Top School Athletes of the Week

Here they are - my picks of the week.

Some real dandy performances, and in playoff games too. Taken from the high school results pages of the Toronto Star the past week.

To those who made it, well done. To those who missed, we still have the rest of the school year.

• Daniel Heslop, Pickering. Despite all the attention his school has received about using an ineligible player, Heslop - a transfer from East York - just keeps piling up the touchdowns. He had four more in a 35-7 win over Pine Ridge, a team that was the first to score points on the Trojans in the past four games.

• Jenea Barrett, Eastern Commerce. Playoff time in senior girls' basketball and that means when the going gets tough, teams turn to their dominant players. Barrett, a former Toronto Star all-star, was solid on defence and scored 15 points in a 59-43 East Division semifinal win over Lawrence Park.
• Jake Davis, Macdonald. Nine goals in four games in field hockey. He scored twice in a 3-2 squeaker over Oakwood in the Tier One final of the Toronto Field Hockey Club Invitational tournament. Looks like the guys are trying to make a case for this sport - or, without a boys' team, can they get approval to play on a girls' team?
• Vaneil Simpson, Riverdale. Some say, she might be one of the top senior players in the city in the next year or two. For now, she's been dominant at the junior level. Leading scorer for the majority of the team games this year, she had 31 points in 53-46 playoff thriller over Humberside.
• Dontay Williams, Senator O'Connor. Blues running back piled up four touchdowns and more than 100 yards in quite possibly his best game of the year, leading the senior football team to a 37-10 win over Malvern in a Toronto East Division senior semifinal.
• Samantha Pui, North Toronto. Rookie and in grade 9. She scored the winning goal as North Toronto beat Earl Haig 2-0 for the Toronto District School Board girls' field hockey final. That's three of four for North Toronto, trying to be the first public school in the big city to win a provincial title since Macdonald did it in 1997.
• Shaquille Lawrence, Laurier. Make a note of his name. Only 15 years old, he scored both touchdowns as Laurier eliminated West Hill 13-7 in a Toronto East Division junior football semifinal.
• Nick Smith, Lorne Park. Busy guy, two touchdowns, six converts and a field goal as Lorne Park, looking like it will meet St. Marcellinus in a semifinal, crushed Loyola (Mississauga) 51-3.
• Roger Sabat, St. Jean de Brebeuf. They may have been singing "Oh when the Saints go marching in...." at the York Region Tier One boys' soccer final. If so, it was for the guys at Brebeuf, who beat St. Theresa of Lisieux 1-0. Sabat scored the lone goal. Now, they wait until next spring for the provincial playoffs.
• Jahmari Bennett, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I know, again. Yes. Three more touchdown passes for the 7-0 Peel Region senior football team in a 28-9 win over St. Joseph.

Bishop Dolegiewicz - Dead at Age 55

Sad news.

Bishop Dolegiewicz was a former student at Toronto's Parkdale Collegiate.

I remember him, and his older brother, because we all went to the same school - and that was a long time ago.

Those who wanted to get pinned against the lockers, would call him by his legal first name - Zbigniew.

Bishop was fine with me.

He was a superb high school athlete. Towering figure, muscular back then. Created lots of attention in the hallways.

He received an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas in 1981.

That's after he created quite a name for his excellence in shot put.

A champion on the school scene.

He went on to become a Canadian shot put champ. Then, on to the Olympics.

I remember watching Bishop in school meets. He was also so much better when announcers read out the names of winners.

Never occured to many of us that he might have been using performance-enhancing drugs.

Then again, schools don't test athletes.

I can remember an official with the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association once looking at me in a strange way when I raised the subject of random testing for teenage athletes. I was told - no money available and that I was just looking for a story.

Sadly, many people will remember Bishop because he admitted to using anabolic steroids during 11 years of competition - and that he also supplied drugs to other Canadian track and field athletes.

Last I remember Bishop, he was 6-foot-5, 295 pounds.

