High School

Football

Vikings learn from Raiders in pre-season contest

Rowan McCarthy 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 4, 2026

The Vincent Massey Vikings played their only pre-season game against the Oak Park Raiders on Thursday, and while the Raiders got the better of it, it’s an opportunity the Vikings hope they can build on.

“It was awesome,” said Vikings head coach Mike Steeves. “Great experience for the kids to get out in equipment. The stress and pressure of each play and the downs and distance, it’s just nice to get real-time reps.”

A group of 50-60 people gathered to watch the contest, a great turnout considering this was a preseason game with no bearing on the regular season. The lack of consequences gave both sides the opportunity to play a little riskier and try out some different plays.

The Vikings went for it on third and long multiple times in the opening half of the game in an effort to give their offence a few more reps.

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Football

Quarterback Cory stepping up for Crocus Plains

Rowan McCarthy 5 minute read Preview

Quarterback Cory stepping up for Crocus Plains

Rowan McCarthy 5 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026

Football season is around the corner, and Crocus Plains new starting quarterback Jake Cory is stepping up in a big way despite being one of the younger players on the team.

Football is without a doubt a team game, but people tend to place a lot of importance and expectations on the performance of the starting quarterback. This season, Cory — who is going into Grade 10 — will start at quarterback for the Plainsmen.

“I’m feeling good,” said Cory about playing with the varsity team. “Glad coach gave me the opportunity and I’m really excited for the season to start.”

Last year, Cory quarterbacked the junior varsity team to a 1-3-1 record. This year, he hopes to improve on that in his first year with the varsity squad.

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Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026

Football

Smith helping Vikings where he can

By Rowan McCarthy 5 minute read Preview

Smith helping Vikings where he can

By Rowan McCarthy 5 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2026

Vincent Massey Vikings running back Ethan Smith can’t suit up alongside the rest of his teammates at the moment, but that won’t stop him from helping the team in any way he can.

“It definitely sucks,” said Smith. “I wish I could be out there. That’s all I want right now is to be out there … but knowing I can help is good.”

He is still recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered three months ago at spring training camp. The non-contact injury came out of nowhere, surprising Smith who has never had any major injury during his football career.

He’s targeting a return to the field in the next few weeks.

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Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2026

Football

Vincent Massey preparing for another season

By Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Preview

Vincent Massey preparing for another season

By Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026

The Vincent Massey Vikings football team opened training camp for the 2026 season this week with the goal of improving on and off the field.

Head coach Mike Steeves has run the program since 2009, making this his 18th year as the Vikings bench boss.

“We’ve always had good athletic players,” said Steeves. “We’re missing some size on some guys, so we’re just trying to fill some holes on the O-line, but other than that we just have some great athletes and defensively we look really strong.”

At this point in the season, every team will be trying to fill holes in the lineup. That’s a given with players aging out or moving on to different opportunities.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026

Football

Plainsmen open camp for 2026 season

By Rowan McCarthy 7 minute read Preview

Plainsmen open camp for 2026 season

By Rowan McCarthy 7 minute read Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

The Crocus Plains football team opened camp ahead of the 2026 season on Monday with the ambition to continue improving while competing against some of the best teams in the area.

“We had a great offseason with our core, and some of the young guys that are coming in are excited to go, so I’m really looking forward to it,” said head coach Mason Kaluzniak.

Last year, the Plainsmen were elevated from the AAA division into the AAAA division. They had to feel their way through the unfamiliar territory while playing against tougher competition, and finished the 2025 season with a 3-6 record.

With a year of experience under their belt and continued development, Kaluzniak feels the team has a better chance of making noise this season.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

Baseball

WCHA takes a swing at baseball

By Perry Bergson 7 minute read Preview

WCHA takes a swing at baseball

By Perry Bergson 7 minute read Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

The Western Canada Hockey Academy has added another sport to its offerings for its young athletes.

WCHA announced earlier this month that they are expanding on the hockey-golf hybrid program with EVO Golf by adding a hockey-baseball/softball offering with Triple Crown Sports at the TC Indoor Sports Facility.

