High School Sports blog

Bound for Texas

Congrats to St. Mary's grad Sandra Dynka, who recently signed a national letter of intent to play tennis for Texas Tech.

In 2008, she was the the under-18 outdoor provincial champion and was ranked No. 2 in the under-18 singles for Ontario. 

Texas Tech is located in Lubbock.

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Former WCI standout May Kotsopoulos, a member of the women's basketball team at the University of Vermont, was recently honoured as an America East Scholar-Athlete.

Kotsopoulos, the Catamounts' MVP in 2009, earned the scholar award for the second straight year. She carries a 3.67 grade point average as a business administration major.

On the floor, she led Vermont to its fifth America East championship and into the NCAA tournament.

Amazing shot

In case you haven't seen it, here it is.

Summer's here

Classes are over for another school year but we'll do the best we can to keep the blog going over the summer months.

That's where you come in. Feel free to pass along information you might have on high school athletes competing in out-of-school  activities over the summer  months  and we'll try  our best to  give  them a plug on the blog.

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Congratulations to Domenic  Bell of  WCI, this year’s winner of the Tim Walker Award, presented annually to the MVP of  the Waterloo County senior boys soccer league.

The award is dedicated to the memory of Tim Walker, a teacher and soccer coach at Southwood Secondary School.

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The first-team all-stars in the Waterloo County girls soccer league were  announced last week and were featured last week in this  space. Here are  the  second-team all-stars: Gabby Magliarisi (SSS), Ainsley Wheldon (BCI), Taylor Carter (BCI), Andreea Hluscu (SJAM), Kyla MacEachern (SJAM), Vanessa LaChance (EDSS), Breanna Martin (PHS), Stacey Roberts (JHSS), Brittany Clifford (ECI) and Shannon Crezel (GPSS).

Waterloo County all-stars

The Waterloo County boys rugby all-star team. (Front row, right to left)  Evan Hoflinger (SJAM), Chris Albrecht (BCI), Justine Milne (WCI), Jake Heimpel (BCI), Derek Carrasco (HHSS), and Seb Henao (SMHS). (Second row, left to right) Zach Bogdon (PHS), Travis Mullin (PHS), Zach Wall (WCI), Niall O'Keefe (BCI), Jamie Rooney (WCI), Nic Ramirez (WCI), Craig Hutchison (CHCI), Kyle Hoffman (EDSS), Clarke O'Reilly (FHCI) and Zach Peats-Bond (BCI). (Back row, left to right) Jason Rice (BCI), Mike Daly (FHCI), Matt Phipps (HHSS), Tyler Loveday (FHCI), Scott Breadner (SJAM), and Graham Dewar (PHS).  

The Waterloo County girls rugby all-star team. (Front row, left to right) Sarah Guttin (JHSS), Crystal Wheaton (GRCI), Ally Galloway (FHCI), Laura Plaskett (FHCI), Scarllet Alvarez (HHSS) and Chelsea Vettoretto (WO). (Second row, left to right) Beth-Anne Rae (PHS), Emily Voisin (FHCI), Valerie Shantz (ECI), Katie Baer (WO), Riah Townsley (PHS), Sam Grace (KCI) and Rebecca Dietrich (WCI). (Back row, left to right) Rachel Brown (GPSS), Kori Martin (WO), Becky Campbell (BCI) and Maddie Jewson (WCI).

The Waterloo County boys soccer all-star team. (Front row, left to right) Andrej Micic (BCI), Mumin Moalim (ECI), Jeffar Ahmed (ECI), Getoar Haxhimusa (ECI) and Alex Despotovic (WCI). (Second row, left to right) Tyler Pasher (EDSS), Adam Cok (SJAM), Zack Hayden (FHCI), Jamie Stewart (JHSS) and Kosta Atsiaris (GRCI).

The Waterloo County girls soccer all-star team. (Front row, left to right) Rachel Conway (FHCI), Shannon Tierney (SSS), Taylor Thompson (SJAM), Kaitlyn Barnett (GRCI) and Sarah Werbowecki (FHCI). (Second row, left to right) Cassie Latyn (FHCI), Barbara Robertson (KCI), Sam Powell (SSS) and Melissa Lewis (BCI).

