By Devon Gall
The Mount Douglas Rams senior boys football team seeks a remarkable fourth consecutive AAA provincial title at the annual Subway Bowl this Saturday, Dec. 6.
The Rams (11-0 on the season and 2-0 in the playoffs) look to keep the streak alive when they take to the field at Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium against the South Delta Sun Devils.
Go Rams!
The Saanich Junior Braves welcome the Peninsula Panthers tonight (Dec. 5) for the annual Pink in the Rink game and fundraising evening for local breast cancer programs and research. Expect plenty of giveaways, jersey auction and of course, great hockey.
High school basketball action tipped off with a roaring start this week.
Coming up on the Saanich courts Tuesday (Dec. 9,) St. Michaels University Blue Jaguars senior boys visit the Lambrick Park Lions, Mount Doug Rams host Belmont Bulldogs and Pacific Christian Pacers welcome the Vic High Titans. SMUS senior girls also visit PCS at 5:45 p.m. The junior circuit is in action Wednesday, and senior play continues Thursday, Dec. 11 when St. Margaret’s visits the Claremont girls at 5:45 p.m. Lambrick Park senior boys visit Mount Doug at 7:30 p.m.
Head to Commonwealth Place this weekend to catch the Vikes swimming squad racing in their last competition of the year. The 12th annual PCS Christmas Cracker meet begins Friday (Dec. 5) and continues through Sunday.
The University of Victoria Vikes premier mens rugby squad celebrated a 35-17 victory over the Castaway Wanderers on Saturday (Nov. 29) reclaiming the Barnard Cup on home turf at Wallace Field. It’s the Vikes first Barnard Island championship since 2008, ending James Bay Athletics Association’s five-year win streak from 2009 to 2013. The Wanderers had not appeared in the Barnard Cup final since 2006, when they lost to the Vikes. The Vikes are now off-field for the December break, returning on Jan. 17 when they host the UBC Thunderbirds for the second game of the Wightman Boot series. The upstart T-Birds won the first leg 30-19.
On the soccer pitch, Vancouver Island Premier League’s Saanich and Prospect Lake U17 and U18 boys have both come out strong this year with the U17s tied for first, and the U18s in third. Both teams will look to climb the ranks this weekend at the U17s fight for top spot against Oak Bay/Peninsula while the U18s host the Juan De Fuca/Sooke squad.
Gorge/Lakehill takes on the upper Island Riptide Saturday, Dec. 6 at Reynolds Park and again Dec. 7 (field to be determined). Some game times and fields were still being set at press time; for details visit.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=vipl.
Victoria Eagles Baseball, whose midget and premier teams are based at Lambrick Park, raised more than $2,000 in a Saturday bottle drive for a South Island woman in need of a double lung transplant.
Tami Walker, a 47-year-old wife and mother of three, has severe and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, or CTEPH and must remain in Vancouver for three to six months following the transplant.
“Eagles baseball players receive a lot of community support in playing the game that they love. Helping Tami Walker and her family in their time of need helps our young men learn the value of giving back,” said Eagles chairman Martin Winstanley.
Local wrestliers from the district-wide Victoria Commonwealth Bulldogs team (based at Cedar Hill middle school) travelled to Courtenay on Nov. 29 for the Island Novice meet.
Sekou Tatem and Danny Shupbach led the boys with first place finishes in the 41-kilogram and 63-kg categories, respectively.
Also impressing were Saanich’s rising martial arts stars, the Shew sisters, as Zena (34-kg) and Kiana (40-kg) each placed first.
Around UVic
The University of Victoria Vikes Varsity Council has named its November athletes of the month, with women’s rower Becca Zimmerman and men’s field hockey midfielder Brenden Bissett taking the individual titles and the Vikes men’s cross-country squad the team title.
Bissett was vital to the Vikes’ draw with West Vancouver, which gave the Vikes their first point of the season, and was also called up to the Canada men’s national team roster for a New Zealand Tour in December. Zimmerman helped contribute two medals to the Vikes’ tally at the Canadian University Rowing Championships Nov. 1 and 2. The next week, Zimmerman, who is a captain with the Vikes, raced for Team BC in the women’s pair at National Rowing Championship.
The annual UVic Vikes cross country team Christmas tree fundraiser is at Centennial Stadium through Dec. 22. Tree chipping is available Jan. 3 and 4.
– Devon Gall is an avid sports fan and athlete attending Grade 12 at Mount Douglas secondary.
