Whitehorse Daily Star

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

THREE IN A ROW – The Hidden Valley Huskies girls volleyball team won the elementary school championship for the third straight year Saturday afternoon. Huskies' players receive their banner and gold medals. Team members, from left, are Kendra Gilberds, Elese Duncan, Adrianna Smith, Rebecca Koser, Emi Teramura, Iliana Stehelin and Indica Stewart.

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

Grade 5 student Iliana Stehelin held her own in the tournament.

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

UNDEFEATED SEASON – Carl Knickle of the Holy Family Hurricanes sets the ball, while Kaleb Pritchett looks on. The Hurricanes went undefeated this season.

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

Hurricanes blow away competition, Huskies three-peat at YSAA Elementary Volleyball Championship

It's the end of a volleyball dynasty.

By Marcel Vander Wier on November 20, 2012

It's the end of a volleyball dynasty.

For the third year in a row, the Hidden Valley Huskies won the girls elementary volleyball championship, but coach Peter Harms said it will likely be the last Yukon School Athletic Association banner his school will raise for a while.

The school, located in MacPherson subdivision, suffers from low enrollment, and with four girls graduating after this year, and a smaller than usual Grade 4/5 class, Harms believes this is where his dynasty will end.

"I don't even have enough to field a team next year,” he told the Star. "It just makes me sick to see that.”

This year, every girl in the Grade 6/7 split needed to play volleyball, in order for the school to field a team.

"Every single one of my girls has to play volleyball because I don't enough kids,” Harms said. "It becomes mandatory.”

Still, that wasn't enough. Harms had to expand the Huskies roster to include a home-schooled student and a Grade 5 student, Iliana Stehelin.

"She's awesome,” Harms said. "She worked hard and the girls just treated her like a little sister and it was wonderful.”

The Huskies faced Elijah Smith Elementary School in an "emotional” championship final at Porter Creek Secondary School Saturday, eking out wins of 25-24 and 25-21.

"My girls just stayed solid,” Harms said. "They were intimidating. When they were ready for a serve, it was the most wolverine, focused, predator stare you could imagine.

"This is the third year in a row we've won it,” he added. "I believe that qualifies as a dynasty.”

Ten teams competed for the girls elementary volleyball crown, including Hidden Valley, Elijah Smith, Takhini, École Émilie-Tremblay, Holy Family, Christ the King, Selkirk, Jack Hulland and two teams from Whitehorse Elementary.

–––

In boys elementary volleyball action, the Holy Family Hurricanes capped off an undefeated season in style with a 25-14, 25-12 championship win over the Selkirk Coyotes.

"We took them handily,” coach Ted Hupé said. "This team was my strongest team ever, and the most dedicated to the sport of volleyball.

"They were a pleasure to watch. They could hold their own playing against a group of Grade 8's. They're that strong. They looked like a high school volleyball team.”

Adrian Robinson, Daniel Kim and Carl Knickle shone as Grade 7 players for the school in Porter Creek.

"I've just got an incredibly dedicated group of players to the sport of volleyball,” Hupé said. "They love volleyball. We've been practising since the first day of school, and they could never get enough volleyball. They wanted to be in the gym every day.”

Despite fielding two strong teams this season – both undefeated – Hupé had to merge his teams into one as four players were out of town due to a schedule-conflicting Whitehorse Mustangs tournament.

This year's championship roster was the same one that lost in last year's semifinal with a roster of Grade 6 players.

"That's how good these kids were in Grade 6,” Hupé explained. "Now that they're in Grade 7, and having a full year of experience last year, they're just strong players.”

The entire roster will graduate this year, but Hupé said his current group of Grade 6 players has been working hard as a developmental squad with the current team.

"I'm confident we'll have a pretty decent team next year,” Hupé said. He added there is already some budding stars in the Grade 4 and 5 classes.

"We really live and breathe volleyball,” he said. "It's the same with our wrestling program.”

The Hurricanes played four games Friday at Jack Hulland Elementary, and three Saturday at Porter Creek.

Ten teams also participated in the boys tournament, including Holy Family, Selkirk, St. Elias, Jack Hulland, Elijah Smith, Hidden Valley, Whitehorse Elementary, Christ the King, Golden Horn, and Ghùch Tlâ Community School from Carcross.

Be the first to comment

Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar

In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.

Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.