It was a weekend to remember for the athletes and coaches of the U16 boys’ Rage volleyball team. The team, made up of players from St. Paul, Elk Point, Bonnyville and Cold Lake, managed to not only compete against big city teams at the provincial tournament, but the boys walked away with Division 1 silver medals.
“This is beating the best of the best,” said coach Rod Hebert, who was understandably proud of his team, and their performance at the high caliber tournament.
The boys went 2-1 in pool play, beating Red Deer and Nooks (and Edmonton club), and losing to St. Albert. The strong pool play put the boys in second place in their pool, and allowed them to cross over to play Lethbridge, which was seen as a top four team.
The Rage beat Lethbridge, and put themselves onto the championship side of the tournament. Then, the team took on Canada West (out of Calgary), and pushed themselves to a top four finish.
But, the boys were finished yet. They took on Grand Prairie and beat them in a “three-set thriller, which was amazing,” says Hebert. And while the boys fought hard in the final game against the top team in the province (out of Edmonton), the boys would walk away with their heads held high, and silver medals to take home.
The Rage only had eight players on the team this year, and the provincial event was the first time all the boys were healthy and able to play together. For some reason, the boys “flicked the switch,” and played amazing all weekend, said the coach.
Hebert noted that at times, the crowd was cheering for the Rage, since the team was clearly seen as the underdogs.
“We’re the only small town out there. It’s all city teams,” he explains, adding, it was “totally rewarding to finish off the season on a high.”
While the entire team came together to find success over the weekend, two of the boys were also named as tournament all-stars - #11 Corbin Ockerman, and #13 Daniel Hebert.
