The Peter Skene Ogden (PSO) Eagles senior boys soccer team is competing in the Sa-Hali Sabres Tournament in Kamloops today and tomorrow (Sept. 29-30).
The 16-team tournament features many of the top high school teams in the province.
The 100 Mile House Eagles squad is placed in a pool with hosts Sa-hali, which was runners up at the Provincial AA Championships last season and have former PSO student Mason Fernandes on its roster. The Eagles also will face perennial power Panorama Ridge from Surrey and Surrey Christian.
“It’s going to be a huge test for our boys,” says coach Sean Glanville.
“We’ve definitely improved from last year and I’m anxious to see how we stack up against some of the top teams in the province. Regardless of results, these five games will be very important for us as we try to keep getting better.”
The Eagles kick off Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at McArthur Island against Panorama Ridge, followed by game 2 at 1:30 p.m. versus Sa-Hali and finish off the day with a 4:30 p.m. kickoff against Surrey Christian.
“We have all our players back from last season and have added some new recruits, including Noah Nicol from Fraser Lake and Kurt Wandler from Houston.
“All the guys are back and a year older and stronger, and adding a couple helpful additions, should take us to a higher level.
“Size was a big issue for us last season and we got manhandled on occasion, but that shouldn’t be the case this year.”
The team is led by Grade 12's Patrick Walker, Sean Mason, Lukas Waldner and captain Reid Davidson, Glanville says, adding Grade 10s Cameron Ardiel, Mason Sanders and Adam Sullivan will also be asked to play big roles on the squad.
“We have a big Grade 12 presence this year unlike last season, so from a leadership and athletic standpoint we have the potential to have a great season.”
The Eagles will then play a pair of games on Friday in either the A, B, C or D flight depending on Thursday’s results.
The Eagles won a pair of games last week 5-1 and 5-2 in a home-and-away series versus Lake City Secondary Juniors and had a final exhibition game on Sept. 27 against a local 100 Mile House men’s side which is travelling to Penticton for an Over 35 Tournament over Thanksgiving.
The Eagles have a pair of tournaments in October, the AA North Central Zone Championships in Prince George on Oct. 21-22 where they hope to improve on last year’s bronze-medal performance. The winner of this tournament earns a berth at the Provincial Championships.
They will wrap up their outdoor season with the Hope Invitational Tournament Oct. 28-29 weekend and then both the boys and girls will transition into indoor soccer in December, the coach explains.
PSO plans to host a boys and girls indoor soccer tournament the second weekend of December and has commitments from Hope and Williams Lake so far, he adds.