Flyers roll into SOSSA

Isaac Reimer has made a meteoric rise up the depth chart of the Eden Flyers senior boys volleyball squad this season.

“At the beginning of the year, we had him as a redshirt which means he only came to practices and wasn’t on the actual game squad,” Eden head coach Bill Markham said Thursday, after the Flyers defeated the visiting West Niagara Wolfpack 3-0 (25-6, 25-8 and 25-21) to win the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 4 championship. “But because of a couple of injuries and because he worked so hard at practice, he was inserted into the lineup and he has held this team together for a major part of the season and has been really good for us.”

Markham loves how the setter has made himself indispensable.

“It epitomizes my philosophy. I love when we win as a team. A lot of teams have really good individual players but what I really love about the sport of volleyball is that it takes a lot of guys,” he said. “Even in that last match, I was able to put everybody in and we had success. That defines a team.”

Reimer put his head down to earn more playing time.

“I showed up for practice every day, Monday to Friday, and I tried my best every day and every play,” the Grade 12 student said. “Eventually guys got injured and I was ready to step in.”

The 5-foot-10 player admitted he questioned whether or not he wanted to stick with the team after he found out he would be redshirted.

“Last year I made the team as a non-redshirt and when I saw redshirt I was definitely shocked. My family and I debated whether I would not play and just work and focus on school but I wanted to play because volleyball is a passion.”

He agreed the redshirting acted as a kick in the butt.

“You could say that but I trust the coaches because Bill is an amazing coach.”

Reimer also knew finding playing time at Eden is no easy feat.

“This is such a deep roster and such a good team. I don’t play Rapids or travel and everyone else on the team pretty much does.”

It has been an injury-plagued season for the Flyers.

“Right off the bat we lost one of our starting setters to a concussion and then recently we had another starting setter having to have steroids shot into his hip,” Markham said. “My starting left side has been hurt and we have never had a game where I have had all of what I thought was my original starting six. Lots of guys have stepped into roles and played really, really well. We have such a good team that guys can step into those positions and be fine.”

The injury bug has not slowed down the Flyers. Eden won its own tournament, placed second at tournaments in Stratford and at McMaster and third in another in Uxbridge.

Along the way, the team has beaten some top five teams, including top-ranked Uxbridge.

Markam is not looking past the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association playdowns but believes the defending Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations bronze medalists have what it takes to challenge once again for a provincial medal.

“We never take anything for granted but we have had success against the top teams in Ontario so I am confident that this team, if we play like we can, has a very good chance to medal if we can get past SOSSA.”

Other members of the team are Jesse Reimer, Reece Rekker, Carter Thompson, Ty Klassen, Ephram Janzen, Zeke Smith, Logan Dueck, Luke Midgley, Landon House, Vito Forte Luke Johnson, Pierce Reimer, Kai Schatz, Josh Sanecki and Yousef Gharib

Eden advances to the SOSSA championships Nov. 16 at Blessed Trinity where it will play the Zone 3 representative at 9 a.m.

West Niagara coach Sarah Bacchus has seen her team go through a roller coaster year.

“Our team has had lots of ups and downs this season and we were missing some of our big hitters tonight. We were hoping for a better outcome but we really had a great season.”

The Wolfpack program is a work in progress.

“We are kind of in the development stage with being a new school and we are building the program and recruiting players,” she said. “It is coming along and hopefully next year we will be that much stronger.”

Bacchus knows all roads will lead through Eden.

“That’s right but we just beat Sir Winston last week in a fantastic game. I was hoping to have our big hitters here tonight but maybe next year.”

Sir Winston Churchill won the Zone 4 AA final with a 3-2 win (27-29, 26-24, 25-18, 19-25 and 15-9) victory over Governor Simcoe.

A.N. Myer captured the Zone 3 AAA crown with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-19 and 25-18) triumph over Greater Fort Erie.

E.L. Crossley won the Zone 3 championship with a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-14 and 25-12) of Centennial.