The Crusaders senior boys' team picture with their provincial medals. (Submitted photo/Shelly Fransoo)

By Martin Martinson

4A Volleyball Provincials

Crusaders senior boys win provincial silver

Nov 28, 2022 | 5:13 PM

The John Paul II Collegiate senior boys volleyball team are 4A provincial silver medalists.

Hitting the ground running at the year-end tournament in Meadow Lake, the Crusaders’ boys went undefeated through round-robin play, defeating Saskatoon’s Marion Graham, Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, and Moose Jaw Central and Moose Jaw Vanier in straight sets, for an 8-0 start to the tourney to advance to the playoff rounds.

There, the team continued their torrid pace to top La Loche in the quarterfinals and Melfort in the semis (25-16, 25-20) to advance to the finals for the second straight year against Meadow Lake’s Carpenter High School.

A rematch of last year’s provincial final, this time around, it was the Meadow Lake who got the edge with a straight-sets victory by the slimmest of margins (25-22, 25-18), as the Crusaders took home the silver.

JPII head coach, Shelly Fransoo said despite the loss in the finals, she’s proud of everything the team was able to accomplish this year.

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“It was truly a great season. This provincial silver medal was well-earned and is a reflection of three months of hard work,” she said.

The Crusaders senior boys in action in front of a full house at provincials in Meadow Lake. (Submitted photo/Shelly Fransoo)

The Crusaders’ run to the provincial final was perhaps made more impressive by their ability to overcome a number of key injuries over the course of the season, adversity the team tackled head-on.

“This was a season we had to rely on adaptability and leadership,” Fransoo added. “With injuries throughout the season, we had to have several athletes play multiple positions and the adaptability that we required of our athletes was extensive for some weekends where they needed to play multiple positions sometimes even in the same match.”

The team also had to rely on a few standouts from the school’s junior program as well to help fill the void. Four Grade 9s joined the senior team for practices and as needed following the conclusion of their junior season at the end of October.

With as many as three Grade 9s on the court at a given time throughout regional playoffs and provincials, it’s something Fransoo said really made the group’s leadership intangibles shine.

“Our senior athletes were instrumental in mentoring and leading and this truly showed at Provincials,” the coach said. “The leadership they showed in drive and determination made for exciting matches with intense rallies. A point lost didn’t drag the team down, but rather gave them an opportunity to regroup and refocus for the next point.”

A young team to begin with, the Crusaders featured just three Grade 12 players this year, with the rest eligible to return to the team next year.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1