Meet the District 8 all-stars

Congratulations to the athletes who were named to the District 8 all-star squads. Freelance photographer Ryan Pfeiffer took these pictures for The Record yesterday. Waterloo County all-stars will be released today. All photos will be printed in The Record in the days to come.

The District 8 boys soccer all-stars are: (front row, left to right) Jon Wayland, St. Mary's; Keith Araujo, St. Mary's; Stefan Brisevac, St. Mary's; Andy Liboiron, St. Mary's; Roberto Hogeveen, Woodland; (back row, left to right) Sergio Posada, Resurrection; Josh Gross, Resurrection; Andre Lopes, Resurrection; Anthony Plommer, Monsignor Doyle; and Steven Schaefer of St. David. St. Benedict's Randy Ribeiro, Rockway's Kevin Howorth and Pere Rene's Ryan Garnett are missing. The District 8 girls soccer all-stars are: (front row, left to right) Samantha Hart, Monsignor Doyle; Kassandra Fernandes, St. Benedict; Caitlin Moser, Resurrection; Suzanne Boroumand, Resurrection; Lindsey Hickey, St. David; Isabel Alba, St. David; (back row, left to right) April Passchier, Woodland Christian; Steph Fast, Resurrection; Emily Deckert, Resurrection; Lesia Bandura, St. Mary's; Kirsten Behm, St. Mary's; Rebecca Sanzsole, St. Mary's; and Kylie Bordeleau, Pere Rene. Meaghan Mason of St. Benedict is missing. The District 8 girls rugby all-stars are: (front row, left to right) Alex Galea Resurrection; Shereese Simpson, Resurrection; Allie McBride, Resurrection; Jenny Fischer, Resurrection; Hilda Ulloa, St. Mary's; Maddie Dale, St. Mary's; Tara Blasman, St. Mary's; (back row, left to right) Paige Bidgood, St. David; Amanda Conde, St. Benedict; Annelise McAllister; St. Benedict; Laura Schultz, St. David; Chantel Cousineau, St. David; Shy McGregor, St. Benedict; Meghan McAllister, St. Benedict; and Tabitha Siegfried, St. David. Julie Hutter of St. Mary's is missing.

SJAM field update

People have asked what's going on with the playing field at Sir John A. Macdonald.

Well, it's torn up and looks like a battlefield right now. Work will continue until it's completed and the field is expected to be ready for play in the spring of 2010.

So at least there's a plan, unlike Centennial Stadium...

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From newbie to world record holder. That's the story of Bluevale's Stacey Jensen, a fifth-year student who got into power lifting only recently and set a world record last month.

I've just returned from Bluevale and will be writing about Stacey for the newspaper.

Bluevale player is MVP

Congratulations to Chris Albrecht of Bluevale, the 2009 winner of the Mark Harper Award, which is given to the most valuable player in  the Waterloo County senior boys rugby league. Albrecht, of course, played a  major role as the Knights reached the second round at the recent Ontario championships.

Andrew McWhinnie of Sir John A. Macdonald has received the Tyler Schmidt Award which goes out  to the MVP in the junior boys league.

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Lesia Bandura, Kirsten Behm, Rebecca Sanzsole of the District 8  champion St. Mary's Eagles were named to the league's girls soccer all-star team this week.

The first-team squad also includes Suzanne Boroumand, Emily Deckert and Caitlin Moser of Resurrection, Meaghan Mason and Kassandra Fernandes of St. Benedict, Isabel Alba and Lindsey Hickey of St. David, Kylie Bordeleau of Pere Rene, Steph Fast of  Rockway, and April Passchier of  Woodland Christian.

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Southwood's Chisomo Mchaina competed at the  Festival of Excellence track and field meet at Varsity Stadium in Toronto last night, as did Resurrection's 4x400 girls relay team.

Stars are trickling in

Sixteen students have been named to the District 8 girls rugby all-star team.

This  year's all-stars are Maddie Dale, Hilda Ulloa, Julie Hutter  and Tara Blasman of St. Mary's, Jen Fischer, Shereese Simpson, Alex Galea and Allie McBride of Rez, Tabitha Siegfried, Chantel Cousineau, Laura Schultz and Paige Bidgood of St. David, and Annelise McAllister, Meghan McAllister, Amanda Conde and Shy McGregor of St. Benedict.

