The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Hapnot Kings volleyball team will be making the trip to 'AAA' Provincials for the second year in a row. Provincials will be in Virden, Manitoba on November 28-30. Last year the Kings defeated the RDPC Trojans at the Zone 11 Championship to advance to provincials. This year, after beating Thompson in the round robin, the Kings couldn't get the job done in the finals. but qualified as a wild card entrant. Hapnot's record against the top teams in the province was good enough to qualify for the wild card berth, and the Kings will be ranked 10th heading into the tournament this weekend. The rest of the standings look like this: 1. Westgate Wings 2. Portage Trojans 3. Neelin Spartans 4. St. Norbert Celtics 5. Gabrielle Roy les Roys (Iles des Chenes) 6. Linden Christian Wings 7. R.D. Parker Trojans (Thompson) 8. Swan Valley Tigers 9. Sanford Sabres 10 Hapnot Kings (Flin Flon) Hapnot will play two games today and two games on Friday in the round robin. Their first match will likely be their toughest, as they face the Portage Trojans at 3 p.m. Portage is the #2 ranked team in the province, and the toughest team in Hapnot's pool. The Kings will face the #8 Swan Valley Tigers at 6 p.m. in their second match on Thursday. Hapnot will meet the #4 St. Norbert Celtics at noon on Friday, before playing #6 Linden Christian Wings at 6 p.m. to close out the round robin. The top four teams from each pool advance to the quarter finals on Saturday morning, starting at 9 a.m. Winners advance to the semifinals, and the losers go home. The third place game will take place at 3:45 p.m., and the championship game will be at 4:45 p.m. Hapnot will rely heavily on team captain Scott LeMaistre, who was named the Manitoba High School Athletics Association Rural Athlete of the Week. As Captain of the Kings, LeMaistre has led his team to a wild card berth at this weekend's 'AAA' volleyball championships in Virden. This 6'3 middle player has received all-star awards at almost every tournament that he participated in. "Scott has come a long way over the four years that I have coached him," quotes coach Craig McIntosh. "He has developed a super attitude toward the sport and has carried the leadership of a young team to help them improve dramatically throughout the season." The grade 12 student athlete also competes in basketball, badminton and track and field, while maintaining a 79% average in his studies. He is also on the school's athletic council and grad committee. To follow the Hapnot Kings on the Web during the tournament, visit www.mhsaa.mb.ca for up to date scores. In 'AAA' Girls standings, Thompson will represent Zone 11, ranked in the number eight spot heading into the provincial tournament. Frontier Collegiate Raiders are ranked 10th in 'AA' girls and boys heading into the provincials.
