Top Ten School Athletes of the Week

Time for our first look at the athletes catching our attention early in this high school sports season and apologies to others that we may have missed because their schools and coaches didn't share the information with us.

Football tops the list of excellent performances. I also can't remember, and that goes back a fair time, when we had so many football players each score five touchdowns in a game in one week.

Remember, they are listed below in alphabetical order. Our best picks of the past seven days.

• Wumi Agunbiade, Dunbarton (Pickering). Female athlete of the week in the Star and here's why. The 6-foot-1 forward scored 54 points in three senior girls' basketball games and also led her team to the championship of the Uxbridge Invitational.
• Mikeal Andrews, Loyola (Oakville). He's a quarterback for the senior team, but also returning after missing last year because of a broken finger. He threw four passes for touchdowns in a 33-17 win over Georgetown. Yes, it was in their Halton league.
• Selena Colarossi, Notre Dame (Burlington). A one person scoring machine. Three goals in a 6-0 win over Robinson. Then, three more in an 8-0 shellacking of Corpus Christi. Both were Halton Region varsity girls' field hockey games.
• Adrienne Crampton, Bishop Strachan (Toronto). Apparently, is quite the soccer player. She scored four goals in a 7-0 victory over Greenwood. Then, she scored twice in a 9-0 win over Branksome Hall in Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association games.
• Marcus Hansen, Gonzaga (Mississauga). All right, so he's a junior-age football player. This kid appeared to do whatever the coach wanted in a 44-8 Peel Region win over Turner/Fenton. He scored a touchdown, converted five majors, scored on a two-point convert and kicked a single.
• Travis Jennings, Don Bosco (Toronto). His senior boys' football team has played three games and won them all.  He's been a huge factor and scored five touchdowns, converting three of them, in a 57-7 win over Forest Hill.
• Matt Matsuba, Etobicoke (Toronto). Five touchdowns for him in a 51-0 thumping of Western Tech in a Toronto District School Board senior football game. Ineligible last year because of poor academics, bonus points to this 17-year-old for improving his grades too.
• Tyler Pritty, Markham. Apparently, we are told, as many as 70 universities have this grade 12 quarterback on their radar. He threw five touchdown passes, completed 20 of 28 for 421 yards, in a 34-3 York Region senior football win over Brother Andre.
• Josh Smallwood, O'Neill (Oshawa). His first touchdown on a 65-yard run. Tack on his next touchdown on a 50-yard pass-and-run play. Add on six converts and a single in a 45-0 Durham Region senior boys' football win over Bowmanville.
• Tevaun Smith, Chaminade (Toronto). He's a wide receiver with speed. And he can catch and score touchdowns. Make that five majors as the Gryphons, an all-boys' school of about 800 students, opened their senior football season at home with a 63-0 win over Weston.

Your comments?

Comments

[P Fullerton]

Very informative and thanks for what you do. Good picks. They all deserve it based on what I just read. Those who missed out, who had similar great games, need to blame no one but their own school.

[Mrs. Logan]

More males than females, what happened to equality?

[Jeff Hastings]

I find it aggravating and disgusting that a school can't find anyone to share information with the news media. I remember when I went to school, there was so much interest in having scores and names of students in the papers. It appears that your newspaper is the only game in town now and you do a very good job. I read these names and found it very interesting but as I say terribly disappointing that so many other great performances get missed because of a lack of interest and information sharing by schools. My have times changed. People have no business blaming the media. They should blame themselves.

[J Morris]

Maybe the guys were more deserving, ever think of that.

[McLean]

Someone tell me what coach leaves a high school player in a game to throw for five touchdowns and over 400 yards. This kid might be good, if the numbers are right, but the coach needs his head examined.

[Jim Young]

Caught this on the Star website while checking the pro scores. My son plays football in Mississauga. Very interesting reading but I do notice lots of blowouts. Why draw attention to teams who appear to run up scores and so early in a season?

[Bosco Boys]

Travis Jennings isn't the only guy we have that can put up those big numbers and we are looking for Northern because they like to trash talk about us.

[Johnny Ing]

Brandon Bridge had three touchdown throws and 200 yards for St. Marcellinus in the win over Pocock. He's the guy who played for Team Canada.

[Sympathy]

I find it very suspicious how this guy Pritty gets to play at St. Michael's last year with the private school and wins a Metro Bowl and then suddenly cries poverty on THE FAN 590 radio show this morning talking to Grossman wanting to return to Markham to play with his buddies who he abandoned a year earlier. My oh my. Then to hear him dodge the question asked about 70 schools interested in him before mentioning two or three schools. An American school interested in a Canadian quarterback. Don't think so. What also stinks more than a dead rat is the York Region Schools Athletic Association eligibility committee letting him play.

