Written by: Josie Morwood
As the cold starts to set in, and snow makes an appearance, the excitement of new winter sports starts! But, before the school fully embraces the winter sports, here is a recap of KCI’s recent fall sports season.
QUICK LOOK:
Junior Girls Basketball - 2nd place in WCSSAA
Senior Girls Basketball - 1st place in WCSSAA
Junior Boys Football - 2nd place in tier 2 WCSSAA
Senior Boys Football - 7th in tier 2 WCSSAA
Junior Boys Volleyball - 2nd place in WCSSAA
Senior Boys Volleyball - 4th place in WCSSAA
Varsity Girls Field Hockey - 1oth place in WCSSAA
Cross-Country - Junior boys team placed 9th in OFSAA
Junior Boys Soccer - 1st place in WCSSAA
Sr. Tennis - 4th place finishes in WCSSAA
Golf - Players made CWOSSA
DETAILED LOOK:
Junior Girls Basketball
“Our girls had an outstanding season. Finishing undefeated in the regular season, second in WCSSAA, and second in the CWOSSA championship. These are huge accomplishments, and they earned every bit of it,” expressed Mr. D’Hondt, one of the Junior Girls Basketball coaches.
During their impressive run this season, the team racked up a total of 672 points with notable performances from Whitney Pedersen, who tallied up six three pointers and a double-double, for a total of 20 points against Owen Sound in the CWOSSA semi-finals, Sarah Baghdadi, who scored 21 points against J.F. Ross in their tournament semi-final, and Lindsay Schmid who played an entire game against the top player on the Glenview Parks team.
Congratulations to the Jr. Girls Basketball Team on an impressive season!
Senior Girls Basketball
“This season, we were a really strong group with lots of talent. Everyone stepped up, and we played with a lot of heart. Our teamwork and chemistry kept improving, and we really grew as a group,” reflected Mr. Stewart, one of the Senior Girls Basketball coaches. The team went undefeated in the regular season, scoring a whopping 770 points, and continued to dominate throughout the WCSSAA playoffs, earning their first place finish against Laurel Heights in the championship game.
“Playing in the WCSSAA finals was incredible,” said Mr. Stewart, continuing, “The pressure was high, but it pushed us to perform our best. Walking away as champions felt unreal, like all the hard work finally paid off.” Although the season was mostly smooth sailing, there were still some obstacles that the girls had to overcome. Mr. Stewart voiced his opinion on this by saying, “We faced some really strong teams at CWOSSA, but we stayed composed and stuck to our strengths.”
The team’s nail-biting CWOSSA games sadly ended in close cut losses, but the girls continued to hold their heads high. Mr. Stewart concluded by congratulating the team by saying, “Me, along with the entire coaching staff were so proud of all the athletes on the team!”
Junior Football
The Junior Football team fought hard this past season, scoring 79 points in five games, ending with a 2-3 record. They played some strong games during the WCSSAA tier two playoffs, beating both Galt and Cameron Heights, and ending the season with an effortful game against Preston in the tier two finals.
Mr. Roberts, one of their coaches, described the team as “one family,” saying, “I am really proud of our growth as a team through the season. We had some really positive wins and some heartbreaking losses, and our team really bonded from the experience of going through that together. We had some great grade ten leaders that were able to set high expectations for the rest of the team. Through the sunshine, rain, snow, and hail, these boys really improved their skill and dedication all season,” Mr. Roberts concluded.
Senior Football
This season, the Senior Football team left it all on the field, each and every game, playing with lots of heart and passion.
Mr. Horn, one of the Senior Football coaches, shared, “It was a positive and enjoyable group to coach this season.” He continued, “Football players spend a lot of time together and supporting each other, and it was great to see that show up in multiple ways.”
The team wrapped the season with an 0-4 record, but bounced back in the tier two quarter-final as they defeated Glenview Park, before ending their season in the tier two semi-final against the Preston Senior Football team.
All in all, the senior football team scored a total of sixteen points, with stand out performances from “two-way players” like Dylan Meagher, Brett Norman, Parker Whitefoot, and Tony Nguyen. Mr. Horn also highlighted the strong veteran presence from Branden Wenderoth, an experienced fifth year receiver who made some outstanding plays during the season and the considerable leadership shown from countless grade twelves, including Scotia Yorke, Ben Dryland, Chase Jordan, and Rowen McGregor.
Junior Boys Volleyball
This year, the Junior Boys Volleyball team played a total of twelve games, ending with a 7-5 record and scoring 976 points along the way. They then went on a remarkable playoff run, just falling short in the WCSSAA finals against WCI. The boys played hard each match. Even when they were down, they kept their heads high and continued to play their game. Some special shout-outs go out to Ethan Hill, who was able to bring his amazing play-making skills and volleyball knowledge to every game, no matter the situation, as well as Benji Bell, who not only was a great leader on and off the court, but also used his practiced skills such as strong attacks and accurate passes to help lead the team in the right direction. Congratulations to the Junior Boys Volleyball team on a strong season!
