How I See The Upcoming Metro Bowl

This is going to sound like a broken record, maybe somewhat of a commercial for the all-boys school at St. Michael's College in Toronto.

On Wednesday, the Kerry Blues will once again be back at the stadium with the roof, playing for the Metro Bowl football title for a record ninth time - more than any other high school and they've come out champs far more times too. The opposition: the Donald Wilson Gators from Whitby, who are rookies to this finale of our local season, one that many people believe should have ended around the same time as the Grey Cup and the Vanier Cup.

The Metro Bowl, a Canadian game, will be played on a configured NFL field ready for the Bills and Dolphins pro game four days later. Yes, somehow the folks at the Rogers Centre have figured out a way of keeping the width of the CFL field - which can only benefit the running game of St. Mike's.

I know these are high school student athletes. I also know, because I have seen it happen, that a team favoured to win - can lose. With respect to the excellent football program put together by Adam Papadakos at Donald Wilson, led by former Durham Region MVP fullback/place-kicker Rashad LaTouche, offensive lineman Jamie Stavropoulos, speedy wide receiver Austin Giuntoli and the list goes on, not this year fellas.

Maybe I've just jinxed the Kerry Blues or fired up the Gators.

St. Mike's is just that much better: stronger defence, more talent on offence, solid special teams and even a more vociferous crowd. St. Mike's spectators can be intimidating and nasty too.

Weather won't be a factor. Penalties and turnovers always are problems - and that's where Donald Wilson has to play a near perfect game to keep the score close.

St. Mike's has, as head coach Paul Forbes said the other day, "too many weapons". Brendan Morgan can run well and has piled up touchdowns. Chris Patrician can kick field goals and also score touchdowns. Haven't even got to the receivers or maybe the sleeper, burly tight end Paul Adamic. You've heard about the defensive front seven by now led by Derek Wiggan, Martin Colangelo and John Miniaci.

The quarterbacks may be factors, but this part of the line-up is equal. For the record, take away a pre-season tie with Don Bosco and Donald Wilson suffered one defeat to Pickering (26-3). That was later reversed when Pickering was caught with an ineligible player. True the Gators have not allowed a major in their last 10 quarters of play. St. Mike's is undefeated in 10 games. Their closest challenge was a 27-13 decision over St. Andrews in the private school final three weeks ago.

Just one more thing: St. Michael's has won the past two Metro Bowl championships. I'm checking to see if they give odds in Las Vegas on high school football.

The Ten That Shine This Week

It's that time. Yes, 10 of the better performances of the week. With the fall season almost done, except for a few football games still to go in December, time to start seeing the stars, playmakers and more from the high school sports of hockey, basketball, wrestling, swimming and more.

We say goodbye to November with these 10 great athletes.

Jenea Barrett, Eastern Commerce. Yes, again - and for the final time. She scored 24 points in a semifinal game and tied LeeAnna Osei with a dozen each in the gold medal game that gave the Lady Saints a second consecutive provincial championship.

Kurtis Ethier, Jean Vanier. He's only on the junior boys' basketball team but, early in the season, fired 39 points in a 61-54 win over Étienne-Brûlé.

Mike Ifejika, Unionville. Piled up a 38-point game for the Wolves in a 68-52 York Region senior boys' basketball win over Markville.

Thea Imbrogno, St. Basil. Chosen to the Star's high school hockey all-star team last year, she's off to another good year, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Michael Power/St. Joseph and just once in an 11-1 thumping of Community Hebrew.

Brianne Jenner, Appelby. Chosen to the Toronto Star's all-star hockey team last season and a member of Canada's under-18 team, the former school athlete of the year started this season off on a positive note with two goals in 3-1 win over Ridley.

Akeel Lynch, St. Michael's. How's 33 touchdowns in one season - and for a grade 9 football player? Lynch had three of them in his final game of the year, a 20-9 Ontario Bowl Junior championship win over Blessed Trinity of Grimsby.

