OFSAA Has Different Rules for Schools

You may recall my blog about the scenario that saw Loyola high school from Oakville attend a sanctioned U.S. basketball tournament during the recent December school break - and without the advance blessings of the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association.

OFSAA says it's a must to get approval in advance.

OFSAA, in clear language on its website, says teams must seek OFSAA approval before going to a sanctioned event.

Well, OFSAA never replied to this scribe when asked why Loyola didn't get sanctioned in the same fashion as Pickering - a school that remains on a three-year probation for using two players in a U.S, tournament? OFSAA also barred the Pickering coach from watching his team in a public facility.

No surprise about OFSAA, which appears to let things slip by assuming they disappear in space.

Not to take anything away from Loyola, a very talented team with good coaching, but an error was made and even Loyola chose to stay gagged. Quiet too was the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association and also the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Association.

Funny, how other schools get hit - and hit hard - when they make a mistake.

Well, it appears that Loyola never did complete the OFSAA sanctioning letter available on the OFSAA website. The school only talked with its athletic association.

Well, the Star obtained a copy of a letter sent to Rocco Dilanni, the acting Principal at Loyola. The letter, dated Feb. 19, 2010 and signed by Brian Poste, the Chairman of the OFSAA Sanctions Committee, lets Loyola off.

Poste is the same person who ruled on the Pickering fiasco last year. I have never met Mr. Poste, but I have spoken to him. He sounds like a nice guy and did return my calls last year too.

Here`s a copy of the letter to Loyola saying Loyola`s error was an honest oversight.

Hmm, Pickering admitted to its error - but still got whipped.

Loyola got off easy.

Fair or not?

Download OFSAA_letter

Best of the best - high school's top ten

We're coming to the end of the Winter Season for high school sports in this part of the world and while there might be fewer games, the individual performances have been outstanding. That means, picking 10 athletes for this weekly feature continues to be a tough job.

Last week I would have assumed lots of correspondence on how I missed someone here or there. Instead, lots of support for the athletes chosen. Thank you. Let's see what the response is this week. Here we go, my picks of the week.

Hassan Abdullahi, Pope John Paul II. He was singled out in December in this blog and now, back again. A 6-foot-2 guard with the Panthers. Yes, they're in Sunday's senior basketball final at Ryerson against Mother Teresa. Abdullahi scored 26 points in a 65-41 semifinal elimination of Michael Power/St. Joseph.

Richard Abbot, St. Mary. He's a third year forward with his Pickering-area senior hockey team. Lots of speed, great goal scorer, highly respected by his teammates and a good student. Can't ask for much more. He scored four goals, two each in 5-2 and 4-3 Durham Region semifinal wins over Anderson.

Caleigh Cruickshank, Richview. Her volleyball coach likes to praise this Grade 10 middle hitter. Her offensive performance in the Toronto District School Board citywide Double-A final was something special. She had 18 kills in a 3-1 championship win over Henry. Now, it's off to Perth for the Ontario playoffs.

Josee Daoust, Brother Andre. Great hockey player - quick and can score. She had three goals in an 8-2 playoff win over Huron Heights. No surprise, she had three in a win over Bill Crothers and three in another victory over Sacred Heart. Yes, her father is Dan who played over 500 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Andrew Ferizovic, Richview. Another one from this school. Hockey this time. Top scorer on the team, his eight-game goal streak ended in a 9-2 win over Silverthorn. But, he found another way to help: a personal best five assists. Oh yes, in grade 10 he was 14-0 in wrestling before he packed it in with an injury.

Tevin Findlay, Father Henry Carr. Well, the junior basketball team won a league title - and this 6-foot-3 point guard was a huge factor. When he gets on a run, look out. He scored a game-high 28 points - average for him this year - in a 98-35 crushing of Cardinal McGuigan in the Toronto Catholic final.

MiKyle McIntosh, Pickering. Some claim he's only 15 years old and 6-foot-5. Not sure, but he did bow away two Ajax schools. Scored 20 points in the Durham Region 83-74 senior basketball gold medal win over Richardson. In a semifinal, 23 points over Notre Dame. He likes to attack the rim, rebound and score.

