Foothills athletes bring home 14 medals from Alberta Summer Games in Strathcona County

Athletes from Okotoks, High River, and Foothills County brought home 14 medals from the Alberta Summer Games held July 16-19 in Strathcona County, with standout performances from regional youth in team sports.

Zone 2, featuring athletes from the Foothills region, won gold in boys rugby after going undefeated through four games. The squad included Okotoks' Ole Haldorson, Kodiak Holstein, and Isaiah Krueger; High River's Loudon Blackmer and Talon Morasch; and DeWinton's Silas Ringelberg, alongside players from Bow Valley, Chestermere, and Airdrie. In the final, the team defeated Zone 5 with a 17-0 shutout to clinch the championship.

"It was the self belief," said Zone 2 boys rugby coach Todd Esler, an Okotokian. "We've got some very talented individuals, all athletes, in their own right, and they can play. It was a matter of can you play the system that we're teaching? Can you be deliberate about its delivery and execution?"

Isaiah Krueger credited teamwork and defence as keys to success. "Our teamwork improved throughout the tournament, our passing and stretching the ball out to the wings really helped us be able to score," he said. "Our defence is really what helped us in our own zone, we stopped them from scoring."

Okotoks' Sophie Leslie was part of the Zone 3 girls basketball squad, which won gold with an undefeated record across five games. In golf, Heritage Pointe's Solomon Tong took silver in the individual male event.

Okotoks competitors also earned medals in lacrosse, basketball, and beach volleyball. The broader Zone 2 team captured 55 medals overall, fourth among eight regions competing, with 19 gold medals — third-most in the tournament. Fifty athletes from the Foothills area took part in the biennial event.