It was a big weekend for Yorkton lacrosse players. The Yorkton Fighting Pikes U19 team won the gold medal at the field lacrosse provincials in Saskatoon. The Yorkton Fighting Pikes U16 team also brought home a bronze medal.
Adam Stewart, who was a coach for both teams, said it was a great learning experience for all who were involved.
“Most U16 teams will be constructed with mostly 15 and 16 year olds, but ours was quite young. About half were 13 and 14, and we only had a few 15 and 16 year olds,” explained Stewart. “We went to take it as a learning experience. The competition was really good.”
There were three teams in that U16 division, and the Fighting Pikes finished in third place.
“I thought it went well, and there was a huge improvement as the weekend went on,” added Stewart.
The U19 team, who won the gold medal, was a blended team of Yorkton and Sturgis athletes.
“We had a large group, it was a full roster. We had quite a few good players. We went into Saskatoon, and they have very strong teams, but we were able to go undefeated and take home the provincial title,” said Stewart.
Stewart explained that although it was a small competition, Saskatoon has one of the best lacrosse programs in the country, so it was a tough battle.
Stewart said he wasn’t surprised that they had such a successful weekend, but he was quite happy with how it turned out.
“We had two practices last week and on Thursday I told [the team] if they executed well, then I thought we could win gold. And when I said that, I didn’t quite think we were going to,” Stewart said with a laugh. “But we went in there, and we did it.”
Stewart credits the deep roster, and the team’s athleticism for their stellar performance over the weekend.
“I think we outmatched them physically. We’re a really fast, hard-hitting team, and a really hard working team,” he added.
The lacrosse season isn’t quite wrapped up in Yorkton – for the younger players, at least.
The bantam and peewee teams still have provincials coming up in July, which will be held in Prince Albert.
