Redcoats ready to roll; Bulldogs advance to SOSSA
The Governor Simcoe Redcoats cruised into SOSSA with a convincing 10-3 victory over the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs Thursday at E.L. Crossley in a game that meant nothing in the standings, but plenty in other areas.
“I think all of these games near the end, it’s making sure we’re focused on the next steps,” Simcoe coach Jamie Brophy said. “I’m looking forward to SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association) next week.”
The Redcoats are hosting SOSSA AA Thursday, May 23 and will square off versus the E.L. Crossley Cyclone at 8:30 a.m. The Saint Francis Phoenix and Holy Cross Raiders play at 10 a.m. with the winners meeting 1 p.m. for the SOSSA crown.
Brophy said he made sure his players knew the importance of going into SOSSA on the right foot.
“We never take a team lightly, we played Churchill really tough at the beginning of the year and we wanted to make sure we were evolving every game and getting a little bit better and that we stayed focused,” he said.
The defending OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) champion Redcoats are eager to get back to the promised land.
“We’ve been going since February. It’s a long time and we’re kind of evolving and getting better day by day. To get to this point, the players are super excited. We’re ready to go,” Brophy said.
Sutter Pilon paced Simcoe with three goals while Ari Steenhuis and Cody MacNeil added two each. Max D’Alosio, Dylan Rawson and Kieran Raynor also scored.
Pat O’Farrell had two goals and Jared Cook one for the Bulldogs.
Sir Winston coach Kristen Corcoran said it is always good to play a top team.
“With these guys, it was more about playing some good ball,” she said of the Redcoats. “They’re a strong team and it was how to work it out and how to put pressure on them. The first quarter it didn’t work as well but they brought it back strong. It’s getting in that head space and getting ready for SOSSA.”
The Bulldogs qualified for SOSSA with an 11-2 win over the West Niagara Wolfpack in the Zone 4 AAA final earlier in the day.
Corcoran said lopsided games aren’t always preferable at this time of the season.
“It can be (challenging), especially when you are talking about attitudes and all those sort of things. It’s trying to get other players in the game that don’t see the field as much. It’s all learning experiences for them,” she said.
Sam Howe had three goals while Tyler Kostyniuk added two. Singles went to O’Farrell, Easton Poirier, James Lindsay, Ethan Enns, Owen Chesebrough and Simon Marshall.
Kason Edwards and Mason Trevellick replied for the Wolfpack.
The SOSSA AAA playdowns are scheduled for Tuesday, May 28. Denis Morris and Greater Fort Erie also advanced. Zone 1 from the Hamilton area will also send a representative.
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