After a hectic season, with some players competing in their first year, the Comox Valley Mosquito A rep team qualified for the AAA provincial championships in Burnaby last weekend. With teams from as far away as Vernon and Prince George, the Cardinals were in tough from the onset. Sorely missed for the weekend was Jacob Volkers.
A 5 a.m. Friday departure from the Island saw the kids take on the hosts Burnaby after lunch and the heavy hitters from Prince George later the same day. The outcome in both games were toughly contested losses to very strong sides, with MVP honours in the first and second games going to Lukas Meertens and Conner McNamee, respectively.
An 8:30 a.m. start the next day meant early to rise to take on the Victoria rep team who once again proved a little too much for the Cardinals. Though they battled to the end and kept things close for the first half, not even Logan Nijhoff's MVP effort could hold off the Victoria team.
For their final game of the tournament the Cardinals faced the daunting task of taking on a team from Mission that had beaten several tough opponents. In 25 degree heat and no shade to be found, the boys came out firing on all cylinders.
With awesome pitching by Dustin Raume and some great team defence the kids found themselves finishing a great season on a winning note with a commanding 9-3 victory. Dawson Fox took MVP honours for his efforts at bat and behind the mask at home plate.
"The team and their coaches would like to thank their sponsors Dairy Queen for their support all season long," a team spokesperson said.
For a team photo, check out this story online at www.comoxvalleyrecord.com in the sports section.