WCHA principal and head educator Lesley Taggart identified that working with Triple Crown owner and instructor Faron Asham could be beneficial for everyone involved, WCHA’s vice president of operations Jason Roblin said.

“She saw it as an opportunity to expand or offer the same sort of thing that was working so well with EVO with baseball,” Roblin said. “The kids would go to Faron’s facility on Mondays and Wednesdays if they’re not in the full hockey program or full golf program. It just expands to more multi-sport athletes.

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Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

High School

First Sabres team blazed rugby path

By Perry Bergson 7 minute read Preview

First Sabres team blazed rugby path

By Perry Bergson 7 minute read Monday, Jul. 20, 2026

Every journey begins with a single step, and for the 25-year-old Souris Sabres rugby program, it was a path into the unknown in the fall of 2001.

New teacher Brian Yon was encouraged to form girls’ and boys’ rugby teams in a community that had no background in the sport, and faced the challenge with characteristic enthusiasm.

Jill Early (nee Harvey), Lynn Cliplef (nee Spratt) and Renee Turner (nee Woods) were all part of that team and in attendance at the community hall in Souris on Saturday as the program celebrated its 25th anniversary.

While the trio laugh about the sight of the fiery Yon throwing clipboards in disbelief on the sideline, they acknowledge all he’s done for the sport in Souris.

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Monday, Jul. 20, 2026

High School

Yon, Sabres celebrate rich rugby history

By Perry Bergson 9 minute read Preview

Yon, Sabres celebrate rich rugby history

By Perry Bergson 9 minute read Friday, Jul. 17, 2026

Twenty-five years ago, something magic came out of a little bit of old-fashioned peer pressure.

Brian Yon was hired for a term position in physical education at Souris School in the fall of 2001, and was teaching with Rhonda Young.

A product of Prince George, B.C., Yon had played a little bit of rugby in high school before concentrating on hockey. After three years skating in the now-defunct Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League with the Creston Valley Thunder and Williams Lake Mustangs and then down in the United States, he had been away from rugby for about eight years.

“I happened to be coming into the gym heading to my office … and there was this large man in the gym coaching a middle-years team from Green Acres, and his name was Larry Townsend,” Yon said. “Rhonda must have mentioned to Larry that I had a bit of a bit of rugby background, because he wanted to get a rugby program going.”

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Friday, Jul. 17, 2026

Basketball

Schmidt, Unrau win MHSAA awards

2 minute read Monday, Jun. 29, 2026

A pair of Westman students have been honoured with Manitoba Building Trades High School athlete of the year awards.

Annika Schmidt of Rivers Collegiate was named the female A winner after competing in volleyball, basketball, badminton and track and field in the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association (MHSAA).

Schmidt, who will attend Brandon University in the fall, served as captain of her volleyball and basketball teams.

She led her basketball team in scoring, and in volleyball, was named a provincial all-star, a graduating all-star and won the Players’ Choice Award at volleyball provincials.

Baseball

Ameh, Courchene named the class of Crocus

By Perry Bergson 10 minute read Preview

Ameh, Courchene named the class of Crocus

By Perry Bergson 10 minute read Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026

When Sani Ameh immigrated to Canada as a Grade 8 student in 2022, he couldn’t have imagined the sports adventures that lay ahead.

After a terrific final year at Crocus Plains, the 17-year-old Nigerian-born Ameh has been named the school’s male athlete of the year, with 17-year-old Iliana Courchene of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation earning the female prize.

“It was crazy,” Ameh said. “I just felt honoured. I didn’t really know what to feel. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I was just glad I was able to get the opportunity to get this. I really wanted it, so I’m happy all the effort I put in worked out.”

Courchene said the honour was well deserved.

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Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026

Basketball

Perkin wins provincial scholarship

2 minute read Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026

Ivy Perkin of Souris has won $2,000 scholarship from the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association as one of its four scholar athletes of the year.

