The Dauphin Clippers rugby teams handed out year-end awards, last week.
Four awards were handed out for the Clippers girl’s 7s team.
Kiersten VanDekerckhove was named the varsity MVP and Mindy Chartrand was the Top Rookie, while the JV MVP was Alina Genik and Edie Fleck was the JV Top Rookie.
The varsity girls award winners were: Top Forward - Ryann Richard-Soltis; Top Back - Felicity Sahulka; MVP - Paityn Bourgouin; Top Rookie - Anna Durston; Maverick Award - Isabella Williams; Playoff MVP - Desiree Lariviere; Spirit Award - Mackenzie Kropelnicki; and Most Improved - Maya Hughes.
JV boys award winners were: Top Forward - Garrett Urichen; Top Back - Garrett Sahulka; MVP - Rudy Oosthuizen; Top Rookie - Hendrik Du Plessis; Maverick Award - Sly Fedorkiw; Playoff MVP - Rudy Oosthuizen; Spirit Award - Dax Arneson; and Most Improved - Cohen Lambie.
Varsity boys award winners were: Top Forward - Ben Miner; Top Back - Jordan Evans; MVP - Julien Lopez; Top Rookie - Emil Saifulin; Maverick Award - Blake Thacker; Playoff MVP - Alex Thompson; Spirit Award - Blake Symchych; and Most Improved - Tristen Fidierchuk.

After starting the season with two straight wins on the road, the Parkland Mavericks have now lost two in a row at home.
The latest set back came at the hands of the Manitoba Wombats, 34-24, Saturday, at Mavs Fest in Dauphin.
Ronin Mouck had two tries and two converts and Julien Lopez, playing his first game ever with the Mavericks, also had two tries.
The Mavericks were shorthanded for most of the game after losing a player to a red card late in the first half.
“Considering we played down a man the whole game, we played really, really good. They were starting the get tired in the second half and we did come back pretty close. But playing 14 on 15 stopped us from getting an even shot,” said captain Jordan Campbell.
The Wombats have always been one of the top teams in Rugby Manitoba’s Premier Division, with 60 players to choose from.
“And they’re a really competitive group and we were neck-and-neck with them. So I’m very happy with the way we performed, for sure,” Campbell said.
Campbell feels the Mavericks need to work on being more conservative in how they play with aggression.
“We need to stop getting penalties. That definitely is the big thing. Penalties kind of butcher us,” he said, adding the Mavericks are also missing some of their main starters.
“And I thought we played really good for what we had,” he said.
The Mavericks don’t play again until they host the Winnipeg Wasps Division 1 team, July 4, at 1:30 p.m.
Campbell said it will be good to have a two-week break.
“We’ve got about eight new players coming to practice, so we’re pretty excited to have some new faces. And back-to-back home games, we get the Premier Wasps and then the Div. 2 team, so it will give us a nice little break and build some team chemistry, so we can let them have it,” he said.
The Parkland Lady Mavericks hit the pitch for the first time, hosting the Winnipeg Brumbies, Saturday.
The Brumbies took advantage of a team which hadn’t even practiced together yet, scoring a 66-29 win over the Lady Mavericks.
Desiree Lariviere had three tries and Halie Garlinski had two tries. Kateri Mills had two converts.
Coach Cassandra Kostelnyk was pleased with how the team played.
“A lot of the girls had never played together before and they actually didn’t have a chance to get together to practice as a team before the game. So all things considered, I think they did a good job,” she said.
Kostelnyk was most impressed with how quickly they started playing as a team.
“It was almost hard to tell that they haven’t even practiced together, let alone play together,” she said.
The Lady Mavericks will travel to Brandon, June 23, to play the Lady Barbarians, a game rescheduled from May 30.
The Lady Mavericks practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at Kin Field from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and are still looking for players.
“Anybody is welcome. We’re always accepting new players. And if you’ve never played before and you’re interested, we’ll teach you everything you need to know,” Kostelnyk said.
Practice will see the Lady Mavericks go back to the basics.
“And making sure that we continue to grow our dynamic as a team and start running as a team more often and just build off what we did on Saturday,” Kostelnyk said.
“We’re excited for the next game and for what the rest of the season will bring.”

The Rural Municipality of Lakeshore hopes to borrow almost $2.5 million to cover deficits its current council discovered after examining financial records going back more than a decade.
Council held a public meeting, June 8, in Ochre River to discuss introducing a bylaw to authorize the borrowing of $2,497,543 million from the Province to cover deficits for 2023 and prior years of $1,825,399, as well as $672,144 for 2024.
