MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Over the years, the Moose Jaw High Schools Athletic Association has seen its share of upsets in the city championship final.
And after the first set of the senior boys title game on Wednesday night at Sask Polytech, it looked as if it might be one of those nights.
The Vanier Vikings were giving the Central Cyclones fits with their serve game, and it seemed as if the Cyclones -- who had dropped five sets all season -- might be on the wrong side of things by the end of the match.
But you don’t go undefeated in the regular season without knowing how to rally the troops, and that’s exactly what Central did on their way to a 17-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-22 victory and their second-straight senior boys city title.
“Vanier played a great game, they definitely played some great defence,” said Central assistant coach Shaelynn Constable. “I’m super impressed with our Grade 12s, which is what we always try and teach the guys. We never want to play safe when the game gets close and they did a great job of that.”
Central had defeated Vanier twice during the regular season, and that might have led to a bit of overconfidence heading into the game, combined with the Vikings themselves playing exceptionally well.
“You never want to underestimate your opponent, so just because we won the other two games, you can’t discount them,” said head coach Madison Macfie. “They came out super strong and played hard, and they were also pretty fearless, so it was definitely a battle and a close game.”
A major part of Vanier’s fast start was their service game. Both Jack and Dane Warren had long point runs that Central had a hard time stopping in the first set, and the Vikings were able to keep the Cyclones passing game off balance, something team captain Riley Nancarrow pointed out in his assessment of the match.
“We had a bit of a slow start, it took a little bit to adjust and our passing was definitely off, but I think we did a great job of forcing energy and not getting too nervous,” the Grade 12 veteran said. “This was probably the loudest gym we’ve ever played in, but I think we did pretty solid.”
Once Central started to get things rolling, it felt like only a matter of time. Seniors Nancarrow, Max Simmons and Elijah Juan began to put the ball on the floor with regularity, and even though Vanier had their moments in each set, there was little they could do to stem the tide.
“I felt like our hustle was great, and even when our passing wasn’t great, we were finding a way to get to it,” Nancarrow said. “I’m just proud of how our whole team played.”
Now, the attention for both teams turns toward the 4A boys regional playoffs this weekend, followed by the biggest one of all -- the SHSAA provincial championships, which will be hosted by Central during the Nov. 22 weekend.
The key will be to keep the momentum going, especially as the games get tougher and tougher throughout the provincial run.
“We definitely want make sure we’re as competitive as possible and keep that mentality that we need to earn wins,” Macfie said. “We’ll keep pushing the guys and they’ll keep pushing each other, too.”
Be sure to keep an eye on www.shsaa.ca for up-to-date scores from the weekend.