Rob McLay, Nelson. Early talk has him as one of the more exciting players to watch in the league. Both goals in a 2-0 win over Burlington Central in a Halton Region senior boys' hockey game. He now has nine goals in the same number of games.

Chris Patrician, St. Michael's. This kid showed he can do almost everything. He plays defence, offence and kicks. Mr. Versatility rushed for 113 yards on eight carres, scored a touchdown and kicked a 30-yard field goal to help his team beat Huron Heights, 23-7, in a Metro Bowl semifinal.

Janine Semkowich, Aurora. She took some of the attention away from Sudbury transfer Julie Hebert, and her nine goals in two games, by scoring both in a 2-1 York Region win over former powerhouse, Sacred Heart.

Ryan Serville, St. Mary. Three goals in a 12-1 blasting of Henry Street and then two more in a 7-3 hockey win over Pickering. Currently, he has 17 goals and 12 assists in 15 games for the senior team.

St. Michael's Defence Just Too Much

Well, it was one interesting game.

The Metro Bowl championship. Whoops, I mean the semifinal that should have been a championship.

Organizers, pointing to a ridiculous annual rotation of the Final Four teams, had the two best teams go head to head - St. Michael's and Huron Heights - in a repeat of the 2007 Metro Bowl. The other game, ho hum, was a good time to catch up on sleep.

St. Michael's, spotting Huron Heights a 7-0 lead, put on one heck of a defensive show on the way to a 23-7 victory in front of a good crowd at Esther Shiner Stadium, a game that included a variety of Canadian university coaches checking out prospects.

For the record, Donald Wilson of Whitby defeated Northern 9-3, the only touchdown coming in the first quarter. Yes, St. Mike's meets Donald Wilson - the veteran St. Mike's team with eight Metro Bowl appearances against the new boys from Durham Region - in the big game next Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre.

I've heard the story about David and Goliath - but not this time. Unless the Kerry Blues come down with a bad case of flu, St. Mike's should hang on to the championship they've won the past two years.

Why? Defence. St. Mike's defensive front seven is scary - and the offensive unit is not too shabby either. Just ask the guys at Huron Heights, who lost for only the second time in two years and both times to St. Mike's. Donald Wilson will need to have impressive field-goal kicker Rashad LaTouche connecting every few minutes if the Gators have any snap left in them.

This could be one of the most lopsided Metro Bowl games in 27 years.

Toronto Star's Top Five Female Basketball Players

Some very interesting, as well as the odd few disappointing, comments from people who e-mailed and voice-mailed their opinions about the Toronto Star's high school female basketball all-stars. If you missed the full page in the paper, you can read it here.

Can't say I wasn't expecting feedback. We've been selecting an all-star team for many years - and satisfying everyone is not going to happen. Picking five from hundreds, especially with the next group of five were so close, can be a headache.

Thought I had to say something, because many people wanted to know how the all-stars were selected.

We went through dozens of names. Talked with coaches, game officials, attended games and playoffs. Believe me, lots of time was spent to try come up with five very good players - and I really believe we got them. They may not be the top scorer game after game, but contributed in a big way to the success of their team and own performance. Yes, we started with players in their graduating year. Also, we looked at their overall standing in the school, the community and academics.

To the folks who e-mailed from London, Ont. and Ottawa. Sorry, our all-star Top Five and Regional teams included players from the Greater Toronto Area only.

Lots of people, the vast majority, thought recognizing female athletes was a huge bonus.  Well, we do that at the Star all the time. Many comments from high school coaches throughout the GTA. Some from university and college colleges, whose only beef was wanting to know a day earlier to get the jump on recruiting. Then again, if they've been following the scene, these players have all but made up their mind: some will stay in Canada, some will go to the U.S.

Even got an e-mail from a woman in Syracuse, N.Y. (a Canadian going to school down there) very happy to see our picks. E-mails from Detroit, Buffalo and someone at Rutgers University, the Piscataway, N.J. school whose team is in the Top 20 in the NCAA.

