BARRHEAD-Barrhead Composite High School's (BCHS) Senior Gryphons' Boys team won the gold medal defeating Camrose after coming back from behind to win the second and deciding set 25-23.
The match capped off the two-day Senior Gryphons tournament hosted by BCHS on the Oct. 22-23 weekend.
The Gryphons got off to a strong start going undefeated in the round-robin portion of the tournament, beating schools from Camrose, Spruce Grove and Whitecourt.
On Oct. 23's playoff round, the Gryphons defeated Athabasca's Edwin Parr Composite High School in the quarterfinals, 25-21 and 25-23 before going on to win the semi-final against Strathcona's Christian Academy.
Gryphons' head coach Rod Callihoo said he was pleased with how his team performed throughout the tournament.
"We had some up and downs this weekend, but we played well," he said. "We had to. It was the toughest competition we've seen in pool play for a while."
Up next, the Gryphons will be taking part in a tournament in Okotoks.
"We are in a tough pool," Callihoo said. "We will be up against some southern teams that we haven't seen before this year, so we'll see how we stack up against them."
As for what it is like, playing in an environment where there are no spectators are allowed, besides those in the tournament, Callihoo said they are getting used to it.
"It is getting more and more normal for us," he said."We are just happy that we can give that athletic experience. I really feel for is the parents who are not able to come and watch their children in person."
To allow friends and family to watch the games, schools have been streaming the games live.
On the girl's side, the Gryphons went undefeated in the round-robin defeating teams from Morinville, Whitecourt and Beaverlodge. In the quarterfinals, they defeated the Onoway Mustangs 25-19 and 25-7 before falling to Spruce Grove.
