A look back at east Winnipeg sports in 2022

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This article was published 27/12/2022 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In 2022, east Winnipeg athletes had a lot to celebrate. Here’s a look back at some of the top eastside sports stories of the year.

Dakota Lancers win AAAA provincial girls basketball title

On March 19, the Dakota Lancers girls basketball team beat the Westwood Warriors 87-48 in the final of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA provincial basketball championship.

“We told them that everything will work out and the ball would go into the net and it did go into the net,” Eric Sung, head coach and a phys-ed teacher at the school, said. “We had just below 50 per cent shooting from the field, and our defence was the anchor. We knew if we could stop them from scoring, we’d have a great chance.”

Indeed, the team finished unbeaten for the season with 22 victories — only the third time a team has achieved this at the AAAA level in the history of the championships, Sung added.

“As a coach, I’ve been left speechless by the team’s resiliency and flexibility to adapt every week,” he said.

Olympiens win top women’s high school hockey title

It went down to the wire, but the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens won the Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League’s CTV Division 1 championship on March 17.

The Olympiens beat the J.H. Bruns Broncos 3-0 at BellMTS Iceplex in the third game of their best-of-three final series after the Olympiens won the first game 4-0 on March 14, and then the Broncos levelled things up in a 3-2 nailbiter that went to double overtime on March 16.

“We’ve been working really hard as a team this season. Everyone’s been showing up and playing hard. Teamwork has been a big one. We’ve been learning to play together and working well together,” Annika Devine, a Grade 11 centre and alternate captain, said.

Dakota takes home boys aggregate track and field banner

Dakota Collegiate took home the aggregate championship banner for varsity boys at the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association provincial track and field meet in June. Dakota’s junior varsity boys team placed third overall, while Miles Macdonell Collegiate’s junior varsity girls team finished second in the province. Collège Béliveau finished first overall for AAA schools, while Dakota finished second among AAAA schools.

Elmwood Giants win fifth consecutive junior provincial title

The Elmwood Giants junior baseball team won a fifth consecutive junior provincial title this summer, its sixth championship in the past seven seasons.

Earlier, in June, Elmwood Giants junior teams from 2002 to 2007, which won a string of league championship banners, were inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.

“It’s well deserving, to see the Elmwood Giants get some recognition,” longtime manager and coach Ed Kulyk said.

Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association celebrates 25th anniversary

Founded in 1997, the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association provides a structured basketball league for kids in Winnipeg that is open for all to participate. Now, 25 years later, the WMBA supports over 200 teams and offers six leagues for kids ages five and up. Since then, thousands of kids have had a chance to play basketball, thanks to the league.

“Once we got it going and it was successful, it was time for me to hand it over and have other people bring in their ideas,” said Mike Ruta, who founded the league and has since taken an active role with the WMBA Foundation, which has raised funds to help build outdoor six outdoor courts across Winnipeg.

“A lot of our success comes from the fact it’s community based,” said Sean Close, WMBA executive director.

Kildonan-East Reivers wins Winnipeg High School Football League Division 3 championship

On Nov. 9, the Kildonan-East Reivers football team beat the Dryden High School Eagles 30-0 to win the Winnipeg High School Football League Division 3 championship at IG Field. It was the perfect end to a perfect season.

“Guys were prepared, they executed,” head coach Jason Hawkins said. “Everything we did at practice, they brought into the game. They did everything we asked them to.”

“It felt great,” said Ola Balogun, a Grade 12 wide receiver who also plays basketball. “This is my last year. It was important for me to go for the win. It felt amazing.”

Eastside schools win provincial volleyball championships

In late November, junior varsity teams Glenlawn Collegiate (boys) and Collège Jeanne-Sauvé (girls) won the AAAA junior varsity provincial championships.

“The group loves volleyball,” Glenlawn coach Russ Harder said. “They bought in. They recognized in a hurry and came to appreciate the standards that were expected of them.”

“They were relentless, defensive minded,” said Roger Labossiere, a parent coach for CJS, which went 46-0 this year. “Going into provincials, and they’d only lost two sets all year. And in provincials, we added another four.”