While people will mull over the picks, the discussion boards will debate this for weeks, we value comments - even the ones from people who claim that their player was better than the others.

Things To Know - And Three Ontario Gold Medals

Long day, just back from the Vanier Cup - and, well, eight provincial high school championships decided on the one day.

We just heard from Barrie, the last if the eight to report in - and of the Quad-A senior boys' volleyball final. I'll get to that in a minute.

First, congratulations to Toronto's Eastern Commerce Collegiate for doing something quite rare. Last year, the senior girls' won the citywide senior basketball title. Then, the Ontario gold medal at the Triple-A level. This year, again the city championship and, again, the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association gold medal - but this time at the Quad-A competition. Eastern Commerce beat St. Thomas More of Hamilton 44-35 with two outstanding players, Lee Anna Osei and Jenea Barrett, each scored a dozen points in the finale.

Any coach or athlete will tell you how hard it is to win a championship. Then, to repeat. For Eastern, a school of about 500 students and coached by a community member, yes they repeated - but at a higher level involving larger schools and often tougher competition. Not an easy thing. Unbeaten at the provincial playoffs too - and five games in a span of 76 hours. Very impressive.

Now, to volleyball. Birchmount Park won the Quad-A boys' volleyball gold medal. Under-rated by some, the Panthers beat highly touted Mississauga 3-1. After dropping the first match 25-23, Birchmount Park, yes it's the school with an exceptional athlete program, swept the next three - 25-14, 28-26, 25-23.

And Toronto's Upper Canada, ranked No. 4, beat Beatrice Desloges - a Catholic high school from the Greater Ottawa Area of Orleans - in the Triple-A volleyball playoffs in Kingston.

nd, got word today on the football playoffs. The confusion is no more.

The Golden Horseshoe Bowl senior football semifinal playoffs are on Wednesday, November 26 at St. Marcellinus Secondary in Mississauga. Opening game has the host school, Peel Region champs, playing Lakeshore Catholic of Port Colborne. Then, Mount Carmel, runner-up in Peel, meeting Notre Dame of Burlington, Halton Region champs. Both winners advance to the championship on Dec. 3 at the Rogers Centre.

That leaves plenty of time to catch the Metro Bowl semifinals on Thursday, November 27 at Toronto's Esther Shiner Stadium. St. Michael's (Toronto) and Huron Heights (Newmarket) in the opener followed by Northern (Toronto) and Donald Wilson (Whitby). All games are during the day.

Top Ten Athletes of the Week

Spent some time checking out the weekly performances, also all the e-mails and information from readers with suggestions for the Top 10 high school athletes of the week. Yup, lots to choose.

What I also found interesting, from some readers, were comments that student athletes who score more than two goals in a hockey game or two touchdowns on the football field should not be considered. Really?

Some coaches believe that players pile up the stats and points just to get the attention. Honest, they’ve said that to me in those same words. Maybe true, but this is sports and we do recognize how an athlete performs in a game – and in all sports. Now, if coaches are somehow encouraging this, well, then we have a concern.

Just a word about that junior boys’ hockey game in York Region. Brother Andre defeated Markville 17-0. Can someone tell me what that proves?

I would really like to know if the York Region Athletic Association Executive has anything to say about this?

All right, the 10 athletes of the week – and in alphabetical order.

Connor Anderson, Huron Heights. Try five touchdowns in three quarters. Not a bad a game considering it was the York Region senior Tier One football championship played in a nasty rainstorm.

Justin Bakuteka, Martingrove. Sounds like we’ll be hearing his name more often. He scored 20 points in a 72-58 win over Western Tech in the final of the  Vaughan Road senior boys’ basketball tournament. He also scored 19 in a 78-76 semifinal win over Central Commerce.

