High School Sports blog

MVP award for former Sabre

A belated congratulations to former Southwood Secondary School athlete Josh Crone, who won a pair of Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association national awards last week.

He was named the league's MVP as well as the outstanding attackman.

Crone is the son of  Preston High School teacher Jim Crone.

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KCI's Sarah Lynch has signed on the dotted line and will play volleyball at the University of Waterloo next year.

The six-foot-one Lynch has played  the past five  years with the K-W Predators club team and this past fall played with the Raiders senior boys volleyball team.

Click here for more information on Lynch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas wish list

I find myself with a few spare minutes today, but instead of starting my Christmas shopping, I thought I'd send off a note to Santa with gift ideas for a handful of Waterloo Region high schools.

St. Mary's: New soccer jerseys. The Kitchener school has been piling up championships for years, but the players have never looked good doing it in the Argentina-inspired jerseys they've been wearing the past few years. There are so many blue-and-white possibilities out there but I'm thinking this stylish little number -- minus the advertisement -- from French side Marseille would look good on the boys and girls when the spring season arrives in April.

Elmira: Light bulbs. Perhaps it's a design flaw and not the actually lighting but the Lancers gymnasium is more like a dungeon. Yes, the locals love it but visiting players can be seen squinting as they line up foul shots and Record photographers make a point of thanking me when I ask them to shoot a game for me in Elmira. As one photographer said to me recently: "Thanks, could you have maybe found a darker place?"

Jacob Hespeler: A senior boys football title. Hawks head coach Greg White has been with the program since the beginning and he's still looking for his first championship. He recently brought up the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't meant to win the big one. This was moments after his squad fell to the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders in the WCSSAA final. Give the guy a break Santa. He's always been nice to this reporter -- never naughty -- so throw him a bone.

Huron Heights: Speaking of championships, the Kitchener school that opened in 2006 is still searching for a senior championship in a major team sport. The school's biggest moment since opening in 2006 was when its boys golf team advanced to OFSAA when it captured the CWOSSA crown in 2009. The gymnasium needs some senior banners Santa.

Glenview Park: A new nickname. Cambridge doesn't really need two Panthers, does it? Preston High School adopted the nickname when it opened in 1934 and Glenview's founding fathers opted for the same moniker when the doors opened in 1957. There might be some historic reason behind the decision, but it's still not too late to change it, even 54 years later. There are lots of cat names out there to choose from -- Pumas and Lynx both have nice rings to them -- but please stay away from Sabres.

Cameron Heights: A few more hockey players. It was hard not to notice all the vacant space on the bench when the Gaels hooked up with the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs for a recent boys hockey game.

That's it for now but there's still time for other suggestions.

 

 

 

 

A truly heroic Knight

Looking for someone to inspire you?

Take a minute and check out the article on Bluevale multi-sport athlete Amber Shewfelt in Tuesday's edition of the Waterloo Region Record.

Whatever problems I may have had Sunday, prior to meeting Amber, don't seem so important today.

It's easy to see the world in a different light after spending some time with this amazing teenager.

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There are a few interesting matchups scheduled for later this afternoon in WCSSAA girls volleyball, girls hockey and boys basketball.

Two of them feature the Grand River Renegades and Forest Heights Trojans as the Kitchener rivals square off in volleyball and basketball.

The basketball game -- a 5 p.m. tipoff at Grand River -- features a pair of teams that have jumped out to 5-0 record in the senior league.

The volleyball clash -- a 3:30 p.m. first serve at Forest Heights -- pits the  5-0 Trojans against the 4-1 Renegades in a game that could be a preview of the  WCSSAA final. Of course, the 5-0 Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders and a few other teams might have something to say about that in the new year.

The girls hockey game -- a 2 p.m. faceoff at RIM -- pits the Resurrection Phoenix against the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders. When it comes to hockey -- on the field and ice -- this is  one of the best rivalries going.