The mandate to borrow the money came from the Province, with the money to be repaid over 10 years at an estimated interest rate of five per cent per year.
The meeting, which was attended by close to 150 residents, lasted for more than two hours, with many residents asking questions surrounding the issue.
“The forensic audit, we can’t speak on that, because it has just been finalized with the insurance company and it’s now gone to the RCMP,” said acting reeve Michael Brunen, adding more information will be released later this week.
The Province of Manitoba was represented and some of the information they gave out during the course of the meeting was different than what the Lakeshore council was told before hand, Brunen said.
The Province, Brunen said, gave council two choices - borrow the $2.5 million with the 10-year payment plan or the Province would step in and eliminate the council and run the RM.
“How high do you think your taxes would go? Because we are one of the lowest tax-based municipalities in the province,” he added.
It was mentioned at the meeting that about 20 other municipalities in Manitoba are also having financial difficulties.
Council gave first reading to the borrowing bylaw, June 9, and is expected to give second and third reading, June 22, in Rorketon.
Brunen understands the frustration residents have regarding the deficits and how they came about.
“Naturally, you’re going to wonder, ‘where did we go wrong? What did you buy?’ Well, it wasn’t just one term or one year. It’s going back at least 10 or 12 years when this was first noticed,” he said.
“It goes back that far. Three terms. And that’s just a failure from a lot of departments, not just the CAO. It goes to council itself. The finance department. The reeve. The Province needs to step in and oversee this or have someone help us. Ever since amalgamation, really, things have gotten bad. It really has. We’ve seen the failures. And it’s happening all over the province.”
No deficits were found for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Brunen pointed out the current council is the one that found the deficits because of a forensic audit being performed.
“They went back and found this by other council’s mistakes. Not saying we’re perfect either. But this is why,” he said, adding when he became acting reeve, discrepencies were found in the office, which resulted in the need for a forensic audit.
“During its process, these things were discovered and, of course, it went back and found more and more and more. But the forensic audit had nothing to do with the deficit,” he said.
Brunen was overwhelmed and pleased with the turnout for the meeting.

The annual Gary Brandon Memorial Men’s Match Play Tournament saw 120 golfers comprising 60 teams hitting the links at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club, June 5 to 7.
The tournament, sponsored by Aspen Insurance and Assante Wealth Management, is a fund-raising event for local charities and a proud supporter of the Dauphin and District Community Foundation.
Shawn McQuarrie and Chad Facey won the championship flight, beating Bob Gilroy and Christian Laughland.
Nelson Lepla and Jordan Brown placed third, beating Lance Prytula and Drew Tyschinski.
Lynden Smigelski and Tyler Carefoot teamed up to win the first flight, defeating Wayne Catcheway and Earl Thompson, while Boston Karlson and Jackson Delaurier were third after defeating Brett and Perry Farnsworth.
Mark Odut and Regan Hedley won the second flight over Seth and Darcy Gares, with Shawn Woods and Dustin Underwood finishing third after defeating Darcy Malcolm and Julian Houle.
Ron Low and Andy Pickering beat Ron Love and Mike Penrose to win the third flight, with Randy VanHumbeck and Dan Bourgouin defeating Kelly Eastman and Bryan Diboll to finish third.
In the fourth flight, Wayne and Scott Heide took first place, beating Denis McKay and George Campbell, while Brendon Green and Jack Reis finished third after a win over Jody Bilous and Derrick Kabel.
Mike Shawn and Deegan Delaurier scored a win over Bart Michaleski and Blaine Johnson to win the fifth flight. Dean Cooley and Ron Hedley finished in third place after a win over Mike Sparrow and Rob Bouchard.
Terran Roos and Branden Hrychuk won the sixth flight scoring a win over Derrick and Dryden Vendramin, with third place going to Jeff Sutherland and Chris Garand, which beat Troy and Mark Steeves.
The seventh flight was won by the team of Clayton Carefoot and Jeff Gorawk, which defeated Steve Bell and Jordan Morrisseau, while James and Chris Davidson beat Mitch Prawdzik and Brendon Kruk to place third.

The provincial final in 2022 was the last time the Dauphin Clippers girls rugby team lost a game.
That was when they fell, 34-14, to the Rivers Rams in the provincial final.
The Clippers suffered its first defeat since then, Saturday, again in the provincial final, when they fell 31-22 to the Steinbach Sabres.
