Redcoats hunting OFSAA AA gold
The Governor Simcoe Redcoats boys field lacrosse team is one step closer to its third straight appearance in the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Festival championship game.
Competing on its home turf Thursday, Simcoe won its third straight Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association AA championship with a 13-3 victory over the Holy Cross Raiders. The Redcoats, who won OFSAA gold in 2023 and provincial silver in 2022, now advance to OFSAA June 3 and 4 in Keswick.
“We have been working towards this all year and we have a really good senior presence from the players who have been in this the last couple of years,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said. “They were ready for it and they work hard for these kinds of moments. We have been going since February and all of that hard work pays off on a day like today.”
Part of the team’s senior presence is team captain Sutter Pilon.
“He brings the team together, he is a calming influence in the offensive end and he never lets the moment take away from his focus,” Brophy said. “He is a great lacrosse player and a wonderful kid.”
The 18-year-old St. Catharines resident plays defence for the St. Catharines Junior B Athletics but suits up at attack for the Redcoats.
“It is nice to switch it up every so often. I play attack here and then I get to go indoors and play defence. It’s nice to get a mix of everything,” the Grade 12 student said.
Pilon has served as assistant captain on previous lacrosse teams and he is a captain who leads by example but is vocal when required.
“Sometimes the team needs to be settled down and sometimes we need to get up for a game. This is a game we needed to get up for and our preparations for it were pretty good.”
Brophy feels his squad has gotten better as the season wore on.
“The biggest thing is the depth. We have got a lot of contributions from some young players, the Grade 9s. We lost some key pieces last year and to have them step up and fill those roles is great. We needed that time to get to this point.”
The team has several Grade 12 players and Brophy isn’t sure what the team’s turnover will look like.
“I am hoping we don’t lose too many but we are pretty heavy with senior players.”
His expectations for OFSAA is for his team to be in the championship game again.
“We want to play our best and give ourselves a shot. If we go out there and play our best with the depth that we have, I think we can do really well at OFSAA.”
There is no secret to success at that level.
“The experience from us being there the last couple of years really helps because we are ready for whatever comes our way,” Brophy said. “We know we are going to be in tough for a lot of games and it’s not getting too high or too low in any individual moment.”
Pilon feels the key to success will be to not take any team lightly.
“Last year we had a couple of close games because we went in and thought we were the best. We still came out with the wins but we have to go in humble and stay humble throughout every single game.”
He is looking forward to the squad’s third straight OFSAA appearance.
“The last two years, all of us 06s (2006 birth dates) have had leaders and we have learned from them. They set the example for us and we are all grateful for that.”
This will be Pilon’s last crack at OFSAA glory. He is planning to play at a prep school next year to improve his chances of getting a scholarship.
“It was the last time all of us in Grade 12 played at home today and it’s different. It is our last time playing for the Redcoats and hopefully we can get it done at OFSAA.”
Holy Cross head coach Corey Quinn was pleased with his team’s performance in the final.
“Simcoe has had the run of it the last three years but I also think in the last three years that we have given them the best run. It was 6-3 at the half and their goalie made some big saves. It could very easily been 6-4 or 6-5,” he said. “On offence, we were getting the looks we wanted and defensively we held the OFSAA gold medalist to six goals in a half which I don’t think has happened this year.”
The Raiders were in a transition year this season with a 26-man roster that included 15 players who had never played lacrosse before. Holy Cross still managed to win the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association AA title.
“We won zone again and we battled Simcoe to a very tight game and I don’t think they were expecting a game like that,” Quinn said. “I am really proud of our group. We don’t have a deep bench but our bench was committed to supporting the starters and the starters we’re working their butts off.”
He felt his team made progress this season.
“Our brand new lacrosse players all learned some skills and it is going to make us a better team next year. We are only graduating two players and we return arguably the best goalie (Casey Brander) in Ontario.”
Scoring for Governor Simcoe in the final were Ari Steenhuis (3), Kieran Raynor (3), Cody MacNeil (3), Kaleb Taylor (2), Matt Dalosio and Sutter Pilon.
Dylan Price netted a pair for the Raiders and Joey Young also scored.
SEMIFINALS
REDCOATS 17 CYCLONE 7
Governor Simcoe advanced to the SOSSA final with a 17-7 victory over the E.L. Crossley Cyclone.
Scoring for the Redcoats were Raynor (6), Ari Steenhuis (3), Pilon (2), Dalosio (2), MacNeil, Taylor, Reif Steenhuis and Braedon Mota.
Replying for the Cyclone were Josh Patterson (3) and Reed Oroz (2). The name of a two-goal scorer was illegible on the game sheet.
E.L. Crossley also advances to OFSAA as the second seed from SOSSA.
RAIDERS 6 PHOENIX 5
In a rematch of last week’s NCAA championship game, Holy Cross edged Saint Francis 6-5 to advance to the SOSSA final.
Scoring for the Raiders were Cohen Alexander (2), Sheldon Walker (2) and Price (2).
Netting goals for the Phoenix were Mitch Pearson (2), Adriann Alderson and Carter Mooradian. One scorer’s name was illegible on the game sheet.
