October Sports Update

 

The senior girls’ volleyball team has had a jam-packed season so far. Playing a lot of games has allowed for significant growth in individual skill levels as well as the players’ ability to play as a cohesive team. Along with a busy league schedule, the team has played in several tournaments, including the Spectrum Spikes and Aces tournament, and Duncan Christian School and Brentwood College School invitationals, with the Independent Schools Association championships taking place at Brentwood this weekend.

 

The junior girls’ volleyball team has been enjoying an excellent season, going undefeated in league play, and winning their division at two tournaments, hosted by Vancouver Island University and Spectrum Secondary School. Three Grade 10 students who have been with the program since Grade 8 – Madison J., Stella F. and Briar T. – have provided leadership to a group that includes solid new additions in grades 8, 9 and 10. The team is competing at the ISAs in Victoria this weekend, with the Central Island and Island championships coming up during the November Break.

 

 

It has been a busy start to the year for the squash program. Shawnigan had 16 students compete in a Squash BC silver event hosted by the School on September 21. Jasper C. finished second in Div. 1, while Tony Z. (Div. 2), Alan A. (Div. 5) and Estelle G. (Div. 7) each won their divisions. Two weeks later, four students took part in the BC Junior Open at Evergreen Squash Club in Vancouver, a national qualifying event. The Shawnigan athletes gamed valuable experience competing against some of the top players in Canada.

 

Last weekend, Shawnigan competed in another Squash BC silver event, this one at St. Michaels University School in Victoria, taking another 16 students. Jasper C. finished first in Tier 1, with Kaleb A. placing third. Ash B. (Tier 5), Brian T. (Tier 7) and Brilly C. (Tier 8) finished as runners-up. Next up for the squash program is the Alberta Jesters Junior Open in Edmonton on November 1-3.

 

 

The senior boys’ soccer team qualified for the North Island tournament following a win over Ladysmith last Thursday in what coach Mr. Blair Sturrock called “our best game of the season.” The North Island tournament took place this Wednesday and Thursday.

 

 

The senior girls’ field hockey team enjoyed an extraordinary tour of California in October. The team travelled to Monterey, where they played three very competitive games. Shawnigan lost 2-1 to Hollister High School in a nailbiter, tied Stevenson School (who had visited us earlier in the fall) 1-1 in front of a boisterous home crowd, then opened the scoring in the first four minutes and played to a 1-1 draw with Los Gatos High, the defending state champions who haven’t lost a game in several years.

 

The Shawnigan contingent also visited the Monterey Aquarium and spent two nights in San Francisco, seeing some of the historical sites like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the trolley system. The kids were “phenomenal” on and off the field, head coach Mrs. Andi Conroy said, acting as great ambassadors for the School and having a lot of fun at the same time. “It was the best tour I’ve ever been on,” she said. “The growth was second to none. That’s the reason why we do this.”

 

Mrs. Conroy thanked fellow coaches Ms. Dani Robb and Mr. Ben Masters for giving up spending the Thanksgiving break with their families in order to supervise the trip.

 

With the trip to California in the rearview mirror, the senior girls defeated Brentwood College School 2-0 on Monday to secure the top seed from the North in the Island championships that begin this Friday at the University of Victoria.

 

The junior girls’ team placed first as the hosts of the Tier 2 Island championships on Tuesday, and will also host the ISA tournament this weekend.

 

                     

The U18 Prep boys’ team currently sits first in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League with a 7-4 record. Vincent C. was named team captain, with Ryan T., Easton S. and Weston E. as alternates.

 

The U18 Prep girls’ team is 2-1 so far in CSSHL play and 4-2 in tournament and exhibition games, including the inaugural Kingstone Invitational Tournament hosted by Shawnigan in September. Taya L. and Dawson B. are co-captains, with Vivian M., Lola M. and Cassandra K. as alternates.

 

The U17 Prep boys’ team is 4-6-2 in CSSHL play, and sits 11th of 22 teams. The team captain is Sullivan B., with alternates McAllister M., Phoenix H. and Callum S.

 

The U15 Prep boys’ team is off to a 3-4-1 start, but their recent 5-2 win over Star Academy, one of the top teams in the league, was arguably the biggest win in the U15 Prep team’s history. Carson P. is team captain, with Bryce T. and Baden G. as alternates. Baden G. had six points in three games and Donagh E. made 83 saves over two games last weekend as Shawnigan went 2-1 at a Showcase in Winnipeg, which included the big win over Star Academy and a 6-5 victory over the North Shore Warriors. The trip also saw the Shawnigan players take in a Winnipeg Jets game and enjoy some team building at The Forks.