The Strathmore Venom U17B lacrosse team recently won gold at City Championships, which earned them the chance to compete in provincials next weekend in Leduc.
Head Coach Justin Jolly was blown away with how well the team played to secure gold.
"I've never seen them play so hard in my life, that was quite impressive, actually. We've had struggles throughout the year, suspensions and stuff like that, and they've just rallied back and even the refs at the end of the game were amazed at how well our team progressed over the year. Every single kid on that team is so valuable, I'm super proud of them," he said.
Despite the struggles he mentioned, Jolly never had a doubt in his mind that this team was capable of doing something big this year.
"I just knew going into this season that this was going to be a special team, just the dynamics of it. We've had a lot of laughs and listening to the kids in the dressing rooms, they're a pretty funny group of kids. They're hard-working kids, that's why they're there, that's why we are going to provincials."
Jolly said he learned from coaching clinics that typically U17 teams are one of the toughest groups to coach due to "all their growth hormones and stuff," but this team was the opposite as Jolly said they made coaching an enjoyable experience.
As for the upcoming provincials, Jolly knows they'll be facing stiff competition and some incredible talent, but is confident his team will compete as hard as they can.
"We've never played these teams before, so I actually don't know what we're up against. I'm assuming they're really good teams, they're there for a reason, right? They've won their city championships, it's going to be an interesting weekend for sure."
Jolly wanted to give a huge shoutout to all the coaches that helped make this season a success, being Bruce Dewit, Mike Hermanson, James Richardson, and Blair Schnick. He also wanted to thank all the parents and their efforts too in supporting their kids and the team.
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Fri, May 3, 10:00 AM