Friends in the track and field community told me that he had been in poor health recently.

A few days ago, Bishop died at the age of 55.

Pickering Senior Football Embarrassment

Yikes, I really didn't anticipate so much reaction in 24 hours about a story in the Star's Sports Section and on the website about the ineligible player on the Pickering High School football team. If you missed it, and it appears by the voice mails and emails that very few people have, then check it out here.

What I find really nasty is the finger-pointing and accusations by so many teachers, by their own admission, at other teachers. I would like to know what the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation would say about a teacher saying nasty things about another teacher - or is it a coach about another coach, and both happen to be teachers.

What is also interesting is that the ineligible student was initially given the green-light to play by the Lake Ontario Secondary School Association. He left St. Mary Secondary, suspended for things hushed up, and was accepted at a non-Catholic schools - nearby Pickering High. Should point out that the student was officially expelled by the administration of the Catholic high school.

Now, a student at Pickering, he apparently attended classes and practices and played football for the Pickering senior team - which, according to the league Constitution, is a no-no if a student is suspended or expelled.

After three football victories, and sensing a problem, he didn't play another game. Now, those three wins are losses. I've been told that some coaches, at other schools, took exception to the student playing and wanted the football equivalent to a bad detention. LOSSA spanked Pickering and stripped the school of three wins.

Some people say it's all sour grapes by opposing coaches jealous of the Pickering Trojans' history of success. Others say Pickering has a history of very good athletes, in many sports, suddenly showing up - and things have to be done to stop allegations of recruiting. 

As many people have pointed out, why should an entire team pay the price?

And, for the record, there are many schools penalized for using ineligible players, which raises the question - maybe athletic associations, school administrations and the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations need to do a better job educating and also pay more attention to rules.

Over to you for comments.

Top Ten Picks of the Week

All right, I have your e-mails and even the ones boasting about players with superb performances who should be singled out. Other e-mails are from people wanting to know when my weekly listing of the Top Ten athletes gets posted.

It has been a busy week. Lots to consider. Needed to verify some facts too.

So, here they are. And keep those comments coming. In fact, why not just respond to the blog?

• Edil Ahmed, Thistletown. Junior-age guard scored 52 points in a 71-45 league basketball game. A former Toronto Star athlete of the week, the point total was no fluke. She had 51 points in a game earlier in the season.
• Connor Anderson, Huron Heights. Running back for the defending York Region senior football champs scored four touchdowns in a 58-3 walloping of rival Markham District. He has 18 touchdowns for the 6-0-1 team.
• Adriana Leon, Country Day. Her private school, located in King City, defeated St. Mildred’s Lightbourn 6-2 in a Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association soccer game. All Leon did was score all six goals. She’s a 30-goal scorer this season.
• Jahmari Bennett, Mount Carmel. Three more touchdowns passes and more than 1,000 yards passing for the 7-0 senior football team at a school known more for its provincial hockey playoff success stories.
• Shaquille Lawrence, Laurier. That’s the high school team in Scarborough, not the university in Waterloo. Five touchdowns in a game deserves attention and Lawrence piled up the yards and the majors in a 37-7 win over Macdonald. History lesson: both schools were named after Canadian prime ministers.
• Samantha Smith, Pope John Paul. Haven’t seen her in game action but she must be a very good player, leading her team in scoring in three consecutive senior girls’ basketball games in less than a week.
• Xavier King, Pickering. Middle distance runner won his race by the largest margin among races in Peel, Toronto, York and Private Schools. King won the junior boys’ 6,000 metres in 19 minutes, 25.61 seconds – one minute and 18 seconds faster than Nick Reay of McLaughlin at the Durham Region cross country finals in Pickering.
• Justine Cleworth, Markham District. The once-mighty senior football offensive team at Markham has been struggling this season, fifth in point totals in the eight-team York Region league. Cleworth, the only female on the team, avoided a shutout with a field goal in a 55-point loss to Huron Heights.
• Remington Dixon, Central Commerce. It was the school’s first playoff soccer win in 13 years. Could Remington also be the same student who went to West Toronto Collegiate last year and was chosen athlete of the year?
• Madeleine Cummings, North Toronto. She scored the only goal in the Toronto District School Board South Division Tier One field hockey final. Now, it’s on to the six-school citywide playoffs with the champion advancing to the provincial playoffs starting Nov. 6 in Peterborough.