 

 

 

Great performances

Here's a start to the weekly list of top performers. I'll be chipping away at this during the day, before and after heading to  Bluevale for an interview. The top-10 list has become a fab-5 for one week because of time constraints. We'll get back to normal next week:

Marisa Mota, Forest Heights: The Grade 12 setter played her usual strong game at the net as the Trojans rolled to a 3-0 win over Waterloo-Oxford on Tuesday. Mota, who also plays for the K-W Predators, has accepted a scholarship to play at Dalhousie University in Halifax next year.

Adam Voll, St. Mary’s: The Grade 12 student scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Eagles to a 51-48 victory over the Resurrection Phoenix in the first meeting of the season between the District 8 senior boys basketball rivals. The six-foot-six forward also laces up for the Waterloo Wildhawk AAU squad.

Mary Worndl, Grand River: The Grade 10 winger scored five goals to lead the Renegades to a 7-1 win over Cameron Heights in WCSSAA girls hockey play. The versatilee Worndl, who also skates for the Kitchenner Lady Rangers midget AA team, followed that up with two goals in a 5-3 win over Waterloo-Oxford. She played field hockey in the fall.

Amanda Chiarello, St. David: The Grade 11 winger who also plays AA midget hockey in Kitchener scored three times as the Celtics downed Bluevale 5-3 in WCSSAA girls hockey play. The honour student was St. David’s junior athlete of the year for 2010-11 and also plays field hockey and soccer.

Courtney Brugger, Jacob Hespeler: The Grade 10 goaltender has been outstanding for the Hawks in WCSSAA girls hockey play. She kept up her stellar play last week by blanking the St. Mary's Eagles 3-0 and allowing just one goal as the Hawks downed the first place Resurrection Phoenix 2-1. She advanced to the OFSAA track and field championships last year, representing her school in the triple jump competition.

 

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Santo Dak was a tournament all-star this past week at the  Westminster senior boys basketball tournament in London as the  St. Benedict Saints won the consolation championship.

The Saints scored a 54-27 win over St. Patrick's in the title game after Kueth Geng nailed a buzzer beater in a semifinal game to keep his team alive.

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Here are the full results from last week's WCSSAA swim championship.

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And here are the results from the District 8 championships, along with a photo of Resurrection swimmers that helped the Phoenix win the overall title.

 

 

 

 

Samuel's return sparks Huskies

Not surprisingly, the Huron Heights Huskies have been a different team since the return of Sean Samuel.

The talented guard, who was left off the roster to start the WCSSAA senior boys basketball league campaign, scored 25 points on Thursday to lead the Huskies to a 65-57 win over the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels. Huron Heights has won all three games since Samuel was reinstated and he's led the way in all three games. He had 24 points in a 56-52 win over Glenview Park and 23 in a 52-42 win over KCI.

The Huskies are now 3-2 on the season after  being crushed by Forest Heights and Waterloo-Oxford in their first two games.

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Forest Heights and  Grand River are the only undefeated teams with 5-0 records after Thursday's slate  of WCSSAA senior boys basketball games.

One will taste defeat on Tuesday as the Renegades host the Trojans in a 5 p.m.

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Trash-taslking in the swimming pool?

Not exactly, but some of the t-shirts I saw on Thursday made me laugh.

Forest Heights: "My wake, your funeral"

Southwood: "This CAT can swim"

Huron Heights: "2 - In case you forgot which place you finished"

And my personal favourite . . .  WCI: 'Eat my bubblez"

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Grand  River and St. Mary's have qualified for quarter-final play at the  McKerlie  Classic boys hockey tournament.

Three other local schools -- Forest Heights,  SJAM and WCI -- are still alive and will play this afternoon's playoff round in hopes of reaching the quarters.

 

 

 

 

 

McWhinnie commits to WLU

Andrew McWhinnie of Sir John A. Macdonald made it official on Wednesday, committing to  play football next year at Wilfrid Laurier  University.

Zach Hoare of Jacob Hespeler has also committed to play for the Golden Hawks next season.

Here's a link to the story and photo on the WLU website.

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The McKerlie Classic high school hockey tournament is currently being played at various Waterloo arenas.

The tournament website is being updated after games are finished.

