NKEC, Horton all around good sports

It's been a great year for local schools in high school athletics - and it's not over yet.

I've always been impressed with how well Horton has been able to compete at the D-1 level, year after year, usually against some of the largest schools in the province. No, the Griffins don't always win, but they're always right there, with an impressive string of regional banners to their credit and their fair share of provincial titles.

Not far behind, and forging an outstanding reputation of its own in a relatively short time, is five-year-old Northeast Kings Education Centre.

What I like about both Horton and NKEC is they aren't good in just one or two sports, but in a variety of high-profile and lesser-known athletic endeavors.

I got to thinking last week: both Horton and NKEC have had a pretty good 2006/ 2007. Provincial championships in four sports - table tennis, rugby, softball and track and field - have yet to be decided.

Horton teams have already reached the provincial final in seven sports this school year, and captured four provincial titles in three different sports. Last fall, Horton teams swept the NSSAF provincial boys' and girls' golf championships, and also won the provincial junior varsity girls' soccer title. This spring, Horton won the school's first provincial D-1 boys' basketball championship in almost 40 years. Horton also reached the provincial final in boys' volleyball, girls' curling and snowboarding; settling for runner-up in the province in each of those sports.

NKEC, which competes at the Division 2 level, swept the provincial D-2 soccer titles, with the boys' and girls' teams capturing respective provincial championships on the same day. NKEC won its second provincial hockey title and, just a couple of weeks ago, added the provincial intermediate and senior badminton team titles, as well as a number of individual championships in that sport.

There's a good chance both schools will add to their already-impressive total of provincial titles - nine team titles so far - and runner-up finishes before the current school sport season is over.

This past weekend, NKEC, which has built a reputation as a powerhouse in table tennis as well as in badminton, won five of six regional titles in table tennis, and has to be considered a good bet to win at least a couple of provincial championships in that sport.

At last notice, Horton was putting together an impressive season in boys' rugby, and probably should be considered a favorite to at least win regionals and advance to provincials. Anything can happen. Horton is also traditionally strong in track and field. NKEC does have a handful of individuals - Mason Foote and Britany MacArthur come immediately to mind - who could be hard to beat, even at the provincial level.

A lot of schools are strong in particular sports - as just one example, witness West Kings' success in D-1 boys' volleyball over the past decade. While it's rare to find a school that's good in everything, Horton is close, and NKEC is fast approaching the same level, particularly in some lesser-known sports