Did I miss anyone?

Student Plays In Two Football Games in One Day

While I have heard of situations in which a high school athlete plays twice in one day, a scenario at Forest Hill Collegiate was something quite rare - and I'm sure will draw a fair amount of discussion.

Jayde Rowe, a Grade 9 student, played in two football games on the same day.

Very talented young man, and a darn good rugby player from what I have been told, but I'm not quite sure if there are any regulations in the Toronto District School Board athletic association about this situation.

First up, a junior game in which the running back scored three touchdowns and kicked two converts in a 38-0 win over Malvern. It was called an exhibition game, according to the Forest Hill coach, since the Falcons don't have an official team in the league.

Rowe then shuffled off to class for just under an hour.

Then, back to the gridiron to play the final half of the senior game. He scored a touchdown in Forest Hill's 44-12 thumping of York Memorial. This game counted with Forest Hill improving its varsity league record to 3-0.

Here's something strange. Not far off, over at North Toronto Collegiate, senior players were handed the bad news a month ago that the school would not have a team. That's because none of the school staff would offer up time to supervise a handful of games along with practices. That's fair because coaching is voluntary - but I wonder if educators ever gave some thought to finding ways in which some of those North Toronto players might be able to suit up for Forest Hill or nearby Northern?

Seems teachers at West Humber and Thistletown couldn't get enough players for a team, so the two schools formed a team. Why does it work in one part of the city, but not in the other?

As for Jayde Rowe, I think it might be time to go see this youngster play. Next game: a senior match-up on October 29 when Humberside visits Forest Hill.

Buffalo Bills donate money to Peel school

Mention Lincoln MacCauley Alexander and people should connect the name to Canada's first Black member of Parliament or even his role as a Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Push a bit more, and some might even know that a Mississauga-area high school now carries his name.

But Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary is now under the spotlight for something else - football.

It's the latest school to pick up a cheque from the Buffalo Bills as the NFL team continues to hand out money to help build grassroots gridiron programs. Last year, it was Toronto's Sir Sandford Fleming Academy that got the big visit and the money.

The Peel high school was given $3,000 to go towards the purchase of football equipment. Showing up for the presentation, and to generate some excitement, were members of the 5-1 pro team.

Called the Lynx, the school team might be winless in five Peel Region senior games, but four were lost by a touchdown or less, according to coach Matthew Ferguson.

School Principal Anthony Edwards, who wasn't sure how his school was chosen, said a decision hadn't been made on how the money would be spent. The school currently rents equipment from a summer league team.

All-star twice in five months

Just got the news, and now so do you.

Ryan Panas is a baseball all-star for the second time in five months.

A bit puzzled? Well, I'll explain. Last June, Panas was chosen to the Toronto Star's high school all-star team after a splendid season at first base with the Etobicoke Collegiate Rams. He's a two-time MVP, multi-sport athlete and was a member of the Toronto Mets 2007 Canadian midget category championship team. His high school team finished 14-4-1.

And before I forget, when he was singled out at the Rogers Centre by the Toronto Blue Jays during a celebration of high school all-stars, there were still some e-mails and telephone calls from people who said this 17-year-old was overrated.

Apparently not.

Now, his second all-star selection, as a rookie infielder, showing his versatility at third base, on the Wilfrid Laurier University baseball team. Panas not only got the all-star nod again - and first team OUA selection - but tack on Rookie of the Year.

Panas ended his first regular season with the Golden Hawks with some impressive numbers - a .300 batting average, 17 hits, 4 RBIs and a .915 fielding percentage.