Clippers coach Shawn Sarkonak said the Clippers haven’t seen that level of competition in a long time.
“And I think the girls were a little bit shell shocked. They ended up getting down 18-0 in probably the first 15 minutes. But they were resilient, for sure. They battled back. They scored two quick ones right after,” he said.
“We went into the half, it was 24-12. Steinbach scored early in the second half and then the girls battled back, but, ultimately, couldn’t get it done.”
Despite the loss, Sarkonak is pleased with the silver medal, noting everything must come to an end.
“But what I’m most proud of is the way the girls didn’t quit. They battled as hard as they could. They put it all on the line. They went right to that final whistle. And they gave Steinbach a good push,” he said, adding he is pleased the girls were able to experience that level of competition.
“Especially our graduating girls,” he added.
Steinbach’s success over the last couple of years is proof of how far women’s rugby as a whole has come, not just in Manitoba, but across the country.
“With the success of the national women’s team, I think it’s just sparked an uptick in youth rugby, which is now translating into high school and young girls aspiring to play as high a level as possible. We haven’t had competition in Winnipeg in the last two years, so it was nice to finally see that,” he said.
To reach the final, the Clippers beat Springfield, 67-0.
Sarkonak offers his best wishes to Vanderkerckhove and Ryann Richard-Soltis who will be attending Brandon University, where they will play for the Bobcats, as well as Bourgouin, who will play for Mount Royal College, while Megan Thompson has transfered to Regina University to play for the Cougars, where she hopes to play alongside Felicity Sahulka and Percival.
The Clippers boys defeated St. John’s Ravenscourt, 52-5, to advance to the final against the St. Paul’s Crusaders.
In the final, the Crusaders won their 11th provincial title in a row and 12th in the last 13 years with a 26-19 win over the Clippers.
Clippers coach Aaron Miner felt the Clippers came as close as they possibly could to pulling off an upset.
“We lost by one try and we lost to a better team. They were better and stronger and just made fewer mistakes than we did. You couldn’t ask for more from our players, that’s for sure,” he said.
Miner feels the Clippers surprised the Crusaders with their strong play, noting they have had a good relationship with the Winnipeg school.
“In talking to their head coach, he did mention that this was definitely the best team that he’s ever coached in his career at St. Paul’s. So he was quite certain they were going to take it to us,” he said.
“I think we shocked them by being persistent and not giving up and making a full comeback. Even when they were up on us by two tries, we managed to come back. Like I told the guys, if it was a hockey game and there was a third period, we might have made the full comeback.”
Overall, Miner is pleased with the season, not just for his squad, but the girls and JVs, as well.
“It just goes to show the strength in the program at the DRCSS. Parkland rugby in general. Just nothing but a bright future ahead for the programs. We’re only one day out of high school rugby season and we’re already starting planning for the next event and the next wave of players coming up into the program,” he said.
“So no rest, and I think that’s how we keep our program strong and keep it going.”

Assiniboine College Parkland Campus held its annual graduation ceremony, celebrating 71 graduates.
Following the processional and the elder blessing from Reg Nepinak, Parkland Campus director Carol Stewart made some opening remarks.
AC president Mark Frison then brought greetings, as did Kayla Gillis on behalf of the Assiniboine College Alumni Association.
Then it was time for the Valedictory address delivered by Tammy Chief.
It’s an honour to stand here today and represent a graduating class that showed so much determination and heart. They say the journey to education begins within, but no one gets there alone. True success is built through the support of family, friends, classmates and instructors. Along the way, we don’t just learn what’s in textbooks, we learn who we are.
During my time at Assiniboine College, I saw firsthand the dedication, drive and perseverance of each one of my fellow graduates. I saw it every day in the classroom and across campus. We all showed up, even when it was hard. We endured sleepless nights completing assignments, juggling schoolwork alongside life and work commitments and facing financial stress that sometimes felt overwhelming. Yet here we are, standing today with a diploma in hand and with it, the power of education that we will carry into our future roles as individuals, employees and leaders.
With the guidance of my classmates, instructors and faculty, and the unwavering support of my family, I gained more than knowledge. I gained perspective, patience and flexibility. Those lessons have shaped me and they are something I will carry forward into my new career and throughout my life.
Choosing to return to school after 30 years may have been a difficult decision, but for me it was the right one. Right here in Dauphin, having Assiniboine College campus close to home made this journey possible for so many of us. It gave us more than an education; it gave us the skills and confidence to face what comes next. Education gives us the ability to stand up for ourselves and to be voices for those who cannot, and that is a responsibility I know this graduating class carries with pride.
