There is no doubt that high school football has grabbed much
of the spotlight when it comes to the secondary school sports
scene. But it's certainly not the only athletic endeavour on
the go this fall.
Just two weeks into the high school boys volleyball schedule
and it's looking like there will be a dogfight once again at
the top of the standings as a number of schools look to lay
claim to a city title and move on to success at both NOSSA and
OFSSA.
While a number of teams have lost key players to graduation, no
one will be hit harder than the Lively Hawks as six-foot-six
twins André and Adam Leblanc, key cornerstones of the team that
emerged victorious in 2006 and challenged again last year, have
now moved on to the post-secondary ranks.
Such is not the case with coach Tom Sutton and the defending
champion Lo-Ellen Park Knights. The return of both Brett Walter
and Scott Wiseman, added to a nucleus that includes the likes
of Jeff Ruff, Dillan Rotherburger and Kevin Wiseman make the
Knights the team to beat entering the 2008 campaign.
Lo-Ellen did not disappoint in the early going, capturing
tournament wins at both Lasalle and Collège Boréal this past
weekend. Exactly which one of three or four teams behind the
champs is most likely to pose the greatest threat remains
anyone's guess.
Inside track likely goes to the St. Charles Cardinals, whose
very young roster upset Lively in semi-final action one year
ago before bowing to the more experienced Knights in the final.
The likes of Zak Szydziak and David Nunez are back to anchor
the Cards, who will have to make an adjustment as long-time
Lo-Ellen coach Ed Millard guides St. Charles this year.
With three fifth year athletes, the L'Horizon Aigles may be
light on overall numbers but certainly not on talent. The
Lockerby Vikings also feature a core of key veterans and
exactly how quickly the first year seniors are able to get
accustomed to the tougher competition will go a long way
towards deciding their fate.
But the most interesting story-line in late September might
well be the Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes. The graduation of
all-purpose athlete George Seresse and other key members of the
2007 team means that a number of the young athletes who helped
to make the Alouette juniors of one year ago the class of the
SDSSA ranks get a chance to prove they can mix it up with the
big boys.
Judging by a three set regular season sweep of the Cardinals
last week and back-to-back appearances in tournament finals
opposite Lo-Ellen over the weekend, it's fair to say that
Notre-Dame has answered all critics to date.
Off to the Senior Girls Basketball loop where things got a lot
more interesting just days before the start of the new school
year.
Lasalle Lancers all-star guard Kristine Lalonde leaves for a
national basketball academy in Hamilton and the question
immediately arises: will the Lancers nine year run of city
championships end this fall?
It's not as though the cupboard is bare at the school that has
become the local namesake for high school basketball supremacy.
Katie Andrighetti, Faye Tomatuk, Laura Lehto and Stacey Carter
will all be able to draw on valuable playoff and tournament
experience garnered in years gone by.
Yet, there is no questioning that the Lockerby Vikings program,
from Midget through Senior ranks, has been closing the gap with
the New Sudbury rivals with every passing year.
Still, coach Mike Sheridan and the Vikes will have to deal with
the graduation of Kaitlyn Sheridan to the Lady Vees program and
the apparent decision of both Ellen House and Kendra Lilly to
pass on basketball this year.
And while there are questions to be answered at both Notre-Dame
and Lo-Ellen, it's fair to expect that the overall level of
competition will likely show greater parity this year than in
any of the past four to five seasons.
No one is suggesting that the 2008-09 edition of the Sudbury
Midget AA Lady Wolves is quite ready to be anointed to the same
level of OWHA championship aspirations as the crew that
garnered all-Ontario Gold in April.
It would be pretty difficult to lose a provincial calibre
defender (Josee Belanger), one of the province's most naturally
gifted goal scorers (Micheline Frappier), a defensive wizard
and playmaking ace (Kelsey Smith) and both of your goalies
(Vanessa Jacques and Sheema Taylor) and not experience some
sort of drop-off in production.
But optimism abounds after the team rebounded from an opening
game loss at the Stoney Creek Midget AA Showcase two weekends
back to reel off five straight wins en route to the "B"
championship before losing to Syracuse, 3-1 in the final.
A balanced attack that would see no less than 14 skaters hit
the scoresheet over the four-day tournament was lead by Morgan
McCrory with 5 goals while Jacklyn Upchan topped all Sudbury
point getters with six.
Some of the absentees will be replaced, of sorts, by an influx
of North Bay talent as Brianna Saltstone, Janick Bazinet and
goaltender Marlee Cox help to fill some of the voids.
Randy Pascal is the voice of Persona 10 Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.