Steph Nehring, Paul Dwyer. Yes, she's been the Star's high school ice hockey all-star goalie the past two years. All she's done is help her Oshawa-area team beat, and eliminate, St. Mary 3-0 and 2-0 to advance to the Durham Region final. Goals-against-average is about 1.00. Could return to Dwyer next year.

 

Rachel Rennick Lawrence Park. Not too often someone wins the Ontario high school final in the slalom and giant slalom. This 17-year old did - and in back-to-back years.Get this, she fractured her elbow in a toboggan accident a few days before the final. Toronto city champ too and coaches (skiing) to young kids.

 

Matthew Wright, Martingrove. Took control of the game finishing with 27 points and the winner in a come-from-behind 63-61 win over Jarvis in the citywide Triple-A basketball final. In a semifinal, 24 points in an 88-45 win over Thomson. One of the best in Toronto, could be at Maine, Duquesne or Santa Clara in the fall.

 

 

 

LOSSA in the spotlight - again

Here we go again, the Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association is back in the spotlight.

This time, it's for preventing a student hockey player from competing for her school — and just months before she graduates. More about her in a minute.

LOSSA, which many people simply know as the Durham Region and just east of Toronto, was the centre of attention last year when it went after one of its own coaches. Remember the Mike Gordensky saga? Yup, he admitted to using two basketball players to showcase them in a U.S. tournament, try to help them get schooling — and his buddies pulled the carpet out on him. They pointed the finger for breaking rules,  resulting in the Pickering coach getting provincial lashes, suspended for a year, put on probation and his school slapped with a penalty. Gosh some of these educators and OFSAA can be harsh.

Well, LOSSA has rules — but they apparently pick and choose how they will administer those rules.

Not too long ago, a private school in York Region was short of female volleyball players and decided to "borrow" two players — from schools in Durham (J. Clarke Richardson in Ajax and Courtice). Let's see, playing for two schools in one year. Seems like a violation. But LOSSA did nothing other than dance around the issue with excuses. I understand there have been several other questionable things happening but, as long as they're out of the media spotlight, things are quiet.

LOSSA is also the organization that likes to talk a good talk about highlighting athletes. Yet, despite frequent attempts to obtain information — even championship results from sports like wrestling, swimming, curling and the list goes on — they don't provide them. Not even a courtesy response. But now that they're hosting a provincial basketball championship in a week or so, and you guessed it, suddenly the expectation for media attention rises. Very interesting.

Well, back to the female hockey player. Kelly Terry attends Sinclair Secondary in Whitby. That's next door to the Durham District School Board administrative offices. She is 17.

Yes, she was a Toronto Star hockey all-star last year. She's accepted a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. Her dad once played in the NHL.

Well, she started the year with Sinclair, but was singled out and ruled ineligible by LOSSA halfway through the season because of her affiliation with the national hockey program. Nice, eh? Play some games for your school and then get the heave-ho. Well, she made the Canadian under-18 team — even though the final roster still hasn't been announced. That happens Friday.

LOSSA, again with its rules, chose to pick on Kelly Terry — and, ultimately, her school, team and friends. Yet, last I looked, other female hockey players in the same boat are still playing for their schools. People are upset. One more thing, there are many high school students at schools across the province who have made various national teams in rugby, volleyball, swimming, etc - and still compete for their schools.

Thought you'd like to meet the LOSSA Executive

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat

Remember the late Jim McKay, the exceptional ABC TV Sports announcer, who was known for many things including his repetition of the phrase: "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat".

I keep getting reminded all the time by people that it's only a high school game and there are far more serious things in life than dealing with a scare, or a defeat, in a sudden-death playoff game. After hearing so much, one tends to accept it from time to time and start preaching it too.

Yet, there are other occasions when even this scribe feels upset for the student athletes who had worked so hard, game after game, and wake up the next morning realizing that it's over for the year - and maybe for a high school career.

And, fair game, congratulations to the teams who put it all together in a playoff, pulled the upset (or came close to it) and enjoyed that thrill of victory - maybe inspired by coaches and all the hype attributed to others.

