A total team effort had the Holy Trinity Academy Knights lording over their city rivals.
The well-balanced Knights went undefeated to take home the gold medal at the Lord Beaverbrook High School Senior Boys Volleyball Tournament last weekend in Calgary.
HTA capped the dominant weekend with a straight sets win over the Bishop O’Byrne Bobcats (27-25, 25-22) in a nailbiter of a tournament championship match.
“The boys executed their game plan and played well under pressure,” said Knights head coach Fritz Peters. “When mistakes were made, they encouraged each other and worked harder. All the players contributed to the effort.”
The coach credited the hard-hitting Jon Gerber, Ryan Peters, the blocking and middle hits of Colton Kroon and Isaiah Michel and the consistent play of the versatile Cole Fieseler in serving, hitting, blocking or secondary setting, as well as the setting play of Ethan Miller as key cogs in the gold medal game.
“It was a fantastic example of teamwork,” the coach added.
For his efforts, Miller – a co-captain alongside Gerber — was named the team’s tournament all-star.
HTA finished first in the round-robin portion of the competition, winning all five of its matches.
First, the Knights chased the Bobcats in two sets (25-18, 25-22) followed by straight setters over the Henry Wise Wood Warriors (25-17, 25-23), Centennial Coyotes (25-16, 25-22) and Lord Beaverbrook Lords (25-19, 25-12).
The round-robin finale saw the Knights eke out a three set thriller over Airdrie’s George McDougall Mustangs. After trading wins, the Okotoks school took command in the third and clinching set, winning by a 15-8 count.
The Okotoks and Airdrie rivalry was renewed in the semifinal, one in which the Knights left no room for doubt.
HTA took the opening set 25-19.
Kroon took command in the second set, delivering thirteen serves in a row to vault the club to a comprehensive 25-8 triumph in the second and clinching set to advance to the tournament gold medal game.
In league play, the Knights improved to 3-0 in the Foothills Athletic Council in a straight sets victory over the County Central Hawks in Vulcan on Monday.
Next up for HTA is the cross-town classic versus the Foothills Falcons (2-1) on Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Knights gym. In other action on the same date, the 1-2 Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Spartans battle the upstart 2-1 Oilfields Drillers at 5:30 p.m. in Black Diamond.
For more information go to fac.teampages.com
