Locals golden at SOSSA cross country
Three Sir Winston Churchill teams won gold and another silver at last week’s SOSSA cross country championships.
Five Niagara individuals and three Niagara teams brought home gold medals from the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association cross country championships held last week at Christie Lake Conservation Area in Dundas.
Sir Winston Churchill’s Marco DiFelice (senior boys), E.L. Crossley’s Matthew Kleinsmith (junior boys), Governor Simcoe’s Oliver Crowe (novice boys), A.N. Myer’s Kristina Etezadi (junior girls) and Saint Francis’s Mia Biancaniello (para girls) all captured individual crowns while team titles were won by Sir Winston Churchill’s novice girls, junior girls and senior boys.
The top two teams and the five fastest individuals not on qualifying team at last Thursday’s meet advanced to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships this Saturday in Lakefield.
MARCO DEFELICE
DiFelice took the next step in the senior boys race at the SOSSA cross country meet.
The 16-year-old Thorold resident placed second in the novice boys race at SOSSA in Grade 9 and following the pandemic pause he crossed the finish line first in the senior boys race.
“It went really well and I am especially proud of my team because we all knew that the goal was to win,” the Grade 11 student said. “For me personally, it was really good because I had someone with me the whole time.”
That runner, Westdale’s Ben Keller, hung tough before DiFelice ending up beating him by 8.5 seconds.
“Before the race, my coach told me he was someone I had to look out for,” he said. “He stuck with me for most of the race, we were neck and neck, but then I just peeled off eventually.”
DiFelice enjoyed the challenge Keller provided.
“It was great because it made me push my hardest and see what my limit was,” the Runner’s Edge member said. “I don’t think I could have run a much better time.”
He wasn’t shocked that he won SOSSA as a Grade 11 athlete.
“I knew there were a few guys in contention besides myself. I wouldn’t say I was surprised but I knew there were a lot of great runners to beat and I was glad that I was able do that.”
He has no specific goals for OFSAA.
“I want to do as well as I can with my team and by myself.”
DiFelice feels there are a number of things which makes the Churchill senior boys team strong.
“We practise very often and we have a great relationship with our coach.
The Churchill junior boys placed second at SOSSA giving the St. Catharines high school four teams advancing to OFSAA.
“The Sir Winston Churchill cross country team is a focused, dedicated and caring group of individuals that are driven to succeed and win, but even when times are challenging, they are there for each other and it’s all about the team,” coach Benny Ralston said.
MATTHEW KLEINSMITH
For the first four kilometres of the SOSSA junior boys cross country race, Matthew Kleinsmith was battling it out with three other runners, including Thorold Elite Track Club teammate Fenway Breckles.
“We were all going around the same pace but I was closer to the back of the back. In the last kilometre, I kind of took off from the pack,” the Grade 10 student at E.L. Crossley said. “I kind of surprised myself by how far I got ahead. I thought it was going to be a little bit closer with by friend Fenway who runs with me and our track club. He was with me the whole time before we both took off but I didn’t look back. I just kept going and I surprised myself.”
The 15-year-old Fonthill resident ended up winning the SOSSA championship by 13.4 seconds.
“It feels great to be SOSSA champion and I am just looking to build towards OFSAA and get the placing I am looking forward to there,” he said. “My goal for OFSAA is to get a top 10 or top five.”
The member of a Niagara United team that plays in the Canadian Youth Basketball League has seen his focus on running pay off this fall.
“There’s a little less competition this year because schools are not competing as much so I was tending to take it a little more seriously this year compared to other years.”
The cross country training will be a big help for his basketball career.
“It is good for my legs and it will help with my endurance as well.”
OLIVER CROWE
Oliver Crowe had an eventful start in the novice boys division at last week’s SOSSA cross country meet,
“It was very rough because I started off on the inside and it was hard because I was getting shoved and kicked,” the Grade 9 student at Governor Simcoe said. “I had to move to the outside and I was able to do that at about 200 metres and move to the front pack.”
The Niagara Olympic Club member was in the top pack at about 400 metres and for the next two kilometres he was running with someone from Dundas Valley.
“As I noticed he was getting a bit more tired, I was able to pick up my pace to be able to give a bit of a push and they weren’t able to catch me after that,” the 14-year-old said.
Crowe’s goal at the start of the season was to make SOSSA and he has obviously exceeded expectations.