I can just imagine what's going on at several schools today and the feelings of players who now have to put aside sports and pay more attention on academics. It can be a struggle for awhile.

Gone from competing for Ontario medals are Toronto's Father Henry Carr in basketball and Brother Andre from Markham in hockey - two teams who have annually been up there. Great players, great coaches. With so much parity this year, both had a chance to challenge for the big title. Both have now been eliminated.

Blessed Mother Teresa, on home court, beat Carr 53-51 at the buzzer in a Toronto District Colleges senior basketball  game. Carr, a team that had won almost 50 games, folds up shop. Mother Teresa needs a win over Pope John Paul II on Sunday to play in the provincial playoffs. On the ice rink, Markham - the same school that won the Metro Bowl in football - stunned Brother Andre eliminating the Cardinals in back-to-back York Region hockey games, 2-0 and then 5-4.Markham had only won nine games this year.

There were more thrillers. Pickering needed OT to beat Notre Dame 75-66 in a Durham Region senior basketball meeting of Ajax-area schools. And Oakville's St. Ignatius of Loyola, another school with almost 50 wins, allowed Nelson of Burlington just two points in the second quarter but still needed OT to win the Halton Region Tier One senior basketball title, 48-43. And St. Andrew's, the hockey haven in Aurora, advanced to the private school final after beating Toronto's Upper Canada 5-4 in triple OT. I am sure there were other thrillers too.

In this often mixed-up, controversial and exciting world of high school sports, there are also life lessons to be learned. Not everything is winning a game. For some, it is. Hopefully, for the majority, the experience and opportunity is paramount.

One final point, it's about back-door games. That's the term some use so that schools who lose, still get an opportunity to advance. There is no consistency, some leagues allow this, some don't. Toronto's public league will see teams advancing to the Ontario playoffs in sports - even though they didn't win a league title. Some leagues will have a second entry because they're either hosting the playoff or, because of the way the Ontario playoffs finished last year, they get a second invitation. Why not have one set of rules?

Maybe it is also time for something that has been talked about for years. Yet, some schools don't want to risk the political backlash. How about a provincial championship, an invitational, for just the best teams - the teams who have been there week after week and don't get eliminated in a sudden-death scenario?

I would think that would be a money-maker, a forum to attract interest in high school sports and also fill many of the far too many empty seats we see at games. Just a thought.

Time For Real Ontario School Championships

I think it's time that the folks at the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Associations finally does the right thing: gets serious about provincial championships. Either that, or stop misleading the public by calling them finals involving the best teams. They are not.

Having four levels of competition for some sports is an experiment that went whacky. There is widespread disappointment from schools, coaches, athletes and parents (I get the e-mail and calls from people because OFSAA won't listen) that these provincial playoffs are watered down just to be politically correct or serve as a cash flow for OFSAA.

Playoffs for big, not so big, small and really small population schools, means more teams - and more money to the OFSAA pot. It's also more money by taxpayers to send teams from all over the province to various locations. The various OFSAA playoffs rarely have the best teams.

Teams that are not league champs, and in some cases with below .500 records, getting to OFSAA playoffs is anything but education in sport. It also makes it more like an invitational tournament than a bonafide Ontario championship. Blow outs in games also don't come across well and Friendship Games -- that's what OFSAA calls it when losing teams play losing teams at some playoffs -- is hokey.

Let's look at boys' hockey, for example, and the private schools - another sore spot with some people who are clearly against private schools competing at OFSAA. Stories surface about how some schools in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association attract students. Some people also refer to it as recruiting. The CISAA will send two teams - from its six-school league - to the OFSAA hockey playoffs next month in St. Catharines.

One of them won't be Nichols as OFSAA knows better than to have a Buffalo school compete for an Ontario title. By the way, Nichols finished one point behind St. Andrew's of Aurora in the regular season. St. Andrew's, for the past few years, just doesn't want to have anything to do with OFSAA hockey playoffs. So, that leaves Appleby, Upper Canada, St. Michael's and Ridley - and only Appleby has a winning record.

