Local roundup: Two aces, local lacrosse, football and more

Two aces

Zach Prystai accomplished something many golfers strive for their entire careers — and he did it twice in two days.

On June 29, the 21-year-old local golfer recorded a hole-in-one with a six iron on hole #9 at Flowing Springs Golf Greens with his dad Doug.

The following day, at Long Creek Golf and Country Club in Avonlea with friends Max Kotyk and David Clark, Zach aced hole #7 with a wedge, which was the third hole-in-one in his career and second in a span of two days.

U17 Barracuda lacrosse

The U17 Regina Barracuda lacrosse team capped off a successful season, winning the 2023 Saskatchewan A League Championship last week.

Just a few days before, the team won the Canada Day Tournament in Calgary, competing against teams from Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C. and Denver.

Junior Wimbledon

At the Wimbledon Junior Championships in London, Regina’s Keegan Rice won his Wimbledon debut with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Great Britain’s Benjamin Gusic Wan.

The 17-year-old Rice faced Spain’s Alejandro Melero Kretzer in the second round on Monday.

U16 Western Challenge

Team Saskatchewan finished in first place at the Football Canada U16 Western Challenge held at Liebel Field in Regina last week.

The event featured teams from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. Team Sask beat Manitoba in the semifinal before getting by B.C. 34-0 in the championship game, marking the province’s third straight gold medal at the event.

Football Canada Cup

The Football Canada Cup kicked off on Sunday as eight provincial under-18 teams in the under-18 category compete for the title in Edmonton.

Saskatchewan will now face Ontario in Wednesday’s semifinal. The medal games are set for Saturday.

NFL Flag Canada

The Regina Youth Flag Football League (RYFFL) hosted the 2023 NFL Flag Canada 10U and 12U regional championships between Saskatchewan and Manitoba last month, with two teams from Regina coming out victorious.

Kobra Kai won the 10U division while the Regulators were the 12U champions, earning them both a spot at the NFL Flag Canada National Championships in Toronto in September, where a spot at the NFL Flag Championships in Las Vegas during the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl is at stake.

Girls’ flag football

At the Junior Flag International Cup in North Carolina last week, Team Canada’s 15U team was made up of girls from Regina, competed against teams from the United States, Japan, Panama and Mexico.

After this tournament, the girls will also compete at Football Canada nationals in Nova Scotia at the end of August as one of two teams from Saskatchewan.

NAIG set to begin

The Saskatchewan contingent — which features 500 athletes, coaches and team managers — has won six NAIG overall team titles since the games started in 1993.

Regina Red Sox

After splitting a two-game series with Medicine Hat to begin the week, Regina lost back-to-back against the Okotoks Dawgs, before bouncing back on Saturday with an 11-5 win over Swift Current. On Sunday, Regina lost 3-2 to the first place Moose Jaw Miller Express.

The Red Sox (17-19) are home on Tuesday hosting Weyburn, before six straight away games.

After Tuesday, Regina will be back home on July 23 to begin a six-game home stand.

Local rugby

There was plenty of action on the local rugby scene last week.

In senior women’s rugby, the Regina Rage beat the Regina Ravens 47-26. The Ravens beat the Saskatoon Wild Oat Women 131-5 on the weekend.

In the senior men’s division last week, the Regina Highlanders beat the Campion Grads 44-12, while the Regina Rogues topped the Regina Condors 35-19. On the weekend, the Campion Grads lost to the Saskatoon Badgers 20-0, while the Condors beat the Saskatoon Gophers 54-15. The Highlanders also topped the Saskatoon Krems 41-36.