Centennial Christian’s senior boys volleyball team, the Seahawks, has placed fifth in at A provincials in Kelowna the first weekend in December.
With a record of five wins and one loss, remarkably it would be the Seahawks year-long northern rivals from the Bulkley Valley Christian school (BVCS) from Smithers who would knock them out of the competition in the quarter finals in a 3 – 1 set win.
“For us, it could have gone either way with Bulkley Valley,” said coach for the team, Joel Ringma, of the four sets the team played against BVCS.
However, Ringma said it was some consolation after being knocked out to be able to cheer on a northern team in the semi-final and final games.
“In fact, there was good camaraderie amongst the teams from the northwest, cheering one another on in their matches,” Ringma said, noting that BVCS went on to take second place in the tournament.
In all, the Seahawks had a strong tournament, defeating teams from Duncan, Sparwood and Vernon. The team also beat Duncan again in the consolation round for fifth place.
Ringma said the competition was pretty even for the team, with many of the A teams at similar levels of skill. The tournament was a large one as A, AA and AAA level zones were all held at once. Ringma said the team attended a 700-plus person banquet as well.
“You really got a sense you were part of something big,” Ringma said. “There was something impressive about being part of a 48 team tournament in three divisions.”
The team also had a favourable season in the northwest, winning 22 matches and losing seven. The Seahawks ended up taking second in the northwest league after losing to BVCS in the zone championships, Nov. 26.