It was a silver-medal finish for the D.P. Todd Trojans senior boys volleyball team at the Grande Prairie Regional College Big Red 16-team tournament last weekend.
The Trojans finished the weekend with a match record of 6-1 and a set record of 12-4.
Trojans head coach Glenn Wong said the only bad thing about his team's success is they'll no longer have the "element of surprise" when they face down opponents.
"It's always fun to be No. 2 because you always have a target to aim for," said Wong. "Being No. 1 makes you the target; that's no fun."
In the final the Trojans met up with the St. Joseph's Celtics, an Edmonton school, and, Wong said it was a real David vs. Goliath battle as the Celtics had all Grade 12s while his team only had one (Jordan Foot). Not surprisingly, the Trojans lost in straight sets 2-0 (25-23, 25-13).
Wong said the atmosphere in the Grande Prairie gymnasium was hectic and included a Jumbo-tron which was broadcasting the final - he joked that when his players noticed themselves on the big screen it affected their play in the second set - which should help the team with concentration if they were to make it to the B.C. provincial championship in Kelowna in November.
The Trojans won their pool with a 3-0 record beating St. Thomas Moor (Fairview, Alta.) 2-1 (25-18, 19-25 and 15-10), Sexsmith secondary 2-0 (25-17, 25-12) and Peace Wapiti Academy (Grande Prairie) 2-0 (25-17, 25-22).
In the crossover match, they met the winless Chetwynd Cavaliers and easily moved on to the quarterfinal with a 2-0 (25-4, 25-12) win. The Trojans met G.P. Vanier of Donnelly, Alta. in the quarterfinal, winning in straight sets 2-0 (25-18, 25-14).
The semifinal match was a nail-biting three set marathon against the sixth ranked triple-A school in British Columbia - North Peace secondary of Fort St. John. D.P. Todd won 2-1 (26-24, 25-27 and 15-12).
The all-star selection committee for the tournament named Trojans power-hitter Foot, and libero Josh Rockwell to the team.
This weekend the D.P. Todd boys get a taste of the life of an official when they referee the junior B girls portion of the PGYVC Junior Kodiak Classic at Prince George secondary school starting Thursday.
The next action on the court for the Trojans will be Oct. 4-6 in the annual Jon Bragg Memorial tournament at College Heights secondary.
