Huskies win silver and gold

By Bill Kilpatrick

The North Hastings Highschool senior and junior boys' volleyball teams are on fire this year as both teams moved on from the Bay of Quinte championships to the Central Ontario Championships. The senior boys team finished second overall in their district and then on Nov. 5 lost a heart breaker to the Quinte Christian team in the Bay of Quinte finals coming away with a hard-earned silver medal. Head Coach Alex Comrie could not be more proud of their performance on and off the court. In an email statement Comrie said, “Although there were countless moments of excellent volleyball, I am most proud of the boys' representation of not only NHHS, but the entire Bancroft community. Their kindness and support of athletes from other schools was something complimented by coaches across the league and it is an honour to have coached this group. Special shoutout to Steve Brethour for all his time and volleyball experience that made us so successful all year long.”
It took 22 years but on Nov. 6 the Huskies junior boys volleyball team won their first gold medal at the Bay of Quinte championship since 2002. The team finished first overall in the district, never lost two straight sets all season, and then went undefeated at the Bay of Quinte championships. The coaches, Chip Gillis, Bill Dickey, and Chris Post were overjoyed at the boys' performances. Post, who is a teacher candidate, and has only been with the team for three quarters of the season has still been able to witness the growth of the players, stating, “There's been lots of development… and everything seems to be clicking right now. This is a great group of kids, they're hard workers, and there's no quit in them. Every game, they step up there and play their hardest.” Gillis agreed with Post's assessment adding that a lot of their success has come with their mind set, “They are the most positive central focused team that I've coached. They don't get down on each other, they support each other, and you can see it in their play. They come together after every play whether they score a point or don't. They lift each other up.”
North Hastings Highschool is hosting the junior boys Central Ontario Championships on Nov. 14 and the senior boys will be competing the same day at Quinte Christian school in Belleville.