Two of Appleby, Upper Canada or St. Michael's will be going to the Quad/Triple-A and/or Double/Single-A playoffs. Some leagues, with 10 or more teams, will only send one team. Confused? Yup, so are lots of people. The folks at Ridley, with its 1-12-2 record, should put up a case for going since the school is from St. Catharines. Hey OFSAA, that'll boost crowds and the Tigers might even be better than some of the other teams actually at the event.

Time to have one championship in a sport. Time to send just the best team from the league to an Ontario final. That's the way it was for years. The way OFSAA now does it for swimming, track and field and various other sports.

Selections Getting Tougher

Very tough week, with lots of playoffs and athletes kicking it up a few notches, to keep the list to 10 athletes.

So, I'l just refer to these as 10 of the better performances since I really don't want to deal with some parents and coaches - who were very nasty trying to put up poor cases for their personal favorites. I'll listen, but they have to be performances from the past seven days folks - and not last month.

My ten for the past week - and I have basketball, swimming, track, wrestling and hockey:

Jonathon Baballal, Turner/Fenton. Take my advice, don't wrestle with this kid. He won the Ontario gold medal in the 41 kilos two years ago and last year added another gold in the 44 kilos. Looks like he's going for the Triple Crown. He won the 47.5 kilos at the Peel Region finals and advances to the Ontario's - again.

Paulina Bond, Malvern. Three individual gold medals at the Toronto District School Board swim finals. First in the 100-metre breast (1:00.58). First in the 100-metre butterfly (1:04.93). First in the 100-metre individual medley (1:08.45). Helped her school to finish - first. Then, she left for the Eastern Canadian swim-offs.

Brandon Bos, Markham. Some people have told me that I think he`s the best basketball player in the Greater Toronto Area. I never said that. What I will say is that he has more 25+ point games than anyone else. Try 39 in an 82-50 York Region senior quarterfinal win over Alex Mackenzie. He had 36 in a win over Thornhill too.

Jordanna Compagnone, Villanova. She had a say in her King City-area school winning a senior girls soccer title last June. Now, she knows how to score goals - for the hockey team. Try five goals in an 8-5 win this past week over Branksome Hall in a Conference of Indepedent Schools girls' Division Two ice hockey game.

Ryan Lenardon, St. Marcellinus. Stellar work between the pipes for this goalie in a 2-1 Peel Region victory over Mayfield. By the way, the win clinched a second hockey league title and improved the team record to 32-2-4 in two years. Some hockey fans claim goalies make a team. Well, he's had nine shutouts in two seasons.

George Mason, St. Michael's. I know he played in Orillia last year but he's apparently eligible to play hoops for the all-boys' private school in mid-town Toronto. How about 10 three-point buckets and a team-high 34 points in an 85-70 win over St. Thomas More of Hamilton at the Ontario Catholic Classic.. 

Jonathan Obiri-Yeboah, Father Henry Carr. A track team loaded with sprinters, he was the first to win a gold medal at the Hamilton Indoor Games - but in the shot put. Only 14 years old, 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, the "Gentle Giant" is believed to have Carr's first gold in a midget boys' shot put event in almost four decades.

Kevin Pangos, Denison. I did read someone say that this kid was going to be the next Steve Nash. I wish him well, but he's got a long way to go. He's a 6-foot-1 point guard, been on a provincial squad, played in a FIBA tournament and scored 41 points for his team in a 68-49 senior basketball quarterfinal win over Sacred Heart.

Nick Poon, York Mills. Another repeat winner in this column and deserves to be. Four gold medals (three individual and one in the relay) in the water at the Toronto District School Board swim championships. Last week, he did it at the North regional qualifiers. Now, can he do it at the Ontario finals?

Eric Yeung, Bethune. Here's the deal with this junior basketball player. He scored 46 points, almost as much as the opposing team, in a 94-47 Metro East Tier Two semifinal win over R.H. King. There's more. In the final, an off day - just 24 points in a 58-36 win over L'Amoreaux. Bethune is 24-3 on the year.

