The fall athletics season wrapped up competition with pride and determination. The Senior Girls Field Hockey team made history in its first year at the AAA level, finishing ninth in BC and posting three straight shutout wins. The Senior Boys Volleyball squad battled to a fifth-place finish at Islands, while the Senior Girls Volleyball team capped a competitive playoff run. Meanwhile, SMUS Squash players continued their winning streak, earning multiple top-tier finishes both at home and on the road.
Senior Girls Field Hockey
The SMUS Senior Girls Field Hockey team ended a strong season with three straight victories and a ninth-place finish at last week’s BC AAA Championships in Surrey.
This season was the first time the Blue Jags have competed at the AAA level, having played at the AA level in recent years. In pool play, SMUS had a great first game, holding Handsworth – the BC No. 1 seed and eventual provincial champion – to a 1-1 tie until, with just 90 seconds to go, the Royals scored to pull out a 2-1 victory.
Captain Mackenna Brown scored a highlight-reel goal for SMUS in the entertaining contest that would prove to be the closest match Handsworth played all tournament.
“The goal that Mackenna scored for SMUS was pure class – an incredible run over half the length of the field before dinking past the goalie with a beautiful backhander,” said SMUS Head Coach David Kerr.
The Blue Jags’ second pool game against Argyle did not go quite to plan, as SMUS surrendered two breakaway goals in the late going, leading to a disappointing 3-2 loss. Kate McQueen scored both goals for SMUS in the defeat.
This result eliminated the Blue Jags from championship contention and put them into the 9th- to12th-place bracket. But the team re-grouped and recorded three successive shutout victories – 3-0 against Quw'utsun, 2-0 over Charles Best, and 4-0 against Maple Ridge to place ninth.
Julia Nemitz, Anna Beaudry, and Manon Denux scored for SMUS in the win over Quw’utsun. Nemitz and Elspeth Rodger had goals in the victory over Charles Best. Nemitz, Brown, Talia Klenz and Olive Winters scored against Maple Ridge.
Overall, SMUS had a highly successful season, winning three trophies, placing best among Island AAA teams, and competing strongly against the top schools in the province. The Blue Jags’ overall record for the season included 25 wins, six losses and five ties. They scored 86 goals while conceding only 17 and posting an impressive 25 shutouts.
“Congrats to all the field hockey girls, especially all the Grade 12s who led the team so enthusiastically and particularly to Mackenna Brown who, as captain of the team, was so inspirational with her support for all those around her and showcased her amazing talent on the field all season long,” Kerr said.
Senior Boys Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Boys Volleyball team finished fifth at the Vancouver Island AA Championships that wrapped up on Saturday at Highland Secondary in Comox.
The Blue Jags dropped a 2-0 decision to host Highland in their playoff quarterfinal on Saturday morning.
SMUS Head Coach Brady Doland said his team was unfortunate to face North No. 1 Highland in the quarterfinal round. The host Raiders struggled in pool play on Friday and finished a surprising third.
“That meant we drew [Highland] far earlier than expected,” Doland said. “Highland played to their potential on Saturday and, despite our fight, they took the match and ultimately finished second overall.”
That quarterfinal loss took SMUS out of the running for a BC AA tournament berth and moved the Blue Jags into the 5th-6th match against Vic High. SMUS recorded a decisive win over the Totems in its final match of the season, winning by 25-13, 25-16 scores.
“We dominated Vic High and ended our season on a high note and in classic dramatic fashion,” Doland said. “The final point came on a quick middle set, with Seb Allard elevating and whipping the ball straight down for a loud and emphatic victory.”
SMUS advanced to the quarterfinal round by finishing second in its pool on Friday. The Blue Jags beat both North Island No. 2 Mark Isfeld of Courtenay 25-22, 25-21 and Wellington of Nanaimo 25-22, 25-13, and also lost against provincially third-ranked Pacific Christian, the South Island No. 1 seed, 27-29, 20-25.
“Friday was our best volleyball of the season,” Doland said. “We pushed the tournament’s eventual champions [PCS] to the brink, falling just short [27-29] in one of the tightest sets of the entire event. The level of play, confidence, and execution on Friday was everything we had been working toward.”
What Doland thought would be a rebuilding year “quickly turned into one of the most exciting storylines we have had in Senior Boys Volleyball.”