 

 

 

 

Player 'Matrixes' his way out of tackle

 

No words are necessary for this move.

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Forest Heights standout Marisa Mota is taking her talents to Halifax.

Mota, a libero, will attend Dalhousie University next year and play for the Tigers volleyball team.

 "Marisa is a dynamic athlete that has been a standout libero and setter for her high school, club and Ontario provincial teams. She has tremendous passion for the game of volleyball and will bring an outstanding level of skill to our program. She has had excellent coaching from Paul Pavan and this has provided her with a great foundation to be a key player in the years to come," said Dalhousie head coach Rick Scott in a news release.

Since Grade 9, Mota  has collected three WCSSAA  championships, three CWOSSA  championships and a first- and  fourth-place finish at OFSAA. In Grade 11, she was the WCSSAA player of the year and received MVP honours at the Fanshawe College Invitational tournament.

The release continues....

In 2010, Mota was selected to represent her region at the Ontario Summer Games. In 2011, she was a part of Team Ontario at Volleyball Canada's National Team Challenge Cup and as a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Predators club team, she received an all-star award at the Ontario provincial championship.

"I have always known that Dalhousie University is one of the top academic institutions in the country and that it also has a very rich volleyball history," says Mota. "I have both academic and athletic goals that I want to achieve and I believe that Dalhousie can help me do that.  Furthermore, Rick Scott is one of the top coaches in the country and can help me achieve my goals of playing on a top CIS team and put me in a position to continue my volleyball career after my university days are over."

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District 8 showdown at Rez

There are only two weeks of action remaining before the Christmas break but there are a number of upcoming games that have  caught my attention.

The fun starts later today at 5 p.m. in a District 8 senior boys basketball showdown between the Resurrection  Phoenix and visiting St.  Mary's  Eagles.

The Phoenix are coming off a 2-1 performance at the Chancellor invitational tournament in Hamilton over the weekend, losing out in the elimination stages. The  Eagles, meanwhile, reached  the final of the Knights-Vikings Classic and dropped a 53-52 thriller to Forest  Heights.

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The third wrestling meet of the season takes place on Friday at Rockway.

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Can't find all the curling information you crave?

Check out this website, courtesy of Grand River teacher Michael Galasso.

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Still with curling, the senior finals have been moved to Feb. 7 at the  Galt Country Club.

 

Best of the week

A late start to the week as I'll be taking in the Resurrection-St. Mary's basketball game at 5 p.m.

Here are last week's top performers, with a late arrival convincing me to push the top-10 list to 11:

Danielle Harvey, WCI: The Grade 12 defender and team captain scored four goals to lead the Vikings to a 5-1 win over Forest Heights in WCSSAA girls hockey play. She followed that up with a strong defensive game in a 7-2 win over Waterloo-Oxford. She is also captain of the Cambridge Fury of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League and hopes to play post-secondary hockey next year.

Carly Payerl, Resurrection: The Grade 12 forward scored three times in a 5-1 win over Southwood and then added a single in a 3-1 win over St. Mary’s as the Phoenix improved to 4-0 in WCSSAA girls hockey play. A member of Rez’s OFSAA champion field hockey team, she also skates for the Waterloo K-W Rangers of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. She also plays softball at Rez as well as representing Ontario in lacrosse.

Max Reiber, St. Mary’s: The fifth-year winger scored twice in a 6-2 win over St. David and three times in a 7-2 win over Huron Heights as the Eagles improved to 3-1 in the WCSSAA boys hockey league. The assistant captain is a team leader on and off the ice, although his teammates like to jokingly ride him for his reluctance to back-check. An offensive and defensive lineman on the Eagles football team, his coaches say his body is simply too big to sledge up and down the ice.

Vedran Dmitrovic, Cameron Heights: The Grade 12 co-captain and emotional leader led the Gaels senior boys to the championship of the Southwood Roundball Classic on Saturday. He was fantastic all weekend, especially in the final again St Thomas Aquinas of London. The tournament MVP took over with the Gaels down by 12 with six minutes to play and got his team to within striking distance. He nailed a free throw with no time left to play to give the Gaels a one-point victory.

