Spartans capture silver at zones

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

The Strathmore High School (SHS) senior Spartans volleyball team had a strong season but lost in the gold medal match at zones against the number one ranked Cochrane High School Cobras in two sets, 25-21 and 25-20, on Nov. 17 at Cochrane High School.
“Our guys played very well all weekend and we played at the highest level we had all year,” said Spartans head coach Cole Hintz, who had nothing but good things to say about his opponents. “Our goal is always to play them (Cobras) in the final and see what happens.”
According to Hintz, the Spartans played strong throughout the tournament but were pushed back on their heels by the Cobras. He described Cochrane as a deep, experienced club with a lot of physical power behind them. Despite that, the Spartans head coach was pleased with his club effort to make the opposition earn every single point.
“They didn’t have anything given to them for free and they played a little bit better in a couple of the rallies, and that was the difference,” said Hintz. “We probably beat Cochrane one time out of 10 this year and we were hoping that might be the case in the final, but we fell just a little short.”
The Spartans got into a good groove in the round robin, winning each match in two sets against Bert Church High School (Airdrie), Canmore Collegiate High School and Springbank Community High School. They continued their quest to the finals by beating W.H. Croxford High School 2-1 in the semifinals.
Hintz said he is excited for next year because the Spartans are a younger squad filled with mostly Grade 10 and 11 students. Only three players were in Grade 12 this year, meaning most of the squad should be back for next season.
“We are a younger group so it’s exciting with how many athletes we’ll be getting back next year, especially with where we finished and where we can start off (next year),” said Hintz.