By Medicine Hat News on April 19, 2022.
The Medicine Hat Junior High Athletic Association badminton championships got underway last week at Crescent Heights High School. Last Tuesday, Grade 8 badminton athletes were in action with Carlin Messmer and Marli Bouvette from St. Mary’s finishing in second and third of the boys and girls singles divisions, respectively. Theoron Bensler and Carter Allan took the gold in the boys doubles division. On the girls side, St. Mary’s Tessa Steinkey and Juliana Hirsch took silver in the girls doubles and Alyssa Guy and Jayden Dennison from Parkside finished third. Parkside’s Peyton Bosker and Josh Lefebvre took bronze in the mixed doubles division. St. Mary’s took home second place in aggregate championship with Notre Dame taking third. Wednesday Grade 9 badminton athletes hit the court. Shawn Gripp from Notre Dame took home the gold in the boys singles division, with Lex Laverdiere from St. Mary’s finishing in third. Jaeden Robles from Medicine Hat Christian won gold in the girls singles. St. Mary’s Brynn Retzler took home the bronze in the same division. Cruz Pancotta and Hayden Gebhart won gold at the boys doubles division with Leighton Verishine and Owen Gustafson from Parkside taking silver and Johnny Marshall and Carson Small from St. Mary’s finishing with bronze. St. Mary’s Sophie Kerr and Maddex Strothmann won gold in the girls doubles and their teammates Keira Droeske and Easton Stratton took home bronze. St. Mary’s was the aggregate championship Wednesday with Notre Dame finishing second. 10