“With only two returning seniors – Seb Allard and Tommy Hong – the expectation was to spend the season developing a young roster and building toward the future. Instead, it became a race against time to refine a team loaded with raw talent and potential.”
Doland said a major turning point came when coaches pulled up Grade 10 setter Kevin Li to the Senior team. “His athleticism, vertical, and naturally soft hands immediately elevated the pace and consistency of our offence. Add in the emergence of 6-foot-4 middle Jack Harris, who had never played volleyball before this year, and suddenly our lineup looked completely different. Jack’s rapid transformation from complete beginner to dominant middle was one of the highlights of our season.”
“And right at the heart of our identity was our truly amazing libero, Benjamin Lei. His energy, intensity, and never-give-up attitude were the spark that kept us alive in every match. No matter how far down we were, Ben was the one chasing down balls that seemed impossible and raising the level of urgency. He was the emotional catalyst every coach dreams of – the player who refused to let us quit, and the one the team always followed.”
Doland said that, on the outside, Eric Thompson and Hong brought power, intensity, and the ability to score from anywhere on the court. “But where we truly shined was when our middles were rolling,” he said. “When Seb, Jack, and the middle attack got going, we froze blockers, opened lanes for our pin hitters, and became incredibly difficult to defend.
“A season that began with question marks ended with pride, identity, and a team that grew faster and further than anyone predicted. With the talent returning and the culture built this year, the future looks incredibly bright.”
Senior Girls Volleyball
The Senior Girls Volleyball team wrapped up its season with an exciting playoff run over the last couple of weeks.
After a Lower Island AAA quarterfinal win at home over Edward Milne on Oct. 28 (25-20, 21-25, 28-26, 25-14), the Blue Jags experienced a tough semifinal loss to Stelly’s on Nov. 4 (24-26,14-25, 24-26).
That defeat sent the team into the Lower Island third-place match against visiting Lambrick Park on Nov. 6. It was close, however the Blue Jags fell in four games to Lambrick to finish fourth.
That result meant SMUS had to quickly turn around and travel to Campbell River on Monday of the long weekend to play a challenge match against Carihi, the fifth-place team from the North Island.
Carihi was a strong opponent, playing in a loud and well-supported gym, which proved to be the advantage it needed to beat the Blue Jags by 25-22, 25-14, 25-23 scores. The outcome moved Carihi into last weekend’s Island AA tournament and ended the season for SMUS.
“Congratulations to the graduating players – Jada, Mya, Sienna, Indigo, Nicola, Kate, Pema, Crystal, and Maggie, and thank you for your contributions to our volleyball program over the past number of years,” said SMUS Head Coach Melanie Bendfeld.
Squash
Seven members of the SMUS Squash team earned first-place honours in their respective tiers in the SMUS Silver No. 2 Tournament held this past weekend.
Finishing first for the Blue Jags were Andrew MacEachern (Tier 1), Lucas Wei (Tier 2), Alex Wessling (Tier 4), Alex Wilkinson (Tier 5), Derek Hu (Tier 6), Noah Jun (Tier 7), and Anthony Kavalenka (Tier 8).
SMUS athletes placing second included Liam Wilkinson (Tier 2), Lincoln Wuth (Tier 4), Matej Kolinek (Tier 5), and Ethan Zhao (Tier 6).
Finishing third for the Blue Jags were Siddharth Shetty (Tier 6), Henri Jungkind (Tier 7), and Max Wang (Tier 9).
SMUS Squash team members also took part in the Alberta Jesters tournament, Nov. 7-9 in Calgary. Amos Guan turned in the top SMUS placing, finishing sixth in Boys U15 while Rakshith Arun was 11th in the same division.
Earning 10th-place finishes were Max Arndt in Boys U17 and Carys Van Alphen in Girls U15. Both Arndt and Van Alphen lost in the consolation final.
Kieran MacKay finished between 13th and 16th in Boys U17, losing in a consolation quarterfinal. Elliot Judson also placed between 13th and 16th in Boys U17.
Upcoming tournaments for SMUS players include the UVic Open this coming weekend (Elite, A, and B teams), the Shawnigan Silver Tournament, Dec. 6 (A, B, and C teams), and the Canadian Junior Open in St. Catherines, Ont., Dec 13-16 (Elite team).