Our instructors and staff created a space where growth was encouraged and where every student was truly seen. The friendly greetings from staff and faculty, the laughs we shared after handing in a test or assignment, and the check-ins from instructors who genuinely cared, these are memories I will hold true in my heart.
There’s a quote from a Scorsese film where a character says, “I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.” That idea reflects what we have done here. Through our willingness to learn and grow, we shaped our environment into one that reflects resilience, determination and connection. And now, as graduates, we are stepping out into the world as that product, not just educated, but stronger, sharper and more capable because of the tools we’ve gained along the way.
It wasn’t always easy. There were busy schedules, heavy course loads, and moments of real stress. But through it all, one thing remained constant. We had each other. We leaned on one another, encouraged one another and were guided by instructors who pushed us to do our best and believed in our potential.
Today, we celebrate not just our accomplishments, but the journey that brought us here and the people who walked it with us. I am incredibly proud of everything we have achieved.
So, as we take this next step, let’s carry forward the lessons we’ve learned, the connections we’ve built and the confidence we’ve gained. Let’s continue to shape the environments we enter and make a meaningful impact in our communities.
Congratulations, Class of 2026. We worked hard for this, we earned it and I’m proud to stand here with you today.
The graduates were then presented with their diplomas.
Adult learning and upgrading
High School Diploma Secondary Diploma - Magnus Smith.
Mature Student High School Secondary Diploma - Cooper Beckman, Hayven Brezden, Aaron Catcheway, Lindy Chartrand, Alexander Flett, Julia Friesen, Colan Lafreniere, Brett McKay, Chloe Moar, Jorgia Moosetail, Luke Parenteau-Thompson, Jesse Sinatynski and Janine Zalizniak.
STRIVE Succeeding in the Work World Document of Achievement - Harley Bone, Michael Costello, Derrick Didluck, Cameron Flatfoot, Wynona Guiboche and Renee Roulette.
Youth Employability Skills Certificate of Achievement - Jazmanee Gregory, Kaitlyn Hatt, Lisa-Marie Kitchemonia, Chantelle Wishira and Isabelle Wishira.
Edna Edwards School of Nursing
Comprehensive Health Care Aide Certificate - Hailey Catcheway, Taiton Dyck, Shannon Holt, Marcus Lusung, Abby Maczuga and Tia Thiessen.
Peters School of Business
Business Administration: Accounting Diploma - Jaitanna Delaronde and Ashley Didyk.
Business Administration: Human Resource Management Diploma - Omolade Akinsete, Trevor Boyd, Tammy Chief, Courtney Clearwater, Tia Crawford, Kaur Manpreet, Courney Settler and Gurpreet Singh.
School of Health and Human Services
Early Childhood Education Diploma - Skylar Collins, Jaylene Gabriel, Calista Hudyma, Tanisha Meyer, Amanda Pangman, Johana Postrano and Ling Zhang.
Early Childhood Program Management (DE) Advanced Diploma - Angie Moosetail.
Social Service Worker Diploma - Haley Bone, Shavanna Genaille, Shuai Jiang, Alexandria Jordan, Julia Kotyk, Josephine Okeke and Kailyn Ushkowski.
School of Trades
Applied Plumbing Installation Certificate - Chukwudi Agi, Baron Arneson, Nyles Brazeau, Tanner Gamache, Keegan Ganchar, Ryan Gustilo, Kare Josephson, Matthew Knott, Drake Malcolm, Nevada McDougall and Devan Normandin.
Heavy Equipment Operator Certificate of Achievement - Jesse Boehling, Braidy McKay and Jimoh Olatunji.
The Governor General’s Academic Award, presented to the student who achieves the highest overall average upon graduation from a diploma program, was presented to Calista Hudyma of the Early Childhood Education program.

The Parkland Mavericks are 2-0 to start the season.
Ronin Mouck and Owen Tyschinski had two tries each to lead the Mavericks to a 56-29 win over the Winnipeg Assassins Second Division team, Saturday in Winnipeg.
Will Miner, Dylan Craik, Alex Boshoff and player-coach Codi Harrigan also had tries for Dauphin and Mouck had all eight converts.
Harrigan credited the Assassins for never giving up when the Mavericks pulled away.
“They never quit and they kept at us right to the final whistle,” he said.
Both teams suffered through the heat, with the temperature reaching 32C.
“We were tested physically and mentally (Saturday),” Harrigan said, adding it was nice to see the scoring spread out.
