Hutton, Birkhan lead electric Elton attack

When Jack Hutton talks, the Elton Sabres listen.

Whether he’s congratulating his teammates or demanding more from them, the Grade 11 outside hitter wasted no time earning their complete respect.

“Jack brings so much energy onto the court and he brings a lot of authority in a good, uplifting, positive way. He really gets everyone going,” middle blocker Adair Birkhan said during the Brandon University varsity boys’ volleyball tournament on Friday.

“He gets everyone excited, hyped and really ready to play and making sure everyone’s doing their best. He holds everyone accountable for that.”

The Sabres bounced back from a 2-0 loss to Winkler’s Garden Valley Zodiacs with 2-0 victories over Crocus Plains and Melita to reach the championship bracket as the No. 2 team in Pool C.

The Sabres defeated the Miami Marlins 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs on Friday evening, sending them to a quarterfinal today at 1:30 p.m., against Saskatchewan’s Estevan Elecs on the Healthy Living Centre Main court.

Elton finished second in its opening tournament last weekend, falling to the host Carberry Cougars 2-1 in the final.

Head coach Mark Geekie, who led the Sabres’ varsity girls to a AA provincial gold medal last year, feels good about this group’s chances with Hutton and Birkhan leading the way.

“We have two obviously really good, experienced players and a good setter (Colby Marshall) and some other good players around those guys,” Geekie said.

“Most importantly for me, they are good people. That’s what makes it really enjoyable.”

Geekie said he and assistant coach Darian Steele didn’t want to select a captain until about six practices in. It became clear that Hutton naturally embraced the leadership role and showed a desire to help all his teammates reach their full potential.

“I’ve been wanting to be captain for that team since I started playing in Grade 9, so to come on, brand new coach and him picking me as captain, especially being younger, means a lot to me, just because I’ve worked hard to try and build that rep,” Hutton said.

I want everyone to strive at volleyball, I want everyone to be the best player they can be, but I also want them to be the best human they can be.”

Hutton and Birkhan have both poured hours into their craft, and not just during the high school season. They’ve been teammates with the Brandon Volleyball Club for the past three years, most recently on coach Ted Redekop’s 16-and-under squad while training with Bryce Wilson’s 17U team.

They both spent the summer with Team Manitoba, Birkhan as a training player and Hutton on a team that travelled to St. Catherines, Ont., for the Canada Cup.

Meanwhile, Hutton worked out with BU women’s volleyball assistant coach Ashley Hosfeld, a personal trainer, to improve his vertical.

The six-foot-one outside hitter went from a 10-foot-four spike touch in Grade 9 to 10-foot-10 last spring and hasn’t officially measured recently but is clearly reaching over 11 feet and overpowering opposing blockers.

Hutton is just as dedicated in the back row, willing to lay out and make game-changing saves.

Up front, Elton’s big blocks are more often than not because of the six-foot Birkhan building a wall.

Birkhan credits much of his recent growth to Team Manitoba practices with coaches who opened his eyes to all the ways he can fine-tune his game in the middle.

“He impacts our team in so many ways. He’s so quick laterally, really gets up, and he’s such a positive guy,” Hutton said.

“He just brings that positive energy to the team … everyone around him loves being around him”

Added Geekie: “Adair touches really high as well, and he’s an incredible middle attacker, but besides that, he is just a wonderful person … he’s a great role model.”

While every tournament feels like the most important one at the time, the Sabres know it’s more important to peak in November. Last year, their squad, which included just four Grade 12s, hosted and won a provincial qualifier but bowed out in the quarterfinals.

Hutton believes this group is built for more.

“My setter Colby, he really runs our team so well,” Hutton said. “He’s really the backbone of our entire team and should get a lot of praise because he helps out all the guys, he’s upbeat, he loves the sport and without him, our team wouldn’t be where we are.

“For a AA school, we’ve got a lot of promise. We’ve got so much room to improve. I really like this team, it’s a lot of fun, great guys, I think we get along really well and I think we have a really high upside.”

• • •

The Neelin Spartans swept Gladstone’s William Morton Warriors, the Wawanesa Warriors and the Fort Richmond Centurions 2-0 to win Pool A, while Vincent Massey swept Alonsa and Souris but lost 2-0 to Estevan, Sask., to finish second in Pool B and set up a rematch of Wednesday’s Brandon High School Volleyball League season opener.

Neelin swept the match and will face Garden Valley, who it beat for the AAA provincial title last year, in the quarterfinals on HLC Main at 12:30 p.m.

The other quarterfinal on their half includes Yorkton, Sask., against Carberry at 12:30 p.m. The fourth quarterfinal features BU commit Gabe Beaudin and Dauphin against Weyburn, Sask., at 1:30 p.m.

The semifinals are at 5:30 p.m., and the gold-medal match is set for 8:30.

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