Nice job, Ryan.

My Top Ten Performances of the Week

Michelle Lee

I thought this would be quite a bit easier than it actually is. Another tough week to select 10 athletes, from among dozens, with impressive performances. While I am sure one or two slipped by, here are my choices - and from those schools who like to promote the accomplishments of student athletes.

Michelle Lee, Woodlands. Gold-medal performance, despite strong winds, at the provincial final, shooting a two-over-par 74 at Piper's Heath in Oakville.

Liam Underwood, Malvern. May have scored only one touchdown in the Black Knights' 35-7 win over Macdonald, but is a very talented athlete and rugby star. Just might be one of the top quarterbacks in the city.

Michelle Asare, Ascension. Basketball fans might remember her at St. Basil, where she graduated last Spring. Now living in Brampton, she's back to upgrade some courses and pile up points on the hardwood. Top scorer in four games for her school at the Xavier Lady Rimrocker tournament.

Akeel Lynch, St. Michael's. Year after year, this private independent school always seems to turn out excellent running backs. Lynch is the latest - and he's only on the junior team. Scored four touchdowns in a 48-24 exhibition win over Notre Dame of Welland.

Reece Hall, Fleming. Known at his school for being an extremely good soccer player, his foot helped the varsity football team to victory. Hall kicked a field goal, a single and converted four touchdowns as the Chargers - in only their second year back on the gridiron after a lengthy absence - beat Westview 35-0.

Elisabeth Stathopulos, Macdonald. All she did was score both goals for her team in a 2-1 varsity girls' field hockey victory over Wexford.

Stefan Ethier, Senator O'Connor. He outscored the opposing team. Three goals from the Blues forward in a 5-1 junior soccer win over Mary Ward in the Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association league.

Stefan Kawun, Richview. A non-starter at the beginning of the season, tough now for coaches to put him on the bench. The fifth-year running back scored three touchdowns as the Saints blanked struggling Newtonbrook 35-0 to record a fifth consecutive win albeit over average teams.

Shauntae Robinson-Weekes, Oakwood. Led her senior basketball team in scoring with solid back-to-back games. Had 14 points, but easily could have padded her stats, in a 62-26 win over Ursula Franklin. Scored 20 more in a 72-12 pummelling of Central Commerce.

Anthony Colella, St. Joan of Arc. He scored three goals - but turns out he only needed one to lead his team to victory. St. Joan routed Cardinal Carter 11-0 in a York Region junior soccer game.

Memories of a basketball star

STAR PHOTO

Phil Drew

Oakwood Collegiate in Toronto recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and there was quite a bit of chatter about the great accomplishments of former athletes.

In particular, lots of talk about the large number of outstanding basketball players who led the Barons through many Toronto championships and put them among the more dominant teams in the province.

One name, from what I've been told, that escaped much mention was Phil Drew.

Drew, who did play for North Toronto before transferring over to Oakwood, was known by coaches throughout the local high school basketball scene as one of the top guards. Teammates admired his desire. Opposing players feared his control of a game.

Back in the early 80's, Drew had a talent for finding his open teammates. Then, getting them the ball.

Drew also piled up points and won key games with some clutch shots.

Next week, Drew - in his mid-40's - will be buried.

Drew lived in Florida, worked in the construction business, was married and had two children - Bella, 6 and Maddox, 4.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 25 starting at 1 p.m. at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club on Wilson Avenue.

Football Goes Pink - in Halton

Football and the colour pink don't usually match. But they will this Friday night in Burlington.

The Partners in Pink campaign will draw awareness to breast cancer and raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Yard lines will be painted pink for the game involving Assumption and Notre Dame at Nelson Stadium. Players and game officials will wear pink socks as well. Last we heard the football was still brown but one never knows what could happen by game time.

The Partners in Pink game originated three years ago, when Kumail Sayeed, a football player at Iroquois Ridge Secondary in Oakville, lost his mother to breast cancer.