They are awarded to graduating high school student athletes who maintained a minimum 85 per cent average and competed in at least two interscholastic sports. Their work around their school, in the community as a volunteer and their citizenship activities were also considered.

Perkin, who had a class-high 96 per cent academic average, competed in basketball, volleyball, badminton, track and field, rugby, and hockey.

In basketball, the two-time, provincial all-star and graduating all-star was team captain for three seasons, leading her team in points, assists, and steals per game each time.

Baseball

Sullivan, Van Santen lead for Massey

By Perry Bergson 8 minute read Preview

Sullivan, Van Santen lead for Massey

By Perry Bergson 8 minute read Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026

Ashley Sullivan and Logan Van Santen value leadership, and it’s clear Vincent Massey does too after the school named the pair their athletes of the year.

The two Grade 12 students both served as captains of multiple squads, with the 17-year-old Sullivan leading the girls volleyball and basketball teams, and 17-year-old Van Santen helping guide football and basketball.

“The last two years, every team I’ve played for I’ve been a captain,” Sullivan said. “I think my leadership speaks more about who I am as an athlete than my skill on the court. I have skill but I really focus more on leading by example and supporting my teammates as a captain.”

Van Santen also noticed that about Sullivan.

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Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026

High School

Kelly DeRoo wins MHSAA coaching award

2 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 23, 2026

Vincent Massey teacher Kelly DeRoo has been named the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s female high school coach of the year.

DeRoo was presented with the 2026 Grey Cup Legacy award on Tuesday at the MHSAA’s annual general meeting in Brandon.

DeRoo coached for a year in Baldur prior to a move to Massey in 2010. She coached the Vikings junior varsity girls volleyball program from 2010 to 2022 before taking over the varsity girls team, and also coached badminton at both schools.

In addition, she coached at volleyball camps in Brandon and Neepawa and is director of the Bobcats volleyball camps this year. For the past three years, she’s served as an assistant coach with the Brandon University women’s volleyball program and is now interim head coach.

High School

Kaktins dominates sprints at provincials

By Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Preview

Kaktins dominates sprints at provincials

By Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2026

WINNIPEG — The fastest race of Soleil Kaktins career wasn’t about how she finished, but how she started.

The Vincent Massey Vikings sophomore star knew she had the speed to track down anyone close in the junior varsity girls’ 100-metre final. Her only worry was if they’d get too far ahead early.

Kaktins put her head down and delivered her best start of the week, and she immediately knew it was all but over.

“When I looked up after my (acceleration) phase and noticed I didn’t have Utugi (Manchuria), who’s a really good runner and has a really good start, beside me, that was definitely a good feeling,” Kaktins said.

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Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2026

High School

Crocus boys claim provincial golds

By Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Preview

Crocus boys claim provincial golds

By Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Monday, Jun. 15, 2026

WINNIPEG — It turns out Jasim Ameh didn’t set the bar high enough for himself at track and field provincials.

It’s a good thing someone else did it for him.

The Crocus Plainsmen sophomore shattered his expectations and his personal best, clearing 1.77 metres to win the junior varsity boys’ high jump gold medal at University of Manitoba Stadium on Saturday.

“Man, it was more than a surprise. I was planning on taking maybe top 10 and being happy,” Ameh said.

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Monday, Jun. 15, 2026

High School

Kaktins, Maritz win double gold

2 minute read Preview

Kaktins, Maritz win double gold

2 minute read Sunday, Jun. 14, 2026

Soleil Kaktins was the fastest girl in the province on the weekend, regardless of age class.

The Vincent Massey Viking claimed the junior varsity girls’ 100-metre and 200-metre provincial golds at University of Manitoba Stadium, posting 12.14 seconds in the 100m final and 25.42 in the 200m final. Both were faster than the varsity girls’ winners.

Crocus Plainsmen Elbert Maritz claimed double gold in varsity boys’ javelin (49.97m) and discus (44.90m).

Crocus JV jumper Jasim Ameh won the boys’ high jump at 1.77m.

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Sunday, Jun. 14, 2026

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