I'll let you know about other all-star teams as they're made available me.

The Record will be taking pictures of the D8 all-stars on Monday at  St. Mary's  and the Waterloo County all-stars on Tuesday at Bluevale.

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Record reporter Jeff Hicks just got back from walking the track at Centennial Stadium and said it's a mess.

The track is heaved and has weeds growing out of it. Oh, and if they were to stage a 100-metre dash, the runner in Lane 3 would have to deal with a baby pothole.

Something needs to be done.

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Resurrection's 4 x 400-metre relay team was invited to compete in today's Festival of Excellence at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.

The team includes Natalie and Jessica Buttinger, Adrienne Wilson, Rachel Lorimer, Melissa Santolini and Laura Fedy.

Mitch is the man

What a great guy.

Mitch O'Donnell, that is. The Cameron Heights hurdler takes a nasty fall, takes a few minutes to recover and is  then able to talk about what happened and  even have a laugh  about it. 

http://news.therecord.com/Sports/article/549066

Mitch rebounded as he said he would today, taking gold in the midget boys triple jump with an OFSAA record jump of 13. 56 metres. He did it on his final jump to boot. Nienkel Paljola of Forest Heights took bronze.

Calvin Arsenault of St. Mary's also took gold, winning the junior boys 300-metre hurdles in 39.71 seconds. He ran the race just minutes after bowing out of the high jump event.

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Ruben Larsson will be going for SJAM's fourth medal in pole vaulting today when he competes in the senior boys  event.

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Her result somehow didn't make it into today's edition of The Record (my bad) so congrats to Breanne Hutchings of Monsignor Doyle for claiming bronze in the midget girls javelin event yesterday with a toss of 35.28 metres.

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The St. Mary's Eagles will play for bronze today in Niagara Falls after falling 2-1 to St. Thomas Aquinas in a semifinal game this morning at the Ontario girls quad-A championships. The Eagles will play either Notre Dame of Burlington or St. Anne of  Windsor.

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One notable absence from the St. Mary's Eagles roster at the Ontario quad-a boys soccer championship was striker Anthony Matarazzo. The talented player was suspended from the team after video showed he took part in the recent brawl between Eastwood and SJAM at the CWOSSA championships in Waterloo.

Eagles top D8 all-star roster

Four members of the Central Western Ontario champion St. Mary's Eagles senior boys soccer team have been named to the District 8 all-star squad.

Jon Wayland, Stefan Brisevac, Keith Araujo and Andy Liboiron are joined on the squad by Josh Gross, Sergio Posada and Andre Lopes of Resurrection, Steven Schaefer of St. David, Randy Ribeiro of St. Benedict, Roberto Hogeveen of Woodland, Kevin Howorth of Rockway, Ryan Garnett of Pere Rene and Anthony Plommer of Monsignor Doyle.

Second-team nods went to Andrew Sanzsole of St. Mary's, Glorian Ganza, Saul Campos and Ivan Posada of Rez, Brandon Kohler and Rob St. Pierre of St. David, Brendan Chaves and Ryan DaSilva of St. Benedict, Jason Deen of Woodland, Misha Winterfield, Josh Zehr and Dustin Martin of Rockway, and Brady VanGestal of Doyle.

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The Bluevale Knights did just enough to survive on the opening day  of play at the  Ontario senior boys quad-A rugby championship in Hamilton.

A 19-13 win over Scarborough Malvern has earned the Knights a second-round game tomorrow at 11 a.m. against Lindsay, the top-ranked team in the province. 

Kody Ellis scored a late try for Bluevale in today's come-from-behind win. Chris Albrecht had two earlier tries for the Knights, while Niall O'Keefe had two converts.

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After today's road trip to the Steel City, the plan is to travel to Niagara Falls tomorrow for the OFSSA quad-A girls soccer championship which features St. Mary's and SJAM.

On Friday and Saturday, it's off to Toronto to track down St. Mary's at the OFSSA quad-A boys soccer championship and then hitting the track and field championships at Varsity Stadium.