“I wasn’t expecting to go to OFSAA and it has worked out well,” he said.
His new goal is to place in the top 10 at OFSAA.
“There are a lot of fast kids from Toronto and it is going to be very quick running,” he said. “I am going for more of a goal time at OFSAA between 14:40 and 14:45 for my time. That is what I want to get out of OFSAA.”
After OFSAA, he will continue preparing for club racing at the Athletics Ontario provincials and national championships.
KRISTINA ETEZADI
Kristina Etezadi had made a habit of blowing away the field this fall.
The Grade 10 student at A.N. Myer won the Zone 3 junior girls cross country race by more than three minutes and followed that up by winning SOSSA by more than a minute and six seconds.
“It went really well. I thought I would have to stay in the front because I didn’t know if there was going to be a lot of other fast people,” the Athletics Niagara member said. “I was expecting that I would have to stay up there with people and I didn’t think I would be leading it. The pace felt comfortable for me to lead so I took the lead and I stayed in the front the whole time and finished in the lead.”
The race was almost a carbon copy of the Zone 3 race for the
“Right away, I separated and as we got further into the race the gap just got bigger and bigger and I just followed the tractor (leading the runners through the course).”
Etezadi walked the course before the race but that didn’t prevent the jitters.
“I was really nervous at first but all the nerves went away when I started.
She doesn’t expect to feel the same way at OFSAA.
“I am more excited than nervous this time around because I have already made it here which is a big accomplishment for me.”
Her goal for the season was to place top five at SOSSA and advance to OFSAA but the results from her first two high school races have her aiming much higher.
“I know OFSAA is a lot bigger now and I am assuming there is lot more competition so hopefully top 10. If I could lead again and win, that would be amazing.”
Below are all the local teams and individuals that advanced to OFSAA:
NOVICE GIRLS
Teams: 1. Sir Winston Churchill (3. Zoe Quinn; 4. Thea Quinn; 14. Erica Boles; 15. Anya Namestnik; 22. Tesia Wilson).
Individual girls advancing to OFSAA: 2. Julia Tremeer, Notre Dame; 7. Layla Gallant, Thorold.
JUNIOR GIRLS
Teams: 1. Sir Winston (6.,Keira Scott, 8. Abby Brendzy, 15. Jolanta Clarke, 27. Bella Derksen, 29. Anna Maredia); 2. Eden (2. Chloe Dilalla, 14. Claire Moran, 21.Megan Denbak, 23. Anika Rigby.
Individual girls advancing to OFSAA: 1. Kristina Etezadi, A.N. Myer; 3, Carolyn Buri, Lakeshore Catholic; 5. Sophia Cino, Blessed Trinity; 7. Madison Douma, A.N. Myer.
SENIOR GIRLS
Individual girls advancing to OFSAA: 2. Alexandra Nickel, Brebeuf; 3. Isabella Goveia, Churchill; 4. Lauren Fennell, E.L. Crossley; 5. Lexi Clark, Grimsby; 6. Kate Ybema, Heritage Christian.
NOVICE BOYS
Team: 2. E.L. Crossley: (4. Max Myers, 5. Jason Sider, 14. Ryan Succo; 27. Benjamin Hall; 36. Justin Eden).
Individual boys advancing to OFSAA: 1. Oliver Crowe, Governor Simcoe; 2. Noah Read, Churchill; 9. Julian Van Hooydonk, Heritage Christian.
JUNIOR BOYS
Teams: 2. Sir Winston Churchill (15. Brayden Walker, 16.Owen Masterson, 18. Owen Lewis, 19. Jared Cook, 30. Giuseppe Perron).
Individual boys advancing to OFSAA: 1. Matthew Kleinsmith, E.L. Crossley; 2 Fenway Breckles, Governor Simcoe; 6, Kaden Shaw, A.N. Myer; 7. Graham Tomori, Eden.
SENIOR BOYS
Teams advancing to OFSAA: 1. Sir Winston Churchill (1. Marco DiFelice, 6. Lachlan Nelson, 8. Matthew Taubeneck, 20. Redding Maxwell, 22.Walker Rollo); 2. Blessed Trinity (5. Luc DiFlavio, 7. Reese Arnold, 9. Zack Joseph, 18. Evan Beach, 31. Nathan Joseph).
Individual boys advancing to OFSAA: 3. Adam Kleinsmith, E.L. Crossley; 4. Owen Munnings, Smithville Christian.
