UPDATED, Nov. 29
WILKIE — It is what they had been working for all season. McLurg Broncs earned a provincial gold medal at the Saskatchewan High School Athletics 2A provincial championship.
After a non-season in 2020, volleyball players were somewhat tentative when starting their season, wondering if the pandemic would erase another one of their high school experiences. However, a roster of 11, five of those players in their final high school year, achieved the goal they started with in earning a provincial volleyball medal.
Including their home super-volley tournament, the Broncs played five tournaments this season, showing the talent of this team and earning some hardware along the way. The Broncs hosted conference playoffs winning their way to regional championships that took place in Moose Jaw. Wilkie captured gold earning them a berth to 2A provincials in St. Walburg and Turtleford.
The Broncs brought it big to their provincial event, keeping their eye on the goal they set at the beginning of the season. The team swept through the event undefeated, winning every game in two sets, including the final against Moose Jaw Cornerstone which they won 25-18 and 25-17.
Grade 12 player, Keyan Sittler says, "We worked for this moment our whole season. We knew we had a very good shot at winning, but didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves. Had a few ups and downs along our playoff run. Lost our most valuable player for conferences, but the team managed to pull through and we won, dropping only one set."
Keyan remembers Regionals as tough.
"We got off to a rough start, not playing our best. We played Moose Jaw Cornerstone in the final and it was an exciting game. After looking what was coming out of the other regions, we had a strong feeling that we would play them in the final at provincials, as long as everything went right."
He says they brought their A game to provincials
"We delivered a strong showing at provincials and ended up exactly where we wanted to be. We knew we would have to step it up to beat Moose Jaw again, as they’re a strong team."
He says the team battled nerves, but prevailed.
"We came out pumped, played one of the best games we’ve played this season, and ended up beating Moose Jaw in two sets to be provincial champions, completing the full provincial sweep not losing a set, or giving up more than 20 points in a set."
The Grade 12 players have been fortunate to be coached by Greg and Paula Mamer their whole volleyball career, Keyan says and credits their leadership for the gold medal win.
Coaches Greg and Paula Mamer say, "As coaches, we just felt blessed and privileged to be able to work with this group of young men. They worked very hard to achieve the goal they set for themselves.They went on quite an amazing run these past few weekends, and never seemed to get down or let any pressure get to them. We had amazing support from the parents, school and community as a whole, so it made our job as coaches that much easier."
