Hapnot’s soccer teams took part in zone championships last weekend in Thompson, with both teams coming up just short of earning new banners.
Both the Kings and Kweens, each two-time defending champs in the zone, played their tournament Sept. 27-28, each starting in one of two three-team pools in their tournament structure - the teams who finished first in each pool would go on to the final, with a zone title on the line.
Through their pool play, the Kweens won both of their games, beating The Pas’ Margaret Barbour Collegiate Spartans 4-0, then handing the Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre (HBOIERC) Huskies from Norway House a 13-0 defeat. That put the Kweens in the zone final game, where they would face the Oscar Lathlin Collegiate Wolverines from OCN.
Despite the Kweens winning zones for several consecutive years, it was the Wolverines who would take the zone championship, winning 2-0 in the final and advancing to provincials later this month. For the Kweens, unless the team can secure a wildcard berth into provincials, the season is now over.
While the Kweens’ campaign didn’t end in a zone banner, most of the team’s players are able to return to play next season. Two players from this year’s team, Niki Keramydas and Mackenzie McLean, will graduate later this school year - the remaining roster, including seven Grade 9 players, can all return next season.
The Kings did not have the same performance in the round robin, going 1-1 and not advancing to the tournament final. In their pool, Hapnot won against Cross Lake Mikisew 1-0, but lost to the same team they had faced in zone finals the last two seasons, the Frontier Mosakahiken Grizzlies from Moose Lake. The Grizzlies won 3-1 and advanced to the finals, sending the Kings home.
Many of the Kings’ players, whose season is now over, have played their final high school soccer game - eight players, Ashton Church, Maddox Dominey, Daniel Francoeur, Ian Hooper, Bradley Powell, Joshua Pranteau, Rylan Raddysh and Braeden Tetlock, are Grade 12s.
The season-ending provincial soccer tournament will take place in Minnedosa Oct. 11-12, with neither Hapnot team, as of press time, taking part.
