Six area high schools seeking golden opportunities in sports
It’s that time of year again.
Back to school and the Town Crier is going to give you the top teams that have the chance to bring home gold for Leaside-Rosedale’s six secondary schools.
As students march out their front doors bright and early for another academic year, a good lot of them will have athletics on the brain. It all starts in the fall with girls basketball, boys football, girls field hockey, rugby sevens, golf, tennis and boys volleyball.
Once the games continue into winter the seasonal change brings with it boys basketball, girls volleyball, curling, hockey, alpine skiing, snowboarding and swimming.
Moving into the spring, baseball, cricket, lacrosse, rugby, girls slo-pitch, soccer, girls softball, co-ed volleyball and ultimate Frisbee get underway.
Here are your local schools and the teams that had phenomenal 2009-10 campaigns.
Branksome Hall
CISAA
Coming back for another season of track and field will be Branksome Hall’s top sprinter Lizzy Whelan. She’s appeared at OFSAA two years in a row, and seeks to three-peat in the 1500m and 800m races. Whelan achieved OFSAA podium status with a silver in the 800m. The team finished tied for 76th out of 246 schools competing at the London, Ont. competition.
The senior girls volleyball division 1 team played hard at the net finishing with an 11-2 record out of 14 teams. When it came to the playoffs the ladies lost a hard-fought semifinal against Havergal 3-2 (25-22, 24-26, 26-24, 18-25, 19-17).
In senior girls division 2 field hockey, Bishop Stachan narrowly defeated Branksome Hall 3-2 on penalty flicks in the championship final. This year revenge will be on the agenda as the ladies pursue top spot.
Greenwood College School
CISAA
The junior girls division 2 basketball team was the talk of the school as the ladies went 6-0 on the season and won the title, beating Toronto rivals Bishop Strachan and Bayview Glen along the way.
OFSAA appearances came for three different teams coached by Carla DiFilippo. Placing second in CISAA division 1 action with a co-ed ultimate Frisbee team that ended up in ninth at the provincials.
Filippo also led both the boys and girls volleyball teams into battle, as they took third in CISAA and 10th at OFSAA. Players David McMurtry and Martine Lloyd led the teams.
Leaside High School
TDSSAA
This year Leaside flexed their tennis muscle as both the ranked boys doubles and ranked mixed doubles scored silver in TDSSAA play. Scott Maier and James Manley played well into the final against Northern. Duo Liam Lowler and Micha Powell lost a close one to Forest Hill.
Girls tier 1 senior rugby sevens were the champions over Sir Wilfrid Laurier, while their junior tier 1 counterparts joined forces with York Mills to beat Lawrence Park in the finals.
In the spring, the senior girls tier 1 softball team took home the gold, taking down favourite East York Athenas in the finals.
Honourable mention goes to the senior girls soccer team who worked hard as South Region champs and lost in the city finals to Martingrove CI.
Linden School
SSAF
Dominating the field in girls under 20 soccer, Linden led all teams until the very end when they lost the Town Centre Montessori Private School 5-1 in the tournament final.
The Small School Athletic Federation member is looking to improve on their 2009 season. Linden will join fellow Toronto teams Crestwood, Willowwood and Metro Prep in co-ed ultimate Frisbee where the six-team league sees a round-robin tournament followed by a playoff round.
Also on the sporting menu this season for Linden girls will be junior and senior girls basketball as well as volleyball in the SSAF.
Marc Garneau CI
TDSSAA
The Cougars were buoyed by their top athletes last season, grade 12 Andrew Marges and grade 11 Rebecca Chang as both players provided strong leadership on their senior basketball teams.
Watch out for Garneau to move ahead in football. The team that depended on workhorses like TJ Chase in 2008 and Marges last season will fight among gridiron battlers like East York, Northern and Lawrence Park.
Finally, the senior girls soccer may play darkhorse as Chang returns to play some footie.
Rosedale Heights School for the Arts
TDSSAA
The boys tier 2 baseball team, led by Zach Zaret in 2010, will be returning to action once again, looking to improve on last year’s season.
Rocking the house last season was the Ravens’ co-ed curling team 1. They finished with a 4-1-2 record last season while the second team finished in the middle of the pack.
The girls soccer team will be another troupe to keep an eye on as this past season they were led by Tunde Kiss.