Athletics

Rugby:

Our STL boys' Rugby Sevens program closed out the 2022 season with all three teams playing in YRAA semifinal games at G.W. Williams Secondary School in Aurora.

First up, the Junior Tier 2 team took to the pitch against a very tough and top ranked team from Sacred Heart–who were the eventual Tier 2 winners. Our Junior Tier 2 Lions finished the season in third place after beating Dr. J.M. Denison Secondary School 15-10. The coaches are very proud of how well the boys played against every school’s first team.

Our Junior Tier 1 team took on Bill Crothers in their semifinal match just as rain began to fall precisely at kickoff. The slippery conditions and some missed opportunities saw the boys come up just short of a berth in the YRAA final, losing 12 to 5. The boys bounced right back with an excellent performance in their second game, to finish their season with an extremely impressive 7 and 1 record. Well done LIONS!! The future of the rugby program is extremely promising.

Finally, the Senior Tier 1 team saved their best performances of the season for the games that mattered most. In their semifinal game, the Lions took on a very physical Huron Heights team. The boys played a near flawless game winning 19 to 5 to punch their ticket to the championship final game against none other than Bill Crothers. Our boys lost their first and only game of the season to this same Bill Crothers team back in week one, game one. However, since then, our Lions embarked on an impressive run of seven straight victories to steamroll their way to the top and claim the YRAA Tier 1 Championship with a dominating performance over Bill Crothers by a final score of 26-5. From the opening whistle, the boys were not to be denied. Peter Arfo, Sebastian Lucci and Jonas Lood poured in tries for the Lions with exceptional passing from Evan Kazakin. Meanwhile, Grant Meadows and Robbie Pemberton absolutely toyed with the Colts on every single kickoff with Robbie's perfectly placed airborne drop-kicks and Grant's bone crushing hits that had the hundreds of spectators left speechless. It was the perfect ending to an amazing season. A special congratulations to all of the graduating players (show names listed below). You have left your long awaited mark on our program and school. That banner will hang high for the ages. Your coaches could not be more proud of you!

The boys will now proudly wear their jerseys and medals to celebrate with the rest of our school community!

Graduating Players:

Antonino Alicandro, Peter Arfo, Marcus Brentel, Evan Kazakin, Jonas Lood, Sebastian Lucci, Grant Meadows, Salvatore Naccarato, Robert Pemberton, Sebastian Vercillo, and Noah Woolston

Senior Girls' Volleyball:

This year, the Senior Girls Volleyball Team dominated the tier 1 circuit. The girls battled through many tough matches and managed to remain strong and determined. The girls had undeniable chemistry on and off the court which allowed them to make STL history by being the first ever Senior Girls' Volleyball Team to make it to the semi finals in playoffs! Mr. West and Ms. Talotta would like to thank all of the girls’ contributions to the team as each member played a vital role in the team’s success!

Tennis:

Another terrific year for our STL Tennis Team! This year we brought home the YRAA Gold medals in the OPEN Boys and OPEN Mixed Divisions thanks to Andrew Fang & Owen Wang, and Nicole Demian & Wei Lun (Hans) Deng. These two teams then performed valiantly at OFSAA in Scarborough as well! We look forward to seeing our young team grow over the next few years and become strong OFSAA competitors! Special congratulations to Andrew Fang as he continues his tennis career at the university level!

Varsity Co-ed Ultimate Frisbee:

The Ultimate Frisbee Team returned to STL after a 2 year hiatus and this year’s team did not disappoint! The Lions battled teams across the district in sun, wind and rain, but did not allow the changing conditions to interfere with their amazing athletic ability. Although there were many new players, they were quick learners and the entire team displayed their determination to succeed! Mr. West and Ms. Talotta are very proud of the entire team and hope to see the returning athletes next year!