Parkland fall sports are off with a shot and the Panther teams are well in to their busy seasons. The Junior and Senior girls, and Junior boys volleyball teams are in action representing Parkland in league play and tournaments.
The Senior Girls’ team is having a successful season so far. They recently hosted Stelly’s and Claremont and were able to defeat their Central Saanich rivals. Captained by Kim Neville-Rutherford the team has strong leadership and a desire to compete. Their goal is to reach the finals of the Vic Lindal Cup in November. Coaches Ty Mickelson and Paul Flater both feel this team has the determination to go to the Island championships this year.
Coaches Katie Fast and Larry Green are pleased with the improvement their junior girls team this season. They were at John Stubbs Memorial School last Saturday for a tournament where they won two out of three games. They showed vast improvement in their passing and serving. Both Kristy Gallagher and Meghan King showed they were a force to be reckoned with at the net and blocked numerous balls that ended with points for Parkland. Paige Judson also stepped up to the plate and played in the setter’s position for the first time. The girls looks forward to improving as a team and winning games as the season continues.
The Junior Boys’ volleyball team is showing great potential this year. Caelen MacEwan and Garnet Roberts, returnees from last year, are leading with strong spiking and blocking. Returning setters Kyle Dong and Lawrence Sauler are also having a strong year.
A number of talented Grade 9s have joined the team this year. Power hitters Michael Ram, Richard Xie and Royce Maneses have done well. Middle blocker Russ Bennett and setter Steven Ehlich has also been impressive. The team played in the Camosun tournament a couple of weeks ago and will be playing in the Nanaimo this weekend. Coaches Lorne Chan and Jesse Smart have been happy with the progress of the team this season.
— Parkland secondary school