St. Paul’s and Dakota to go head-to-head for boys provincial volleyball glory

Few have been able to contain the St. Paul’s Crusaders’ offence this year, and that trend continued Thursday night.

The No. 1 Crusaders’ high-powered attack repeatedly flexed its muscles as they overwhelmed No. 4 Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys en route to a 3-0 (25-16; 25-13; 27-25) triumph in the first match of the AAAA varsity boys volleyball provincial semifinals at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

St. Paul’s will play the Dakota Lancers for the provincial championship Monday, back at IGAC (8 p.m.).

“Our game plan in this matchup was to swing,” said Crusaders middle Cy Hoorne, who was second on the team with eight kills. “I know I didn’t do much swinging, but our goal was to put the ball to the ground as quick as possible, because if they get a dig, their whole momentum goes up. That’s really it — put the ball to the floor and swing.”

Vikings on verge of championship repeat

If the Vincent Massey Vikings were nervous entering a pressure-packed match with a trip to a second consecutive provincial championship at stake, they weren’t apparent.

The Brandon-based juggernaut looked every bit of a squad with designs on extending its reign Wednesday evening.

The Vikings showed few cracks in their collective armour as they cruised to a 3-0 (25-23; 25-18; 25-8) victory over the Sturgeon Heights Huskies in the first semifinal of the AAAA varsity girls volleyball provincials at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

“This season, we’ve been starting pretty slow, so our goal was to have a great start, and it really showed,” said left side Hannah McGregor, who was named the No. 1 player in the province by a panel of coaches last week.

High school football player who suffered neck injury dies

The family of a Winnipeg high school football player is mourning his death following a severe neck injury he sustained in a game earlier this month.

Darius Hartshorne died early Thursday morning, 12 days after undergoing an emergency medical procedure that included a spinal fusion and decompression of his vertebrae.

“He went in peace,” Jesse Ciaralli, who helped raise Hartshorne and his four younger siblings with his wife Stephanie, told the Free Press by text. “He was with myself and my wife. His siblings and baby cousins got to see him and share some laughs one last time. He died with honour and dignity.”

Hartshorne, a Grade 12 lineman for the Sisler Spartans, turned 17 on Saturday.

Royals host historic rumble against Pirates

In the days and hours leading up to kickoff, head coach Brett Delisle-Boughen harped on one message to his players: what they were doing was unprecedented at Windsor Park Collegiate.

The Royals’ black and purple outfits were already synonymous with several sports across Winnipeg’s high school landscape, but had never been seen on a football field until Tuesday. Indeed, it was a momentous moment when Windsor Park’s junior varsity nines (nine-a-side) team took the gridiron for the first time in school history.

While the Royals were not competitive in their contest against the Grant Park Pirates, many players, coaches and parents celebrated a day that was victorious beyond the standings.

“It was an incredible night,” said Delisle-Boughen. “We just have such a very supportive community here. There’s a great football community in this neighbourhood. The school staff is incredibly involved. So, it was a great kickoff to it.

FOUR graduating student-athletes were named recipients of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s Scholar Athlete of the Year on Thursday.

Heleyna Moniz, Nico Nadeau, Ryleigh Schellenberg and Taylor Schepp stood out among a group of 51 nominees province-wide for being exceptional in the classroom, the community and sports throughout the 2024-25 school year.

Each winner was awarded a $2,000 scholarship for maintaining a minimum 85 per cent average in their academics while playing in at least two interscholastic sports.

Moniz, a student of St. Boniface Diocesan High School, finished the year with a near-perfect 99.6 per cent average in the classroom while playing five sports and being a consistent volunteer at her church.

Track and Field Championships cancelled over wildfire smoke

This year’s Manitoba High School Athletic Association Provincial Track and Field Championships have been cancelled due to ongoing air quality concerns caused by wildfires in the province, making conditions unsafe.

Over 1,500 athletes from grades 9 through 12 were set to compete in the three-day competition planned for June 5–7 at University Stadium on the University of Manitoba campus.

The MHSAA had originally postponed all scheduled events on Thursday to Friday, hoping air quality would improve, but updated at 6:15 a.m. today that the event would be cancelled entirely.

The MHSAA air quality protocol states, “Poor air quality can impact the health and performance of outdoor sport participants, including athletes, coaches and sports officials. The MHSAA recognizes the potential short and long-term health effects of engaging in physical activity outdoors when the air quality is poor, and is fully committed to reducing the risk posed to outdoor sport participants to help contribute to safer outdoor activities and events.”

Léo-Rémillard takes title after last year’s heartbreaker final

The Léo-Rémillard varsity girls’ soccer team came close to missing out on the Manitoba High School Athletic Association provincials altogether this year. They had one shot to prove themselves, and with a 1-0 win over Lord Selkirk, they clinched a wildcard spot.

Once they had punched their ticket, there was no stopping the future provincial champions, who claimed the title after defeating the Kelvin Clippers 3-2.

After falling just short in last year’s final in a close 2-1 match against Balmoral Hall, the group was eager for a shot at redemption.