Senior Boys Volleyball
The Senior Boys Volleyball season “was a success!” in the words of their coach, Mr. Radstake. The team finished second in WCSSAA with a 10-2 record, and went all the way to five sets in the WCSSAA semi-final game against Grand River. The team accumulated a total of 32 sets won out of the 47 sets they played, and scored a grand total of 1076 points! Mr. Radstake described the team as a supportive and cohesive group, and explained, “They showed up and gave full effort in practice and in games. They always lifted each other up and worked as one fine-tuned unit.” Some shout-outs go to Diego Peralta, who was “an excellent setter and kept everyone involved in a positive way,” and Merek Rajtar, who was “a skilled, calm leader on the court.” Congratulations to the Senior Boys Volleyball team for making KCI proud!
Varsity Girls Field Hockey
The Varsity Girls Field Hockey team played a total of twelve games this season, ending with a 4-6 record and documenting nineteen goals! They faced a powerful Southwood team in the qualifying round, giving it everything they had, but ultimately put an end to their season. The team carried a significant amount of grade nines this season, most of them having never played previously.
One of the coaches, Mr. Hallas, shared his view of the potential this young group holds for the next coming seasons, saying, “They now understand the speed, intensity, and strategy of the varsity game in the WCSSAA league — and that learning curve is behind them. This group has the talent and the work ethic to become something special, and I fully expect us to bounce back into that top five — and beyond — in the seasons ahead.” Mr. Hallas would like to shout out “Our returning players who stepped up all season, not only with their play, but with their leadership and example-setting.” He continued, “Several new players made a real impact far sooner than expected, showing flashes of skill and competitiveness that usually take years to develop. Whether it was key defensive stops, smart midfield transitions, or breakout offensive moments, multiple athletes had games where they really shined.” Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Field Hockey team on a great season!
Cross-Country
KCI’s Cross Country team had an exceptional season, showing determination, diligence, and passion over the course of every meet, with many individual and team accomplishments.
To start, there were five teams who came home as WCSSAA champions (novice girls, novice boys, senior girls, overall girls, and overall boys)! From these five KCI champion teams, three continued to move on even further. The novice girls came third at CWOSSA, the senior girls also came third at CWOSSA, and the junior boys earned a first place finish! The junior boys runners continued to fight during OFSAA and came home with a ninth place overall finish!
Some notable individual performances included Sophie Herr, who came on top for the senior girls in WCSSAA just in front of her teammate, Erin Manning (a grade ten runner in the senior girls category!), Lauchlan Orchard, who placed 12th overall in senior boys at OFSAA, and Eveliina Gapakov who was 41st overall in novice girls at OFSAA (as a grade nine)! Congratulations to all these athletes who made KCI very proud!
Junior Boys Soccer
“Unforgettable ride,” are the two words Ms. Salmon, one of the coaches of the Junior Boys Soccer team, used to describe this season. The boys went 7-1 in the regular season, raking up a total of 29 goals and ending with a first place finish in the WCSSAA finals! When asked about the work put in throughout the season, Ms. Salmon explained, “The boys worked hard, learned from every game — including our one regular-season loss — and pushed each other to get better. Their willingness to communicate, trust one another, and play for the team rather than for themselves was a huge part of our success.” She then spoke about their final game in the WCSSAA finals against Huron Heights: “The atmosphere was electric. It was a tight, back-and-forth match, and you could feel the intensity from both teams. Our players stayed composed and fed off the energy on the sideline. When we finally secured the 1–0 win, it was an incredible moment for the entire group.” Way to go on an outstanding season, Junior Boys!
Senior Tennis
The Senior Tennis team had a strong season this year. From hardworking practices, to challenging games on the courts, these athletes never gave up. They made sure to always give their best, even in the hardest situations, and have lots of fun while doing it. Some notable performances from the team this year included Issac Tatsis and his mixed doubles partner Erin Neil. They played exceptionally well against some skilled teams to get their well-earned fourth place finish in WCSSAA! Way to go, Senior Tennis team. Keep making KCI proud!
Golf
The KCI Golf team put on a great showing this season. Even with the stress of there only being three days of competition in total, during the season (two for WCSSAA and one for CWOSSA), and the pressure of being perfect on these set days, the team was not phased. One player in particular thrived under this demand. Ben Schofield led the KCI Golf team through the WCSSAA competitions with his impressive low-scores, which helped him secure a placement at CWOSSA for the team! During this final competition, Ben played exceptionally well, leading him to a remarkable 13th place in a field of over 120 other golfers. Congratulations to the Golf team on a successful season!
What a year it has been for all of KCI’s fall sports teams! From incredible individual and team performances, to some remarkable overall seasons, these athletes worked hard every day to get to where they did, and KCI is proud of each one of them.
Now, onto the winter sports!