Duchess Park Secondary School celebrates provincial championship with banner raising

Recounting what it felt like when the championship sealing point was finally won and Duchess Park earned the victory, the players and coaches all remember it being a chaotic, emotional, and thrilling experience.

“I went right to my setter, Sam (Cramer), gave him a huge hug, saw he started to cry, and I was like ‘oh the waterworks are happening,” Martin said.

“I knew Jude was going to put it down. I had no doubt in Jude at all, and once I saw it hit the floor, I was in shock,” said Sam Cramer, a player on the team.

“I didn’t even know how to react. There was so much going on watching those fans rush the court, they engulfed the boys. You couldn’t even see the boys, didn’t know who was a player, who was a fan. It was a great feeling,” added Head Coach Griffin Olexyn.

This is the fifteenth provincial championship won by Duchess Park Secondary School

This is the fifteenth provincial championship won by the school, adding to a long history of sporting success enjoyed by Duchess Park Secondary School. The school’s culture of success was a huge source of inspiration for Cramer, who says he saw a similar celebration happen when he was in grade eight for that year’s provincial champions, and it motivated him to deliver one on his own.

“I saw it (the banner) up there every day at practice and at games, and I really I wanted to achieve the same thing. So now that it’s been achieved, it’s really it’s like I had a hole there (pointing to his heart) and now it’s filled by that, so it’s great,” Cramer said.

All the players and coaches agree that it wasn’t just talent and hard work that got the team to the championship, it was a shared strong friendship both on and off the court that pushed this team to greatness.

“They’re super tight on and off the court. They’re friends, and I think that definitely creates a special dynamic and creates a lot success within the team,” Olexyn said.

However, the team was also quick to credit everyone outside of the locker room who supports the team, including school staff, community members, and the hundreds of students packed into the gym all celebrating the team’s accomplishments.

“To know that they have our back and are supporting us, that’s half the reason why we got through it. And without their support, I don’t know if we’d be here right now,” Martin said.

“The community that is around Duchess is one like no other. It’s an amazing community. The support from the fans, the parents, teachers, everyone is all sports minded and it definitely affects the boys,” Olexyn added.

Duchess Park previously won the championship in 2021, with its most recent medal prior to this year being a bronze medal in 2022.

by Tommy Osborne

Duchess Park Secondary School celebrates provincial championship with banner raising

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