“We only had three substitutes available, so a lot of players had to put in big minutes. I’m really proud of our players for managing the heat, staying disciplined with hydration and working hard for the whole 80 minutes,” he said.
When fatigue set in, Harrigan said, the Mavericks continued to communicate and stuck to the game plan instead of trying to do everything individually.
“We had contributions from everyone on the roster and that showed on the scoresheet,” he said.
The Mavericks will host the Assassins First Division unit, Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Because they were a bit shorthanded on Saturday, some players played in unfamiliar positions.
“But again, everybody contributed great. It’s those players that aren’t on the scoresheet that really shine throughout the whole game, as well. There were a lot of players doing the dirty work and they put the team first and that’s a big reason we were successful. So we hope that continues on into the weekend,” Harrigan said.

For the fourth straight season, the Dauphin Clippers girls and boys rugby teams are Westman High School Rugby champions.
The girls earned their berth in the league final with a convincing 93-0 win over the Crocus Plains Plainsmen, May 26.
Desiree Lariviere and Edie Fleck had three tries each, while Kiersten Vanderkerckhove and Paityn Bourgouin had two each and Ryann Richard-Soltis, Mindy Chartrand, Felicity Sahulka, Alina Genik and Sophia Smigelski had one each.
Vanderkerckhove added eight converts and Halie Garlinski had one.
In the final on Saturday, Richard-Soltis had two tries to lead the Clippers to a 45-0 win over the visiting Souris Sabres.
Vanderkerckhove, Bourgouin, Lariviere, Mila Heschuk and Garlinski also had tries for Dauphin and Vanderkerckhove had five converts.
Clippers coach Shawn Sarkonak said winning a league title is always special.
“Because it’s always another group of new players that get a chance to do it for that first one. So it’s special in that way. But as they always say, that first one is the most special, because it’s for that very first time,” he said.
Sarkonak was impressed with the team’s resilience throughout the final.
“I think there was a bunch of players that came in with some nerves and, honestly, even at halftime, you could see some of the vets were saying ‘we’re playing like we’re nervous. Let’s just take a couple of breaths, let’s play like we have all year and get back to playing Clipper rugby’,” he said.
The Clippers will now travel to Brandon for provincials next weekend.
Dauphin will play Springfield in the semifinals on Friday, with Souris and Steinbach playing in the other semifinal. The final will go on Saturday.
Steinbach had beaten Springfield, 60-0.
Facing teams they have never played before and not knowing what to expect, the Clippers are chomping at the bit, Sarkonak said.
“And I think it’s going to give them just that other gear. So we’ll see what happens,” he added.
“The confidence level is there because I trust the players to do it out there on the field.”
After spotting Souris an early lead, the Clippers varsity boys responded in a big way, shutting down the Sabres in a 66-5 rout on Wednesday.
Alex Thompson had three tries, while Morgan Fleck and Blake Thacker had two tries each and Ben Miner, Julien Lopez and Jordan Evans had singles. Evans also kicked eight converts.
In Saturday’s final, the all-Dauphin contest was won by the varsity squad in a 68-5 victory.
Lopez and Josh Yakielashek had two tries each and Colton Miner, Ben Miner, Blake Symchych, Andriy Genik, Thompson and Parker Freiheit had singles.
Evans had seven converts, while Ben Miner and Symchych had one each.
Clippers coach Gerald Lopez felt the final was a good celebration of rugby in Dauphin in general.
“Both teams, even though the green team was a far superior team, the white team never gave up. So I look forward to the future. I’m so proud of all of them,” he said.
This year’s varsity team has a lot more experience than the previous championships teams.
“Meaning a lot of them played rugby aside from high school rugby. So they’re able to use that knowledge and really, they had such a phenomenal year. No team could really come close to them. At least in our league,” Lopez said.
Despite the loss, JV coach Mike Penner was pleased with his team’s play.
“I’m pretty sure I could go most other schools in the province and not find 13 guys willing to step on the field against the Dauphin seniors and we found 13 just in our school alone. So I think that’s pretty impressive,” he said.
“Other schools, if some of their guys were hurt or their all-stars weren’t going to play, then they’d just folded their tents and didn’t go into the arena.”
The JVs, Penner added, overachieved in their first season in the Westman High School League, winning twice and finishing second.
“No one had them competing, let alone winning two of their regular season games. And then going against the Dauphin senior team twice in one year, I know a lot of other teams were expecting us to just concede this game and not show up. But that’s not how these boys roll,” he said.