 

Wrestling Not The Same in Toronto Schools

Something called "The Whizzer" had a huge role in the demise of high school wrestling in the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Almost 30 years ago, an over-the-hip throw resulted in an injury that paralyzed a high school wrestler from the neck down. Jim Lorefice was 16 years old at the time, a student at Cardinal Newman High, and newspaper reports said that he was attempting the throw during a wrestling competition and fell awkwardly on his head. He suffered a broken neck and crushed verterbrae.

Not sure whatever happened to him, but wrestling took a back seat in the Toronto Catholic Board for years. Only recently have a few schools started up teams, but the Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association doesn't have a championship and the sport is not even mentioned on its website.

Some people don't like wrestling at the school level. Some do. I really don't care - as long as students understand the sport, have qualified coaches, officials are quick with the whistle and medical staff are nearby - if needed. Injuries happen, serious ones too, in many sports. I also know school officials shake fearing legal battles from injuries.

The Ontario high school wrestling championships, boys and girls, are set for Tillsonburg in a few weeks. Should be some very good competition - and the sport is very strong in the regions surrounding Toronto. But in the big city, a hard sell. Interest, even in the Toronto District School Board, isn`t as popular as in past.

I remember reporting from the provincial school finals last year and was very impressed with Johnathan Hatzis, a kid with the heart of a champion. He was born without legs and almost won the gold medal in his 41 kilos weight category. We could all learn a few things from his determination to participate - despite a disability. And how about Dustin Carter, a wrestler from a small town in Ohio, who also got through adversity to participate. Saw his video on You Tube.

Winner at Hoops for Haiti

Weeks ago, I remember letting readers of this blog know of a special high school boys' basketball event. It was held a few days ago, to kick-start the Family Day Holiday Weekend. A gathering of some of the better teams in the Greater Toronto Area attended - but not to claim bragging rights for yet another tournament.

This one was different: Hoops for Haiti. It was hosted by Pickering High School and it was the idea of teacher and coach Mike Gordensky. The name should be familiar to many by now, but likely for the wrong reason.

Gordensky is not Mr. Perfect, but he has devoted many years, and much free time, to coaching the school sport. Many people don't like him because of his success. They don't have kind words for me either because I think the guy means well. Gordensky is the same person who was suspended from coaching for one year - and not even allowed in a public facility to watch his team play a provincial playoff. All because he allowed two players an opportunity to be showcased for educational opportunities at a U.S. tournament a year ago. So the grudges continue - and by people in his own league as well as OFSAA.

It sure would be nice if the same people pointing fingers were consistent in their own policies and penalized others for wrong-doing. But, we won't go there now.

Alright, so at Hoops for Haiti, Toronto's Father Henry Carr may have jumped to the top of the senior basketball chart, in the mind of some, with a win over Richardson from Ajax. Vaughan, from Thornhill, also defeated Pickering. And Pine Ridge, from Pickering, defeated Toronto's Eastern Commerce, sinking quickly and some feel a team that hasn't recovered since former coach Roy Rana departed for Ryerson University.

I wasn't there because of a family death, but people who were said the event was fun with lots of excitement.

Gordensky did declare a champion after all: the people of Haiti.

While it may not be much to many, $3,600 was raised from gate receipts. People wanted to see some good basketball, but also cared about those in need. Kudos to the coaches and players who adjusted their schedules and time to do something to help people thousands of miles away - people that they may never see in their lives.

Maybe there are some people who have learned a few things about Gordensky - and about themselves too.

Ten Great Performances

Back from spending time with the family to mourn the loss of my mother-in-law.

Trying to pick up the pieces from the past week can be tough, so please forgive me if I leave a name out that you think should be recognized in our look at some of the best individual performances by high school athletes from the past seven days. And, as always, you can add names.

One more thing. Got to like the coaches who suddenly surface in the playoffs asking for special attention. Ah, where were they during the season? And, how about the coaches who also disappear when their teams - lose a game. I had always assumed there is more to coaching than winning games.

Now, 10 of the better showings of the week.

Keiran Brennan-Hinton, Etobicoke School of the Arts. He loves oil painting and has been accepted next year for university by major art schools at Yale and Columbia. On the ice, he can score goals too. Try six in 10-2 thumping of Runnymede in a Toronto District School Board Tier Two hockey game.

