Bulldogs punch ticket to OFSAA
The Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs are hitting their stride at the best possible time.
The Bulldogs only managed two wins in seven games in the regular season, but have amped up their play in the post-season.
After disposing of the Thorold Golden Eagles in the Zone 4 AA senior boys volleyball semifinals and the Governor Simcoe Redcoats in the AA final, the Bulldogs now find themselves heading to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSSA) playdowns after a pair of wins at the Southern Ontario Secondary School Association (SOSSA) playoffs Thursday at E.L. Crossley.
The Bulldogs topped the host Cyclone 26-21, 25-22, 26-28, 21-25, 15-8 before sweeping the Saint Francis Phoenix 25-9, 25-7, 25-15 in the final.
Sir Winston head coach Garrett Goodbrand was proud of how his charges kept the faith during a tough regular season.
“I think we kind of just took it one step at a time. We had some troubles during the middle of the season, we were playing shorthanded, and we’ve gotten healthy in the last few weeks and it’s kind of come together,” he said.
Goodbrand loved the Bulldogs effort versus the defending champion Cyclone.
“It was a dogfight,” Goodbrand said. “Crossley’s really good. They’re creative and their coaches are fantastic. They are very, very good, like all the teams around here in Niagara. It was great competition all year.”
Churchill’s Landon Hewitt remembers how much it stung to lose to Crossley last year.
“It means a lot. Last year we really wanted to win and we lost and it was sad,” the Grade 12 student said. “It just feels amazing to win this.
“It was a really intense game. Felt great.”
Hewitt, who plays at the club level in Ancaster, said the Bulldogs quickly reminded themselves following the emotional win not to take the Phoenix for granted.
“We didn’t want that to be the highlight of the season. We got into the right mentality to push and get the nerves down and keep up the energy,” Hewitt said.
The Bulldogs did just that, taking care of business in less than an hour in the final.
“I think today, we had great energy, they played together and were aggressive. We never really got down. We didn’t have that big, long struggle. They stayed together, stayed up the whole time,” Goodbrand said.
The Bulldogs aren’t sure where they will be ranked at OFSAA, which is being held in Stratford.
“Very excited. We’re a couple of years removed from our last trip,” Goodbrand said. “We’re taking things one step at a time and re-evaluate what our goals are. I don’t really know how we’ll be ranked. We’re just trying to celebrate this, take break, and then evaluate that for sure.”
Hewitt, too, is pumped.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since I came to this school, wanting to go with my team. It’s such a fun experience and just playing with everyone and it’s more volleyball and I love volleyball.”
Other members of the team are: Coby Azor, Jared Cook, Morgan Digweed, Max Hall, Jaden Hoff, Jackson Hooper, Aiden Laundry, Ray Lindsay, James Lindsay, Jack McNeil, Brandon Plachy, Matteo Scaglione, Owen Scott, Cadyn Wilson. Goodbrand is assisted by Brent Mergl.
St. Francis topped Sir Allan MacNab of Hamilton 25-14, 25-18, 14-25, 27-25 in the other semifinal.
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