Hapnot’s junior varsity Kweens volleyball team brought another Zone 11 title banner back home with them last weekend, coming first and moving on to provincials.
The Kweens played their zone tournament in The Pas at Margaret Barbour Collegiate (MBCI) Nov. 12-13, playing against Norway House’s Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre (HBOIERC) Huskies and Opaskwayak Cree Nation’s Oscar Lathlin Wolverines in the first pool. Hapnot would advance after beating both teams, handing the Wolverines a 25-16, 25-20 loss and beating the Huskies 25-13, 25-4.
In the final bracket, Hapnot received a bye into the semi-finals, where they faced Cross Lake Mikisew. The Kweens advanced to the zone final with a 25-20, 25-22 victory, setting up a match with the host MBCI Spartans.
In a tense three-set affair, the Kweens would come out with a 16-25, 25-21, 15-10 win, claiming the banner and keeping their season alive. With the zone win, the Kweens will move on to provincials at Major Pratt School in Russell Nov. 24-26.
Varsity Kings
The senior varsity Kings ran the gauntlet in Dauphin, playing seven games in an eight-team round robin tournament and coming out on top. Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School (DRCSS) played host to the “Marathon” tournament Nov. 12-13, facing an appropriately-named slog of seven games in just two days.
Hapnot would win a set in all seven games, dropping one each against both the host DRCSS Clippers and the Alonsa/McCreary Mavericks and otherwise going spotless, finishing atop the heap with 12 sets won and two lost.
The Kings will host their Zone 11 championships this weekend at Hapnot, playing host to a six-team tournament with two three-team pools. Hapnot will face Oscar Lathlin and HBOIERC in initial pool play.
Varsity Kweens
The varsity girls’ Kweens played at Major Pratt School for the Lady Trojans Invitational tournament, the team’s final tune-up before zones this weekend. The Kweens were defeated in the opening round by the host Trojans, but defeated the Swan Valley Tigers 25-21, 25-17, advancing to the playoff round.
Hapnot would play the Ebb and Flow Thunderbirds in a quarterfinal game, defeating them 25-13, 25-12, then would beat semifinalists Elton in a close 25-20, 26-24 battle, setting up a rematch in the finals with the Trojans. Sadly for the Kweens, the hosts would get the last laugh, winning 25-18, 25-13, taking glory on their home court and robbing the Kweens of a chance to win their fifth tournament of the year.
The Kweens will now move into Zone 11 championships in Norway House from Nov. 18-19, one of seven teams in the initial draw. Hapnot will be in a three-team pool against Oscar Lathlin and the Frontier Raiders from Cranberry Portage’s Frontier Collegiate.
JV Kings
Hapnot’s JV boys squad also played in their own Zone 11 tournament last weekend, playing on their home court Nov. 11-12. Hapnot took two wins in the opening round, beating HBOIERC 25-21, 25-14 in their opening game and taking a hard-fought 12-25, 25-20, 15-13 three-set battle to leave their pool as top seed.
However, the JV Kings’ luck ran out in the playoff bracket, facing Cross Lake Mikisew and losing in the semifinals. The visitors handed the Kings a 25-10, 20-25, 15-8 three-set loss to move on to the final, where the MBCI Spartans took a 25-8, 25-20 victory to claim the banner. The Hapnot loss marks the end of the boys' team's season.
