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The Canadian Champion. Friday, March 9. 2001- 21 Spartans buck the odds to retain OFSSA titie By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Against ail odds. Thai's cxaciy how E.C. Dniry High's pcrenniai pn)werhouse wrestiing îeamn remained amop [lic proîvincial pccking iirder lasi wcekend ai Guelph Memiiriai Gardens. Thle Spartans' 2(X) OFSAA contingent was oniy hait the size ni' ast year and none oi is members had ever medaicd helore - se, il's flot Inn surptising that their chances tor a successfui tilfe def'ense were wriilen oil hy inany experts. But Larry Jarosiawski's spirited squad retused lii accept ihis anticipaîed ['ail and tashioned a championship sequel that was in fact more decisive than the oiginal. Top 12 finishers werc deiivered hy ail eighi grapplers - whn coliectively oul-gunned Hagcrsvilie 169-145. Taking third place was Port Credit. 'The firsi champîonshtp is always the mosî excillng, but ihis one is much more satisfying because we weren'i expected to win," said Jaroslawski, whose îeam laiied in take ihis year's Haltono/GHAC crown but came away wiîh the bigger prize instead. -We wenî in with hall the numbers and flot exacîly a star-siudded lineup. But we beat the odds because these guys reaily wanted il. There's no oiher reason." Hoimes grabs gold Drury's OFSAA repeat was led by a goid medal performance from senior co-captain Chris Holmes. The 54-kilogram wrestler became just the fourth individual OFSAA champ in the school's history - joining Mike Devties, Chad Merriti and Colin Widdis - with a handfl of victortes. Foilowing a slim semnifinal decision over Korah's Ttm Day, Holmes put the tinishing louches on his tille mun by shading St. Pais' Greg Blois 4-2. "I tboew bim early in tbe match and jusi beld on (for tbe win),' he said. "I was more tocused ibis year. 1 medaled ai the nationals last spning and [bat boosted my confidence and took me to the next level. l'm very happy with ibis, uts always been my dream 10 wifl OFSAA." Co-captain Sean Bumham also wrapped Up his high scbool caneer in medal-winning fashion - securing silver in the 57.5 kg. division. Becoming just the eîghîh Spantan Io ever reach the [inals - aller an 11-7 win over former champion Roîb Stone that was unsuc- cesstulIy protested - be was defeaîed 7-3 by Resurreetton's Mitch Sanche. Before that. the graduating wrestler collected three sîraîghî close-loughi victonies. Said Bumbam. -I think il was jusi the motivation of ibis being my last yeur that really pushed me. 1 wanted [o place as higli as possible." Weight ciass teammate Andy Wadeson - wbo according [o, Jaroslawski symbolized Drury's determination last weekend - linisbed fourth witb a gutsy uphili climb afier dropping a close second-round match. The OFSAA veteran rallied wiih [jvc slraighl wins including a îbriiling overtime decision againsi Stone. While bis bid for bronze feli one point short against Parkside's Scott Dionne, Wadeson eamned the distinction of being the nnly Spartan in record tbree top- sis tinisbes ai OFSAA. Also linisbing lounbh was Rory McDoneil. The 64 kg. wresiler reacbed the semnilinals before losing to eventual champion Sean Roulston of Brennan. He rebounded by soundly deleating GHAC rival Tosb Jeffrey of Bisbop Ryan 10-0). Photo by GRAHAM PAINE E.C. Drury's Chris Holmes foreground) shows off hie OFSAA gold modal whiie wrestiing toammates (clockwise from bottom Ieft) Andy Wadoson, Rab Pothoricti, Rory McDoneI, Sean Bumnham, Adam Baxter and Matt Baxter proudly dis- play their OFSAA championship wrestiing banner. Absent from [ho photo la Mstt Knock. In tbe bronze medcoai final, McDoneli led îbrougb the early going but slipped white aîlempting to pad bis lead and got caugbt in an unlortunate pin. Drury's Baxter broibers - Malt and Adam, botb lirsi lime OFSAA qualifiers - delivered dynamite debuts witb fourtb and liftb-place efforts respectively. Mati bigblighted bis weekend witb an oveniime win against Hagersville's Ryan Dutcher in tbc semnifinais before iosing a ihree- point decision to Nick Trition of Perth in the bronze medal match. Adam came agonizingly close [o earning a trip to the gold medai round. surrendering a lead wîth jusi one second remaining 10 Ambersi's Pai Ferraz. He recovered in fine formi to blank Ancaster's Jimmy Feng 10-0 in the fiftb-place match. Rounding out the cbampionsbip squad witb top- 12 linishes were Robi Petberick and Malt Knock - a sophomore grappler wbo'll no doubi be a future building block for Drury. E.C. Drury's consecutive cbampionsbips follow back-to-back silver medal performances in 1998 and 1999. t/Heffron captures silver at nationals. Kevin Heffron's OUA wrestiing efforts were good enougb to bronze laie, st montb. But during bois university nationals debut iast weekend in Thunder Bay, Multon's gifted grappler one-upped biru- self - securing silver ai Use CIAU Championships. Thse University of Guelph freshman won ai but bis final match en route [o, second-place bonours and second-team ail-Canadian statut in the bighly compet- itive 54-kiiogram weigbt clasa. Along with bis medai-winning per- formance came the Gryphon's Maie Athiete of thse Week award - whicb two weeka earlier was won by feliow Miltonian Chria Denich. Denicb and Chad Memritt - yet wnolh- er local wrestler, and one of oniy four E.C. Dniry Spartans [o ever capture indi- viduai OFSAA goldl - eacb finiabed fourth, in the 68 and 65 kg. divisions respectively. TIhe local trio beiped Guelph grab aixth-piace team honours in Thunder Bay. Our new logo explained: eservce your . Full Une of performance la 141) improement prts avrailable ilu'. ) NEW LIFE AUTO * & o'th ot 32 Bmonte St. S. ! ibl)lapà (905) 693-9595 pàro Depot for Haltc n w