Both the Junior and Senior HHS Badminton squads finished on the podium at last week’s Muskoka Parry Sound championships, with several individual athletes also punching their tickets to the GBSSA finals.
With the tournament formatted this year so that team results were the focus, HHS needed strong performances from their entire group to challenge rivals St. Dominic and BMLSS. The scoring awarded eight points to the first place team in each division, six points for second, four for third and two for fourth, with teams finishing outside the top four receiving no points.
On the Junior team, standout performances by Riko Katsuyama in girls singles and Matt Schmanda and Tyler Blair in boys doubles led the way. Katsuyama had a thrilling three-match final game, where each match was won by two points or less, while the dynamic duo of Schmanda/Blair breezed through the competition with no losses to their name. The pair has continually improved all year and will head to GBSSA finals undefeated this season. Alicia McLinden’s hard work also paid off as she locked up a third place finish in girls singles.
At the Senior level, six Huntsville athletes qualified for the upcoming GBSSA tournament, part of a strong overall performance that saw HHS finish second on the MPS podium. Scott MacDonald brought home the silver in men’s singles, while Rebecca Vestergaard and Mary MacMillan finished second and third respectively in women’s singles. The mixed doubles team of Tommy Giblin and Brenna Shisko will also be moving on after ending their day in second place. The results are even more impressive when considering that all of Huntsville’s GBSSA qualifiers are currently in grade 11, and will bring with them a wealth of experience into next season.
“This team has really impressed me with not just their dedication to the team, but also finding a balance with their school work,” said Senior coach Jennifer Cooper. “They are true ‘student-athletes’. We are also thrilled to have Rebecca Vestergaard join our team this year. Rebecca is an exchange student from Denmark and has really impressed us with her skill and positive attitude. You can tell she really loves to play!”
Good luck to all HHS athletes at the GBSSA finals!
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