The path to victory was not easy, according to head coach Hafeez Khan, whose team defeated the top schools in the tournament last weekend, including eventual consolation champions Vincent Massey, third-place Miles Macdonell, and a strong Clippers team in the final to claim gold on May 31.

Co-op team claims top prize at softball provincials

STONEWALL — La Broquerie’s École Saint-Joachim and St Pierre-Jolys’ École communautaire Réal-Bérard are a pair of small French schools from Manitoba’s southeast, but they certainly pack a punch when it comes to fastpitch.

The two schools’ co-op team blasted through the rest of the competition at the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association softball championships, hosted at Stonewall Quarry Park on Friday and Saturday. An 11-3 mercy rule victory over AAAA school Vincent Massey (Brandon) Vikings capped off an undefeated season for the Braves.

“We’re talking about maybe 250 students,” head coach Pat Tetrault said after the game. “We don’t make for quantity we make for quality… There’s some tough schools, some good teams out here.”

École Saint-Joachim and Réal- Bérard took control of the final early, plating eight runs in the first inning after a Massey home run scored two in the top half of the inning. Brynn Maynard’s double scored three, turning a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 advantage which never looked in danger of evaporating.

Collège Jeanne-Sauvé captures women’s high school hockey crown

The way Payton Durand was rolling, it should have come as no surprise to see her celebrating yet again.

The outstanding Collège Jeanne-Sauvé forward recently checked in at No. 4 on the Free Press’ coaches poll of the top 10 women’s high school hockey players in the province, She played like a No. 1 talent in the biggest series of the season.

“I just went into (the series) with a no-quit mentality,” said Durand, who was credited with the game-winning goal in a decisive Game 3 of the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League final on Friday.

“I wasn’t giving up on that puck and I knew that I had to help my team to win this, and I didn’t want to go down,” she added. “This is my Grade 12 year and I needed to win it. I gave it all I had.”

Martin leads River East to provincial hoops championship showdown with Dakota

The Kildonan-East Reivers will chase perfection on the court next week.

A 21-point performance from Grade 12 guard Rushawn Martin spurred the Reivers to an 87-72 triumph over the Sisler Spartans in the AAAA men’s basketball provincial semifinal at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Thursday.

Kildonan-East improved to 22-0 against Manitoban competition this season — their only loss came against Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate in an out-of-town tournament — and will look to finish with an unblemished record when they face the Dakota Lancers in the provincial final on Monday, March 24, at IGAC (8 p.m.).

The Reivers aren’t thinking that far ahead yet, though.

Lancers, Trojans in final showdown

The Dakota Lancers are one win away from Manitoba high school hoops history.

Sparked by a sensational 24-point triple-double from Grade 11 forward Emilie McLean, the Lancers played to a convincing 88-61 victory over the Garden City Gophers in the AAAA women’s varsity basketball semifinals at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Wednesday.

Dakota will look for an unprecedented fourth-consecutive championship when they face the Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) Trojans in the provincial final Monday, March 24, at IGAC at 6 p.m.

McLean’s triple-double came on the strength of 18 rebounds and 10 blocks on a night the Lancers had their way in the paint.

Glenlawn draws first blood in provincial high school hockey championship

Don’t forget about Chloe Minkus.

The Glenlawn forward doesn’t get the same attention as some of her teammates, but on a night the Lions were without three of their best players, she showed that she’s more than deserving of similar recognition.

A hearty four-point performance from Minkus powered Glenlawn to a 4-1 victory over the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens in Game 1 of the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League Division 1 championship series at Seven Oaks Arena on Tuesday.

Glenlawn leads the best-of-three series and can claim its first city title in program history with a win in Game 2 Thursday, at Seven Oaks (4:15 p.m.). Game 3, if necessary, is Friday at 4:15 p.m.

Vincent Massey crowned high school hockey champs thanks to Kinnear’s OT heroics

The Vincent Massey Trojans were the team to beat all season, and in the end, they were the ones to win it all.

Powered by a championship-clinching goal from forward Sam Kinnear 4:38 into overtime, the Trojans captured the first men’s city title in program history with a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Westwood Warriors in Game 2 of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League final at Seven Oaks Arena on Wednesday.

Vincent Massey swept the best-of-three series 2-0 and finished a perfect 6-0 in the playoffs.

They were the league’s top team during the regular season.

Growing the game

It’s a recent Friday afternoon and the Century Arena is humming — the newest entry to the Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League is taking on the old guard.

The stands are nearly packed as the Warren Wildcats face off against the Vincent Massey Trojans, one of the league’s four original teams when it was created in 1996.

The Wildcats, in their inaugural season, comprises of students from three other rural high schools: Teulon Collegiate, St École Communautaire Aurèle-Lemoine and St. Laurent School. Their entry into the league is a reflection of a national trend — girls playing hockey in Canada is at an all-time high.

Putting a team together in Warren gave some players, like 17-year-old Jadyn Baldwin, the opportunity to play for their high school before they graduate in the spring.