Morgan Bonner, St. Andrews. All three goals as the Saints tied St. Michael’s in a Tier One private school hockey game. This guy is an exciting player to watch and also scored a goal in a 6-4 win over Appleby.

Adam Cranley, Uxbridge. Four goals for him, when only one was enough, as the Tigers rolled to an 8-0 win over Clarington Central in a senior hockey game.

Katie Fergus, Loyola. Scored both goals, including the winner in a shootout, as Loyola squeezed by St. Thomas Aquinas of London 2-1 in the final of the Canlan York varsity girls' hockey tournament.

Julie Hebert, Aurora. Count' em, six goals in an 8-0 blowout of Huron Heights  in a York Region varsity girls' hockey game. Hebert has nine goals in her last two games.

Liz Lennon, Markham. Five goals as Markham District crushed Bill Crothers Secondary. That's the school with the elite sports program. Score was 9-1 in a York Region varsity girls' hockey game.

Michael Livingston, Northern. Known for his domination as a defensive end, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound graduating senior blocked a punt, forced a fumble and, as a tight end, scored two fourth quarter touchdowns in a 31-10 win over Birchmount Park in the Toronto District School Board citywide senior football final.

Jeff Ramsden, Richmond Green. Early season hat trick for him. All three goals, they weren't enough as Our Lady of the Lake won this York Region senior hockey game, 5-3.

Andy Sherk, O'Neill. Early in the season, and he did score all three goals for his team in a 3-3 tie with Anderson in a Durham Region senior boys' hockey game.

Come To me For Answers

I think it might be time for me to run for Mayor or Member of Provincial Parliament.

Maybe, more like run.

Why is it that people keep calling me and complaining about football games conflicting - same day, same time. Not much I can do.

Here we go again with another example of people not communicating. Some university football coaches, obviously in recruiting mode, asked me why the Metro Bowl football semifinals and the Golden Horseshoe Bowl semifinals are all scheduled for next Thursday, Nov. 27?

I didn't do the planning.

Football fans are also asking why there isn't better planning and inter-league discussions - if anything, to promote the high school game.

Again, I dunno.

Maybe, if I was Mayor or M.P.P., I could exercise some authority to make the right political decision. After all, politicians are always correct.

St. Michael's plays Huron Heights of Toronto followed by Donald Wilson of Whitby taking on Northern of Toronto at Esther Shiner Stadium. Yes, same day, with the rest of the week football-free, four teams - including St. Marcellinus and Mount Carmel - meet in the Golden Horseshoe Final Four in Mississauga.

Well, maybe someone finally got around to doing the right thing by staging five regional Bowl games at the Rogers Centre on the same day. You have to really love the high school game to sit through games that start at 9am that day and end around 10pm.

And then came the call from the father of a player complaining of a "peeping tom" at a school football practice. The alleged intruder was video taping practices. Time for lunch.

Notes from a Football Championship

Well, it's over.

Congratulations to the Northern Red Knights and the Birchmount Park Panthers high school senior football teams for making it to the Toronto District School Board league championship. One team had to win and this year it was Northern. Last year, Birchmount Park was victorious.

It was an interesting game, 10-10 at halftime. Then, a 6-foot-4, 250-plus pound defensive lineman known for causing havoc with his tackles and sacks became a star for blocking punts, forcing fumbles and scoring two touchdowns as a wide receiver. Nice work Michael Livingston. I know players and coaches say "it's a team effort" but Livingston is a big reason why Northern prevailed 31-10.

But there are a number of other things worth mentioning.

The crowd, maybe 100 people if we counted the groundskeeping staff at Esther Shiner Stadium, was disappointing. Others were absent, and I sure hope not because it was a bit chilly.

Didn't see Northern Principal Varla Abrams, who was absent for medical reasons, School Trustee Josh Matlow or Superintendent Michael Smith out to cheer on the team, shake hands or just make the photo op. Must say, Birchmount Park Principal Georgia Gallagher, Trustee Gary Crawford and Superintendent Anne Kerr weren't noticeable either. Maybe they were all in meetings. Maybe the Board listing is out-of-date and I have the wrong people.

