Karate nationals
A trio of kickers and strikers from the Desa School of Karate in St. Albert competed at the Karate Canada Junior Nationals last weekend in Edmonton.
Jayman Cannataro, Jacob Cole and Aidan MacLeod were among 44 from Alberta as more than 500 from across Canada attended nationals.
The junior age division at nationals was divided into youth (12-13), cadet (14-15), junior (16-17) and U21 (18 to 20) in female/male individual kata, female/male team kata, female individual kumite and male individual kumite.
Cole placed fifth in 76-plus kilogram (16-17) kumite, Cannataro was entered in the under-75 kg (16-17) category and finished seventh in kumite and eighth in kata and MacLeod was seventh in under-75 kg (U21) kumite.
Meanwhile, the 21st annual Spirit of the North tournament, hosted by the Desa School of Karate, is scheduled for this weekend at Servus Credit Union Place and admission is free.
Demonstrations by a variety of students in kobudo and karate, as well as board breaking, is on tap Friday at 5:30 p.m. prior to the start of the black-belt tournament at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday’s tournament at 10 a.m. features students below black belt.
Valkyries in final
The inaugural championship game in female midget spring league football is Saturday’s playoff between the St. Albert Valkyries and West Edmonton Raiders.
Start time is 1 p.m. at Larry Olexiuk Field and gate admission is $5.
Both teams are 3-1 after the Raiders beat the Valkyries 44-6 Friday in St. Albert. It was the first meeting since the 20-19 win by the Valkyries in the April 5 exhibition at Clarke Stadium.
The six-on-six format features 30-minute halfs of running time. The field is split into two to accommodate two games at once in the Capital District Minor Football Association's four-team league and every offensive drive starts at the 45-yard line.
The Valkyries (111 PF/63 PA) were coming off victories of 43-0 against the 0-3-1 Leduc Wildcats and 42-0 against the 1-2-1 Wetaskiwin Warriors (the game ended before full time when Wetaskiwin ran out of players because of injuries) before the Raiders piled up 45 points on a number of long touchdown runs.
The offensive player of the game for the Valkyries was quarterback Emily Maki, who came within one yard of scoring a 45-yard TD on the last play of the first half.
Ally Chaabane was recognized as the team’s defensive player of the game for her aggressive ability on the line of scrimmage.
Meanwhile, Julia Baniak of the Valkyries has registered with the St. Albert High Skyhawks and will participate in the team’s spring camp this month.
The Skyhawks are the 2018 division two Miles conference finalists in the metro Edmonton league and Tier III provincial north finalists.
Impact 1 women
After a false start to the season because of the weather, the St. Albert Impact 1 premier women’s team kicked off the Edmonton District Soccer Association fixtures with a gritty performance Sunday.
With no substitutes in attendance, the Impact pulled off a 2-1 victory over Victoria 2 at ESA Complex.
The Impact led 2-0 at halftime on goals by Brittany Kindzierski and Casey Paplawski.
In net was Jamie Misiaszek.
The total team effort included youth contributions from Anneke Odinga, Abby Elgert and Sara De Gannes.
Tuesday the Impact played FC Excelsior 1 and the score was unavailable at press time.
Upcoming for the Impact is Sunday’s match against the Xavier Academy at 12 noon at O’Leary High School and the Impact 2 team at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Coronation Park.
Last year the Impact finished as provincial silver medallists after placing second in the premier table with 15 wins, two losses and one tie, compared to the Norwest United 2 record of 15 wins and three ties.
The Impact are once again challenging for Alberta Major Soccer League status and a top finish would secure a berth in the 2020 outdoor season.
Junior high rugby
The Greater Edmonton Junior High Flag Rugby League is underway with the Lorne Akins Gators as the defending male and female division one champions.
The Sir George Simpson Voyageurs and W.D. Cuts Crusaders are also among the15 schools in the male division and 19 schools in the female division.
Lorne Akins is the only school with multiple teams in the league with three male and three female.
Matches are played on Wednesdays and the finals are May 31 and June 1 at Ellerslie Rugby Park.
Meanwhile, several male and female teams in the league are entered in the annual Lorne Akins Gators 7s tournament Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at St. Albert Rugby Football Club.