Justin Edwards, Anderson. He's a former athlete of the year at the Whitby school. Basketball is his specialty. He scored 19 points in a 79-56 Durham Region senior basketball league game. What's also interesting is that he has scored more than 2,000 points in his high school hoops career.

Seth Evershed, Michael Power/St. Joseph. I remember telling you about this kid when he played junior basketball. He's even better as a senior. Scored 24 points in a 72-58 Toronto District Colleges league win over a far from shabby Father Henry Carr team. Then, he pumped in 23 in a 98-61 thumping of Bishop Allen.

John Gage, Richmond Green. Still a relatively new school, hit has only won two games all season in boys' hockey. Forget that, it was his winning goal, in double-overtime of a sudden-death quarterfinal over Unionville, that put the Tier Two team in the York Region Final Four.

Danielle Gagne, Mayfield. She plays piano, is a part-time hockey instructor, raises money to help people with leukemia and is an honours student in school. On the ice, she's the backbone of her Peel Region girls' hockey team (now 8-1). Scored in a 7-0 win over Loyola and again in a 7-0 victory over St. Marcellinus.

Genie Gokhman, Mackenzie. Could be wearing a medal, if not at the Ontario wrestling finals then certainly at the Toronto District School Board championships. She won the 44 kilos at the North Region final and has finished third at the Cadet Provincials. And, she's only in grade 9.

Ilya Manukov, Lakeshore. He's had his share of silver medals in wrestling and, in his final year of high school, wants to leave with the Ontario gold medal in the Unlimited category. Just missed it last year, taking home a silver. Having won his West Region title, next is the Toronto District School Board finals. Bet on gold.

Miquel Martin, Downsview. He's got talent. Yes, basketball again - and he's junior age too. Fifteen times this year, he's scored 25 or more points in a game. He also almost out-scored two opposing teams last week. Had 43 in a 75-46 win over Emery and then scored 39 in an 86-36 clobbering of Victoria Park.

Nicholas Poon, York Mills. He won three individual races - the 100-metre breaststroke, 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre individual medley. Then helped the medley relay team also finish first at the North Region swim qualifiers. Now, off to the Toronto District School Board citywide finals.

Matthew Wright, Martingrove. He's been on this list before and many people believe he's one of the top basketball players in the Greater Toronto Area. He scored 19 points in a 58-53 semifinal win over Silverthorn. A few days later, he came back with 19 more in a 75-59 victory over George Harvey in the West Region final.

Death in the Family

I have your voice mail messages and e-mails — lots and lots of them. Thank you.

Many people who follow this blog have been very curious, quite concerned and just wondering where I have been the past couple of days.

No stories. No blog updates. Quiet. Very quiet. And, that's exactly right.

Some people even heard a reference on the radio last Sunday in Toronto to a tragedy in our family. That prompted more calls.

Last Friday night, having had a pleasant time speaking with students and staff at Parkdale Collegiate (my alma mater) and then having attended the Ontario Catholic Classic girls volleyball final at Loyola High in Oakville, I returned to the Star to write my story and put together the nightly package of high school results.

Then came the telephone call. Get to the hospital — and fast.

I moved quickly, but not quickly enough. My mother-in-law had passed away. These things are not expected. For our family, twice in 13 months. My mother went to her Eternal home in January 2009.

Yes, I have been away on what you could call bereavement leave. I have been spending time with the family mourning the loss of another special woman. My mother-in-law was a well-educated woman — a mentor for the family. It's hard to believe that Laura is no longer with us physically, but will always be there in our hearts and spiritually. Recalling special times, reciting prayers at services and even waking up in the middle of the night, I am still wondering — did this really happen?

What about my visits now to her? The stops to bring coffee and chat. Yup, even about sports. It's gone. Just like it was a year ago with my mother.

Well, it can leave you emotionally drained and with an empty feeling. It can also leave you thinking about how precious life really is and how we should be making the most out of every minute of every day.

I'll be back in a few days. Just had to let you know that the family is coping — and we "thank" everyone for their kind words, thoughts and more.