[Paul]

Great recognizing a player like the one at Etobicoke for pulling up his grades. Hint to others...

[Bill Phillips]

I wonder whatever happened to all the distance runners or do they just not tell you about how they finished in races.

[L. Chiang]

I realize that it is important to single out students but it does seem odd that the more these students score, the more they increase their chances of being on a list like this. Shouldn't coaches be seriously thinking of giving other players a chance to score points? It appears as if we have a contest going to see who scores the most and all you are doing is encouraging teams to rub it in and build up the final result. If some coaches think they are in the NFL and are naive in certain ways, the Star shouldn't fall in to that trap. I thought this was high school when the emphasis is on learning and not showboating.

[Pigskin]

The way some of these coaches are having their way with sub par teams I am surprised we haven't see a kid score more than five touchdowns. Come on guys, you're spoiling it and wait until the time comes and these teams rip you apart.

[Proud Chaminade supporter]

Bosco who?
Chaminade Sr. Football squad has started the season 2-0 WITHOUT giving up a point, if you include the Weir classic. 84-0
Bosco is in for a rude awakening in two weeks.

[Proud Don Bosco fan]

Chaminade who?
A team that fell out of the sky after having one of the shabbiest records around. Maybe you guys will win the Grey Cup too. Breathe easy boys. You are an all-boys school and your football field is anything but one.

[The Dodger]

Understand the Pritty boys were offered full need-based bursary to stay at St. Mike's but turned it down. Dad believes boys have better shot at U.S. scholarship under his coaching than staying at St. Mike's another year. Lots of people including his OVFL coaches making promises of Div I scholarships. Hope the boy does not get hurt in the process because he's a good kid.

Ivy League schools do not give out scholarships especially to Canadians. They give out need-based bursaries which anyone can apply for if you have the academic requirements. Just ask the Quintenton's about that. They may spin it that its a scholarship but its not. Each school has a quota on the number of international students.

Nothing wrong with a CIS education and Canadian scholarship.

[Bob Marley]

O NEILLL!!!!!!!!!!!

[Big Bopper]

ONeill who? Football team? Forget it. Maybe Mrs. O'Neill..OK?

[The Blue Jay]

Sorry, had to use this. Pritty is a "pretty" good kid. Based on what I hear and see, his father is running the show. He thinks his son is the next NFL quarterback. I wish him well but really don't think so. Sure hope the kid doesn't get his hopes shattered by this ordeal.If he stayed at a Canadian university, he would be right at the top. Down in the land of the red, white and blue, he's going to get buried. I also doubt the 70 schools interested. He's a good player, not that good.

[Mr. G. Rosten]

I am a father of an athlete and support the father of the Pritty football player. That's what fathers, for the kids who have them or know who they are, do. We support, brag and do what we can for them. Even if it means exagerate a bit, which is fine too.

[Proud Watcher]

Congrats to all the athletes!!

[David Donaldson]

Support and exaggerate are 2 different things. Sure, they go hand-in-hand, but when you get called out on FAN 590 Radioshow and be stunned himself and say "no..uh" thats where the line is drawn and you set yourself up for ridicule

[Proud Chaminade Supporter]

Hey Bosco Fan,
Sounds like your jealous!!
for a fourth year program, it is doing well.
Speaks volumes about the school and the coaching staff
no glory hounds and no city councillors
Just a bunch of hard workers with a purpose, do well in school and in life and demonstrate that on the field.
Not too mention the Jr squad defeated the high and mighty Bosco last year, and most of that Jr squad is now on the Sr squad ready to show you the truth again.
Don't worry your words put no fear in the team, just motivates them
Regardless of the outcome Bosco will realize Chaminade is for real and will compete.
In the words of Russell Peters,"Someone is gonna catch a hurtin'"
Hope it doesn't hurt too much Bosco.
See you on the 15th of October!!!

[ICG]

Watch out for Chaminade!
This team is stacked from top to bottom.
Anyone of the top four receivers Tevaun Smith (who has a real possibilty at playing at a professional level), Kadeem Henry, Omar Jalloh, and Enkido Selewa could easily compete as the number one guy at any school.
They got a great thumper at halfback with Jamaal Hamilton, and a great complimentary fullback JR Palomo.
Oh yeah, and Nikko Stamatis is easily one of the best Qbs in the city (the young man has a cannon for an arm with nice accuracy) he ain't one of those shabby high school qbs who have to rush to compensate for their lack of an arm.
This team is a force on the offence, and its defence lets its play do the talking.
DO NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN THIS SMALL ALL BOY'S SCHOOL TAKES IT ALL THIS YEAR.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1022841036]

ahha SWEEEET marcus hanson plays on my school team, thats awesome, CONGRATS