Moose Jaw teen model Justine Farago returned from Saskatoon recently with good news: she will be heading to the Miss Teen Canada-World finals in Toronto this summer.

“I will be heading to nationals in July,” Farago told the Times-Herald. “I’m just so excited to move on to Toronto.”

Farago, 16, will be competing as Miss Teen South Central Saskatchewan in the finals in Toronto. She secured that crown during the Miss Teen Saskatchewan pageant on Feb. 24.

“I honestly think that was one of the most nervous performances I’ve done in my life. I’ve been in plays, but just being on that stage was very nerve-wracking,” said Farago. “Once I was called, I don’t think it really hit me — I just went through the motions ... and I was just kind of in a daze.”

Farago is one of eight competitors to go to nationals from the province, and the only individual representing Moose Jaw.

She said, given the opportunity to do her performance over, she wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Courtesy Moose Jaw Times Herald, March 6, 2013

It was a big weekend for the Peacock Toilers senior girls basketball team even though they haven’t even played a playoff game yet.

The Toilers used this weekend to gear up for the final stretch of their season with a tournament victory in Wilcox.

Peacock beat host Notre Dame in the final with an 87-69 victory on Saturday.

“It was a really big tournament in that they were seeded No. 2 provincially and we were posted No. 1. That’s unofficial right now, but we should be seeded No. 1, which is really exciting for us,” said Peacock’s head coach Renee Verge.

There were eight teams at this tournament and the Toilers played Melville on Friday and then Indian Head on Saturday morning. With those two wins, it put them in the final and Notre Dame won their games to end in the final as well.

“Ideally, that’s exactly what we were hoping that’s what was going to happen. We couldn’t have picked a better situation,” said Verge of their opponent. “We really challenged the girls to take care of business and win those first two games. We were confident that Notre Dame was going to do the exact same thing and we would have an opportunity to meet a very competitive team in the final. That’s exactly what it was…a very competitive game for us.”

Courtesy Moose Jaw Times Herald, March 5, 2013

High school wrestling in Moose Jaw has made steady strides in recent years.

Saturday it will look to take an event bigger step forward when Peacock hosts the SHSAA regional wrestling tournament. The tournament begins at 10 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m.

The regional tournament will feature wrestlers from across the province — excluding Regina and Saskatoon — and will qualify them for the SHSAA provincial tournament on Mar. 8-9 at the University of Regina.

It’s the first time Moose Jaw has hosted the regional tournament.

“It’s a fairly big event and we’re going to try to put on a good show,” said Kelly Busch, a coach with the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Wrestling Club where the local competitors train.

“This gives the community of Moose Jaw the chance to come out and see what the sport is about,” added Busch. “It’s a chance to expose their children to it and see what they think of it. Hopefully we can get the programs to grow — both in the high schools and in the age-level programs.”

The regional tournament will feature 114 boys competing in 17 weight classes between 41 kilograms to 130 kb. There will be 47 girls competing in 12 weight classes between 44 kg and 105 kg. All told, 26 schools will be represented.

Moose Jaw will be represented by 30 wrestlers: seven girls and 23 boys. Peacock has 25 wrestlers competing, Central and Vanier both have two and Cornerstone has one wrestler. There is also a wrestler from Assiniboia who also trains with the Kinsmen Wrestling Club.

 Courtesy Moose Jaw Times Herald, March 1, 2013

Tuesday afternoon the Peacock Toilers were unofficially ranked as the top 4A girls team in the province.

Tuesday night, the Toilers played like it.

Peacock capped an unbeaten Moose Jaw senior girls league season with an 81-24 win over the Vanier Spirits.

Caronport beat Central 53-48 in the other senior girls game on the final night of the regular season.

Toilers 81 Spirits 24

Peacock’s defence set the tone early as they grabbed a 27-5 lead after the first quarter.

“We really felt that last week in Caronport our defence let us down,” said Peacock coach Renee Verge. “I think, as coaches, we owned that a little bit. We’ve been working really hard offensively and I think sometimes we forget what got us where we are — and that’s defence.

“We went back to what we did best. Our transition game and our offence plays best when we play good defence. I think that showed tonight.”

After a long reading week layoff, the Spirits didn’t shoot the ball as well as they’re capable, but Vanier coach Bob Gottselig gave the Toilers credit for that as well.

“It was a tough game. It was pretty obvious which team hadn’t played in 10 days and which team has had a couple of games and practices,” said Gottselig. “We have to give Peacock a lot of credit. They’re able to block some shots. Once you start doing that — to most girls — they start changing what it is they do because they’re afraid they’re going to get stuffed. If you change what you do when you shoot you don’t have a lot of success.”

Courtesy Moose Jaw Times Herald, February 27, 2013

If Tuesday night’s game was what the Peacock and Vanier are capable of producing when nothing is at stake, the next two weeks should make for some great basketball.

The Peacock Toilers beat the Vanier Vikings 81-79 in an entertaining contest to conclude the Moose Jaw High School Basketball League’s senior boys season.

The Vikings and Toilers will now meet in the playoffs in the league semifinal on Wednesday, Mar. 6. They will then meet on Mar. 9 in the conference playdowns in a one-game battle to advance to the 4A regionals.

“We came to play hard. Our objective is to get better every game,” said Peacock coach Bryan Adams. “We played as hard as we could and we got after it.”

Peacock’s Riley Morhart hit a pull-up jumper from the baseline with 52 seconds left to break a 78-78 tie and put the Toilers ahead for good. Vanier got a stop with 11 seconds left, but failed to convert their final three-point attempt.

“We’re going to work on our mistakes and correct them for our next game,” said Vanier coach David Tardif. “We’re 0-4 against them this season, but the games have always been tight. But that is definitely something we’re not satisfied with. We have to beat them.”

Peacock had a 10 point lead in the third quarter, but saw it evaporate quickly. Seth Kowalski converted a three-point play and Zak Konopaki was fouled while hitting a three-point shot. After those two trips down the floor, the Vikings had cut the Peacock lead to one-point with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

 Courtesy Moose Jaw Times Herald, February 27, 2013