Collège Stonewall Collegiate golfers delivered another dominant performance at the Manitoba High School Athletic Association Zone 5 championship on Sept. 10, sweeping both the senior girls and senior boys banners for the second year in a row.
The Rams showed consistency and composure on the challenging Hecla Golf Course layout, continuing a program tradition that has become one of the strongest in the province.
“It’s always nice to represent your school well and to come out and play well enough to get both banners again,” said the coach. “These kids play a lot of golf all summer and it’s nice to see it shine in competition.”
Preparation for the zone championship focused on more than just swings and scores. With Hecla known for tricky conditions, the team emphasized the mental side of the game.
“Prior to the round we talked a lot about the mental toughness required to play a complete round of golf, especially at a course we aren’t super familiar with,” the coach said. “It can be easy to lose focus or let a few bad shots get the best of you, so we focused a lot on the mental side going into zones.”
Among the highlights was Grade 11 golfer Reese Fidler, who finished as the lowest-scoring girl in Zone 5. It was the second straight year a Ram held that title, after Jordyn Chetyrbok’s top finish in 2024. Fidler and Chetyrbok, along with teammates Keira Pattie and Olivia Potter, combined to capture the senior girls banner for Stonewall.
On the boys’ side, all four Rams — Reese James, Carter McClintock, Nick Turner and Alec Harrisko — fired rounds in the low 80s, a feat that underscored the team’s depth.
“We had our lowest-scoring boy hammer his first drive of the day into the woods, and then come back to finish with a score of 80,” the coach said. “That shows a lot of resilience and mental toughness to trust his game and stick to a plan even after a bad first tee shot in front of a crowd of people. We also had two boy rookies both put up an 82. Just a very impressive all-round game from both.”
With the girls’ roster still young, the Rams are hoping this experience fuels future success.
“Our girl’s team is very young so hopefully they can use the experience to continue to do well at these competitions and build their game,” said the coach. “And hopefully their success leads to us getting more girls involved in golf. The boy’s team has been strong for a few years and this group in particular has their sights set on sticking together and competing harder than ever at provincials.”
Another local highlight came from Warren Collegiate’s Jonathan Gilmore, who carded a 79 to finish as the lowest-scoring boy in the field. His steady round showed that Zone 5 remains deep with individual talent beyond the team banners.
MHSAA provincials will be held in Oak Lake on Sept. 19.
