Bourassa, Smith win Brad Jackle Awards
By RYAN MCCRACKEN on June 13, 2020.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken Reese Bourassa and Ethan Smith may not have closed out their high school playing careers the way they wanted, but they’ll both be looking back fondly on their time as McCoy Colts. Bourassa and Smith played for McCoy’s girls and boys basketball teams – both of which won their league championships on the same night in early March and were slated to host zones the following week before COVID-19 threw a wrench in their provincial plans. While it resulted in their final games coming sooner than expected, on Friday the pair of graduating athletes were recognized by McCoy for their efforts on the court and in the classroom as this year’s winners of the Brad Jackle Memorial Award. “Every single season we had was a great experience in all three sports and I’m really proud of how our teams did in the past three years,” said Bourassa. “I feel very honoured to win this award, especially for what it stands for, with it being an athlete and a student. I feel like it’s a big accomplishment.” The Brad Jackle Memorial Award is given to the male and female students who best display excellence and leadership both on the playing surface and in the classroom. It closed out a week’s worth of accolades for the school’s student athletes, all of which were announced on McCoy’s Facebook page. “I’m very grateful for it. I’m thankful that the school is putting in the effort to acknowledge the athletes,” said Smith, who aims to continue his basketball career while studying education at Medicine Hat College next year. Smith also won the basketball team’s award for most valuable with the least recognition – a title shared with Kam Roberts – and the football team’s Spiritus Award after breaking his arm three games into the season and stepping into a mentorship role on the sidelines. “I was basically the team cheerleader. I just supported them whenever I could and was always thankful for the opportunity that (Coach Darrell Grass) gave me, and it ended up turning out pretty well,” said Smith, whose Colts put in a turnaround 5-4 record. “I was very grateful to be still involved in it even though I could have just walked away.” As for basketball, McCoy’s potential provincial run was cut short due to COVID, but Smith says it was still a great season he’ll remember for years. “It was a little bit of a bummer when we found out that we wouldn’t be able to finish our season out, but I think overall we made a lot of great memories as a team,” said Smith. “We had the No. 1 ranked seed in Alberta, so we had very high hopes coming into zones and hopefully provincials.” Bourassa added there are plenty of highlights from her three years with the Colts, but the ones that stand out are this year’s city volleyball championship title, an undefeated volleyball season in Grade 10 and three consecutive city titles in basketball. Bourassa – who will step away from athletics to pursue general studies at Medicine Hat College next year – added she’ll also never forget the support she received from her father, Sean, along the way. “I would like to thank my dad for always supporting me through my high school career,” she said. For Smith, those highlights boil down to the people that populate McCoy’s gyms, fields, halls and classrooms. “I think it’s just the atmosphere at McCoy. All my friends there, and the staff and all of that, they’re all just nice. They always have good things to say, they always work hard, so I’ll never be able to complain about my three years at McCoy,” he said. “A big thank you to all the faculty at McCoy. They’ve provided me with some of the best years of my life and I’ll always be thankful for meeting the people I did and building the bonds I did.” 16-15
