HCI runners had already been on the race site and the plan was for the team to get out there last week. As well, he noted most of the runners would have raced there last year.
