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S P O R T SSPORTS EDITOR: STEVE LeBLANC e-mail slebIanc@miItoncanadianchampion.com r. i ________________________________Runners headed to OFSAA HiRB GARBU'rr / CANADIAN CHAMPION ROYAL RUN: Bishop Redings Scott Dermott, with Fric Labelle of Holy Trinity in pursuit, heads out in the early stages of the senior boys' race at the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference cross-country championships at Christie Conservation Area. Dermott finished fourth to qualify for this week- end's OFSAA meet. By Herb Garbutt METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Shane MacDonald likes to save bis besi for last, a rrend be bopes to con- tinue Saturday as be wraps up the cross-country season at the provincial higb sehool cbampionships. The Grade 9 E.C. Drury student qualified with a second-place show- ing in the midget boys' race at the Golden Horseshoe meet last Tuesday at the Christie Conservation Area in Waterdown. M4acDonald patiently stayed back, but within sîriking dis- tancc, before picking off opponents over the second half of the five-kilo- rneîrc course. -\ lot (> o pl spiI ni .ii tt bcgînning and they start 10 lose energy,' MacDonald said. -I use thai to rny ad\,antage.ý "lie bangs in there and ihen bc gives it bis ail." addcd Drurv coacb James Crowe. MacDonald managed to track down everyone in the field excepi for Abbey Park's David Watson, who won bv' 50 seconds. MacDonald, wbo finished in 18 minutes and 20 seconds, bad a comfortable 20-second cushion over tbird-place finisber Olin Flydorf of Georgetown. MacDonald didn't stant running cross country until Grade 8 after be 'found oui 1 was good at it' alter posting the best 1 ,500-metre lime at Hawthorne Village the previous year. Lasi faîl, MacDonald won the Halton elementary senior boys' title and in the summer he began train- ihg with Athietiques International, an Oakville track club. As he continues t0 improve, Crowe said MacDonald will play an important role on Drurys team. "He's a deiermined young man with great ability," tbe coach said. "He's only in Grade 9 so be's going to be a leader for our team in the future." MacDonald will he joined ai tbe Ontario Federation of Sehool Atbletic Associations (C)FSAA) meet in Woodbnidge hy a pair of Bishop Reding run- ners, Connor LeDrew and Scott Dermoîtt LeDrew finished third in the junior boys' race while Dermott was fourth in a bigbly- competitive senior boys' race. ' ' Reding coach - Maureen Morrison - saîcl I D h as sliot. n improsemeni ibis faîl. 1le turned in a top- 10 sbo\ving ai the McMaster mccicerlîer ibis vear and ihen Shane N sîepped up again ai ibe GHAC meet, running the six- kilomnetres in 22:36. "He riscs to tbe occasion," Mornison said. "He knew be had to bave a good race 10 qualify for OFSAA." Despite the importance of the race, LcDrcw still makes sure hes haviÀng fun. Earlier ibis year, he dove bead first across the finish line in one race and ai GHAC be scooped up a bandful of Icaves and îossed îhem in the air as he crossed the line. Dermoit had îough field to con- quer in the senior boys' race wîth iwo OFSAA medalisîs, Noire Dame's Juan Arango and Abbey Park's Dan Maîhie, finishing one- îwo. Dermnoit stayed witb the lead pack, whicb also included Holy Trinity's Eric Labelle, for the firsi lap of the course but îbey eventual- ly spread oui over final circuit. Dermoti finisbed the seven-kilo- la metre course in 24:58, 53 seconds off tbe pace set hy Arango. Alîhough he will be in îougb ai OFSAA - earning the third mndi- vidual bertb, he will start near the back of the pack - Morrison said the OFSAA course is well suiîed to Dermoît, who also plays hockey "He very agile. He can make moves and fîgbî bis way îbrougb," said Momrson. "And bis final kick (ai GHAC), it was like be was on a break- away. If voure an'- v%-hrc în bis sigbî. be*s going to catcb vot. Hes one of the: iougbesi competiiors, cDonald Morrîson also helieves îhaî Dermot will thrix'c on a sîcep bill on tbe OFSAA course ibat is sure 10 give many runners trouble. 'If's a long one and the heginning of it is quite stecp," she said. "Then jusi wben you îbink ifs over it keeps going, jusi not as sîeep. But belIl put forth wbatever effort be needs.' Milton Districts Melissa Gabel, lasi years GHAC junior champion, jusi missed oui on an OFSAA bertb, finisbing seventh in tbe sen- ior girls' race. Combining witb LeDrew, Mitch Adamson (l2tb) and Daniel Dcruz (22nd) belped Bisbop Redings junior boys eamn a fourth-place finish, the besi team. resuli by a Milton sehool. Other top-20 finishers included E.C. Drurys Brendan Danielson, l2th in the senior boys' race and Bisbop Redings Racbel Lingani, l3th, and Katie Healy 2Oîb, in the midgeî girls' race. NEED SERVICE? CALL ~g i -888-247-7001 81 Ontario St. N., Milton 'I &L"ea KIA MOTORS - M& - m %«oum NEED SERVICE? CALL /7/i ~~07 /- 7i 700-i-i 55 Ontanoi Mt. Ntorth, Milton