The Kris Keating rink, which is competing out of the Benson Curling Club, has qualified for the upcoming provincial junior men's curling championship.
Keating's team went 4-1, and won the B event, at the Southern Junior Men's Playdowns at the Callie Curling Club in Regina from November 23 to 25.
They won their first three games, defeating Moose Jaw's James Barkway 11-3 in nine ends, Estevan's Colby Fessler 7-1 in six ends and Regina's David Haines 10-7.
They lost 7-3 in seven ends to Regina's Daniel Selke in the A final, which relegated the Keating rink to the B event semi-final.
Keating defeated Balgonie's Logan Wild 8-7 in an extra end, and stole three in the 10th end to beat Assiniboia's Lucas Richards 8-4 in the B final, and advance to provincials.
Other team members are third Andrew Batt, second Marcus Lau and lead Spencer McKnight. Keating, Batt and Lau have been curling together since they were in high school, and are in their last year of junior eligibility.
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Fessler had a 1-3 record at southerns. He opened with a convincing 9-2 victory in seven ends over Wild's rink, but the Fessler rink lost to Keating, and then lost 7-2 to Richards, and 10-7 in an extra end to Regina's Austin Williamson. The defeat against Williamson eliminated Fessler's team from southerns.
Other members the Fessler rink were third Dalen Brueckner, second Caleb Fisher and lead Justin Hanmer.