Yvonne Pan, Sir John A. Macdonald: The Grade 11 setter and team captain led the Highlanders to five-set wins over WCI and Jacob Hespeler.  She has an excellent sense of the court and what her hitters are able to do, a deadly combination with her great touch. Along with setting, she has a powerful spike and is one of the team’s best servers.  She participates in student council, and she is a high achieving student.

Filip Cvrkalj, Grand River: The Grade 12 shooting guard also led his team in scoring twice, scoring 38 in a 75-66 win over Galt and 21 in a 57-54 win over Bluevale. A hard-working player that works out with a personal coach several times a week, he is one of the top players in the WCSSAA senior boys basketball league and possibly the best shot blocker.

Jamal Murray, Grand River: The hard-working, Grade 9  player has helped his school capture three consecutive tournament titles over the past few weekends. He was awarded tournament MVP at the most recent Eastwood tournament after making five three-pointers during the second quarter of the title game. He is also a very willing passer which has helped Grand River get off to a 14-0 start in league and tournament play.

Shannon Lodoen, Resurrection: The talented off-side hitter and team captain had a pair of impressive matches in 3-0 wins over St. David and Woodland as the Phoenix improved to 4-0 in District 8 senior girls volleyball play. A team player that is counted on to provide the team with a spark, she also plays club volleyball with the Predators.

Kyle Ellis, Bluevale: The Grade 12 centre scored four goals in a 5-0 win over Cameron Heights. A three-sport player at Bluevale – he also competes in rugby and football – the outstanding two-way player will be missed by the Knights as he suffered an injury last week and is questionable for this week’s games.

Jacob  Ranton, WCI: The Grade 12 forward scored 18 points in a 56-55 win over SJAM and 27  in a 65-26 win over Southwood as the Vikings improved to 3-0 in the WCSSAA senior boys basketball standings. Unfortunately for Ranton, who also plays volleyball and badminton at SJAM, he was injured during warmups on Friday as the Vikings prepared to compete in a tournament game. A member of WCI’s student council, he plans on returning for a fifth year.

Riley Densmore, Forest Heights: The Grade 10 wrestler  has won two gold medals in the first  two meets of the WCSSAA-District 8 schedule. He competed up in the 67.5 category for a win at Monsignor Doyle  and then took gold in the 64.5 category at Jacob Hespeler. He'll attemtpt to make it 3-for-3 at the Rockway meet on Friday.

 

Bluevale, WCI roll out the welcome mat

The Waterloo Vikings and Bluevale Knights will get things rolling at 12:30 today in the opening round of the Knights-Vikings Basketball Classic.

The two-day event is a 16-team competition that wraps up Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Bluevale. The consolation final will be held at 6 p.m. at Bluevale.

Bluevale willl face Sudbury Lockerby in their opener, while WCI hosts St. Michael's of  Bolton. Action continues all day at  Bluevale and WCI.

Grand River, SJAM, Forest Heights, Rockway, Huron Heights and St. Mary's are the other Waterloo Region entries in the field and they'll be joined by Stratford Central, Guelph St. James, Hamilton SJAM, Stratford St. Mike's, Bolton St. Michael's, Stoney Creek Orchard  Park and Sudbury Lockerby.

Here's the draw.

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Meanwhile in Cambridge, a 16-team field has gathered for the Southwood Roundball Classic.

Games will be played at Preston and  Southwood, withe final to be played Saturday at 8 p.m. at Southwood.

Here are the opening round games:
(at Southwood)
Noon - St. Benedict vs. St. John's (Brantford)
1:30 p.m. - St. Christopher (Sarnia) vs. Woodstock
3 p.m. - Southwood vs.  St. Thomas Aquinas (London)
4:30 p.m. - St. Joseph's (Barrie) vs. South (London)

(at Preston)
Noon - Centre  Wellington vs. Preston
1:30 p.m. - KCI vs. Brantford
3 p.m. - Collingwood vs. Huron Park (Woodstock)
4:30 p.m. - Centre Dufferin vs. Cameron Heights

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