The annual SAPEC junior high volleyball tournament serves up 48 round-robin matches starting Friday at 2:15 p.m.
Bellerose Composite High School hosts the 16-team girls’ draw. Court time for the 16-team boys’ draw is split between Vincent J. Maloney School and St. Albert Catholic High School.
Playoffs begin Saturday at 9 a.m. They wrap up with the tier I and 2 third-place games at 3 p.m. and the finals at 4 p.m.
Last year‘s tier I winners were the William D. Cuts Crusaders for the girls and Woodhaven of Spruce Grove for the boys.
Meanwhile, the regular season in the SAPEC league gets under way today with four boys’ matches and three girls’ matches scheduled. The defending champions are the Lorne Akins Gators for the boys and Vincent J. Maloney Marauders for the girls.
The next game for the Bellerose Bulldogs in the metro Edmonton league’s Carr conference is Thursday against the Austin O’Brien Crusaders.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Clarke Park. Gate admission is $5.
Last week the Bulldogs (0-1-1) lost 29-0 to the Bev Facey Falcons (2-0 in Carr and 5-0 overall) in Sherwood Park and the Crusaders (0-2 in Carr and 1-4 overall) fell 37-21 to the Salisbury Sabres (1-0 in Carr and 2-1 overall) in Edmonton.
The Falcons, last year’s tier I provincial finalists, scored all their points in the first half against Bellerose. The three-time defending Carr champions are ranked second provincially in tier I (school population 1,250-plus).
Next week is the Battle of St. Albert between Bellerose and the St. Albert High Skyhawks (2-0 in Carr and 3-1 overall). The Oct. 7 tilt starts at 6 p.m. at Riel Park field. The last showdown between the St. Albert programs was 2007, when the Skyhawks whipped Bellerose 38-0. Starting in 1999 with the inaugural confrontation, the Skyhawks dominated Bellerose by scores of 42-8, 42-22, 42-0, 60-0, 39-3 and 17-2.
The St. Albert Raiders make their regular season debut in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League on Saturday against the Leduc Oil Kings. Faceoff is 2 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena.
At 11:45 a.m. Sunday the Raiders play the Canadian Athletic Club at Bill Hunter Arena.
In exhibition action the Raiders won three and lost two.
Last season the Raiders and Lloydminster Bobcats shared first place in the north division at 23-6-6. After a first-round bye, the Raiders were eliminated by Leduc in the fifth and deciding game. Two of their losses were double-overtime affairs.