It would have been nice to see the Director of the largest school board in Canada, Gerry Connelly, take a few minutes from her office 15 minutes away from the stadium to show her support for student athletes.

Maybe next year.

And whatever happened to the days when these kind of games had cheerleaders screaming and trying to do flips and spins? Cheerleaders are a thing of the past. Too bad.

What I did see were student athletes having fun, learning in the sports classroom how to get along.

I saw former Northern teacher and Ontario Coach of the Year Clarke Pulford, now in a wheelchair and blind, show up to support a school that would not have the prestige in football if it wasn't for him.

I also saw Nancy Mathews visible on the Northern side of the field. She's an interpreter and was very busy keeping starting Northern defensive lineman Mussa Owaisi, who is deaf, constantly informed of what the coaches were saying.

And I also saw the trophy and awards presentation, well done by TDSB athletics coordinator Chick Kennedy, making sure that all players and coaches were recognized and with souvenir medals, even though those pieces of tin do look shabby.

Hmm, wonder if all those Board officials think it might be a good time to send letters to each player. They can do it economically too - by using internal Board mail.

Never Count A Game Over

I've seen some thrilling high school football games, an OT game between Central Tech and Northern needing vehicle headlights to keep the field lit comes to mind.

But, I'm told that I missed a dandy in Hamilton -- something they're calling the Steel City Miracle.

Get this: 17 seconds left in a semifinal game, Cardinal Newman leading. Then, some razzle-dazzle by Brebeuf -- one pass and five laterals resulting in a touchdown as the Braves rally to win 16-15.

Before you check out the video, here's some information for trivia folks.

In the NCAA back in 1982, with four seconds left in the Stanford Cardinal versus California Golden Bears the Golden Bears used five laterals and members of the Stanford band to hit the end zone for a 25-20 win in what has been known as "the play".

Here's another one. Eight years ago, in an NFL wild card playoff game, a controversial lateral ended up in a last-gasp 75-yard kick-return TD by Tennessee against Buffalo to overcome a 16-15 Bills lead in what is referred to as the "Music City Miracle."

An just over a year ago, trailing by two points with two seconds left in a game against Millsaps College, the Trinity University Tigers, an NCAA Division III football team, called a play for a short pass across the middle. The "Mississippi Miracle" ultimately included 15 laterals and a winning 60-yard TD.

As for the football players at Brebeuf, they'll remember the Steel City Miracle as well as the Braves next game -- a 21-0 loss to St. Thomas More in the league championship.

New Times for the Metro Bowl Football Final Four

Seems the folks running the Metro Bowl Final Four senior high school football playoffs really had a bigger communication problem than first reported on a blog earlier this month.

The Metro Bowl semifinals are now confirmed - with time changes. The late afternoon and evening playoffs weren't a big sell. Maybe it was the weather, playing outside late or maybe something else. Heck, the students would rather miss classes anyway.

So, on Thursday, November 27 (and, yes, the winners will be playing six days later in the grand finale at the Rogers Centre), semifinal No. 1  starts at 11:00am and has two-time defending Metro Bowl champion St. Michael's (the private school champ) playing York Region champ, Huron Heights of Newmarket.

Sound familiar?

Yes, these are quite possibly the best two teams - and they did go helmet to helmet in the Metro Bowl championship last year. Both are also undefeated.

Semifinal No. 2 at about 1:30 p.m. has Durham Region champion Donald Wilson of Whitby meeting the Toronto champion - either Birchmount Park or Northern. Both games are at Esther Shiner Stadium in Toronto.

I inquired about the match-ups and was told by Peter Morris, project coordinator for OFSAA and responsible for football, that a formula was developed in past and that's how the draw works out for this year.

One last thing, don't be surprised if the times change - again. If they do, you'll know by checking here.