“These guys are going to be taking some of the reigns next year on the senior team and we’re looking forward to that.”
The JV Clippers will play the St. Paul’s Crusaders in one provincial semifinal, while the senior boys play St. John’s Ravenscourt.
With St. Paul’s having won 10 straight provincial titles and 11 of the last 12, whoever they play will have a tough task ahead.
Penner hopes the JV players will have their eyes opened to see just how good the Crusaders are.
“But once again, I don’t think there’s a lot of teams that would be willing to step on the field against them, but we will. We’ll be there again stepping into the fire. And anyone who doesn’t give us a shot in the third-place game, doesn’t understand this team,” he said.
Lopez said the varsity team will train for provincials like it’s a brand new season.
“We still have a lot of stuff to work on and, hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see our old rivals St. Paul’s,” he said, adding the success of the Clippers program is a testament to the work put in by everyone since the program began.

The Parkland Mavericks overcame a slow start to win their season opener in Winnipeg, Saturday.
The Manitoba Wombats took an early 12-0 lead, but the Mavericks regrouped and stormed back for a 38-22 victory.
Ronin Mouck and Daniel Evans had two tries and two converts each and player-coach Codi Harrigan, Alex Boshoff and Riley Keith had a single try each.
Harrigan said the Mavericks were caught offguard by the Wombats strong start.
“We have a lot of new players that came out. We just had to learn where we needed to be and we had to learn our systems again. Just get used to each other, really,” he said.
“Then as soon as we found our chemistry, things started working out in our favour.”
Harrigan was pleased to see how every player supported their teammates on the field.
“If guys made a mistake, we kept our chins up. Kept our heads up. And we just went back to our systems. We kept playing our system.”
The Mavericks return to Winnipeg this weekend to face the Assassins, Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Harrigan hopes the team can keep building on its momentum.
“I think we will. These last couple of practices the guys have really bought into the system we’re introducing. They’re really happy with it and it was our first time to try it out and it worked out for us. The guys are happy and they’re looking forward to practice again,” he said, adding he is expecting a tough game against the Assassins.
“We will put in the work we have to do.”
The Parkland Lady Mavericks will play their first game, Saturday, when they face the Lady Barbarians in Brandon at noon.

Both Dauphin Clippers rugby teams ended the regular season 4-0 and will host the semifinals, this week.
The Clippers JV team played three games last week, ending its regular season with a 2-2 record.
Garrett Urichen had two tries to lead the Clippers to a 20-17 win over Crocus Plains, May 19.
Ivan Brazhko had the other try and Rudy Oosthuizen added a convert and a penalty kick.
Following a 60-7 loss to Souris on Thursday, the two Dauphin teams hooked up in the regular season finale, Saturday, which saw the varsity boys score a 33-29 win.
Josh Yakielashek with two, Ryzlie Nepinak, Blake Thacker and Ben Miner had tries for the varsity team and Jordan Evans added four converts.
Oosthuizen had two tries and a convert for the JVs. Cody Love, Urichen and Hendrik DuPlessis had the other tries and Love also had convert.
JV coach Henk DuPlessis felt the team played well in the three games to end the season.
“For a JV team, Grade 9s and 10s, they’re still boys, playing against men. What else can you ask of these kids? You can’t ask anything else. They showed a lot of heart,” he said, adding the team has improved since the start of the season.
“I could see the ball was moving a little bit today. Better tackles, hitting the rucks better. I talked to them at halftime and it helped. It looks like they improved. I think every game is getting better and better,” DuPlessis said.
“I’m really waiting for two more years.”
Varsity coach Aaron Miner liked what he saw from his team.
“We went out there and did exactly what I thought we were going to do. We were going to go out there and work on some of our set plays. We weren’t going to go out there and kill them. We were just going to go out there and practice what we’ve been practicing for the last couple of weeks,” he said.
Miner said it was hard to get up for a game against a group of, essentially, teammates.
“But wow, you look at how much they’ve grown since the opening kick off to today. It’s just amazing. I parrot what Henk says. I’m so excited about the future of this JV team in two years time. Even next year,” he said.
“We were worried about losing 12 players to graduation this year, but I think the program is going to run strong for at least the next three to four years.”
With three bonus points, the JVs finished in second place behind the varsity team. They were to have played Crocus Plains, but the Brandon team forfeited, so they will advance to the final and will face the winner of the game between the varsity squad and Souris on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Dauphin.
The varsity girls will host the Crocus Plains Plainsmen Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
The final will take place on the weekend.