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The Sandwich Sabres tracked down another title.
A strong performance on the final day of competition allowed the Sabres to overtake Unionville Bill Crothers and capture the school’s third consecutive OFSAA girls’ track and field championship in London.
“It was rough,” said Sabres’ first-year senior Jaela Bailey, who won four medals at the meet. “We kept our composure throughout the meet. I’m proud of myself and the entire team.”
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It was the closest finish in the last three years for the Sabres, who finished with 75 1/2 points compared to the 68 points put up by Bill Crothers.
In total, the Sabres captured 14 of the area’s 28 medals secured at the provincial track and field championships with 11 of those by members of the Sandwich girls team.
“This year, I feel it wasn’t that expected,” said Sabres’ first-year senior Ella Steel-Douglas, who also helped the senior girls’ team to a division title. “We had half the kids go to OFSAA in general. So, it was something we didn’t expect. It wasn’t something we took for granted.”
While no official overall team title is awarded, with the boys’ team earning 23 points, the Sabres finished with the highest overall team point total for the fourth OFSAA in a row dating back to 2019 with no championship in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That left the Sabres with 98 1/2 points to Bill Crothers 98 points after adding the boys’ total of 30 points.
“We only had 27 (athletes) going to OFSAA after having 41 (in 2022) and 37 last year,” Sabres’ head coach Rob Moore said. “It’s not just the gold, the silver and the bronze medals. We had one eighth-place finish (for a single point) and without it we don’t (finish with the best team total).”
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Steel-Douglas and Bailey were standouts with four medals each. Steel-Douglas took gold in the senior girls’ 100-metre hurdles in 13.5 seconds and added bronze medal in the senior girls’ long jump with a leap of 5.66 metres. Bailey won silver in the senior girls’ 100 metres in 11.77 seconds and a bronze medal in the 200 metres in 24.15 seconds.
The duo then teamed with Savannah Baillargeon and Janelle Davis, who is only in Grade 10, to take silver in the senior girls’ 4×100-metre relay in 49.14 seconds and a bronze medal in the open girls’ 4×400-metre relay in 4:01.08. Davis also added a bronze medal in the junior girls’ 300-metre hurdles in 43.76 seconds.
The girls’ team also got a sliver medal from Annie Sears in the junior javelin with a throw of 38.73 metres and bronze medals from Presley Meloche, who cleared 1.60 metres in the senior high jump, Brooke Ward, in the senior javelin with a throw of 37.93, and Emma Longeuay, with a toss of 12.14 metres in the senior shot put.
On the boys’ side for Sandwich, Colin Ditto won gold in the junior javelin with throw of 56.61 metres, Shaheer Hussain took bronze in the senior long jump with a best effort of 6.71 metres and Dane Thompson also earned a bronze medal with a toss of 55.29 metres in the senior javelin.
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“It really is anyone’s race,” Bailey said of the OFSAA team championship. “All these teams compete and it could go to anyone and I’m just happy it was us again because we do put a lot of work in and it’s good to see it shows.”
Massey’s Anieu Chan scored a pair of gold medals in the novice girls’ division and set a new OFSAA record in the 800 metres with a winning time of 2:08.13, which broke the old mark of 2:09.58 set by Waterloo Bluevale’s Kailee Sawyer in 2012. Chan also won the 400 metres in 56.07 seconds.
L’Essor finished ninth in the girls’ division and claimed three medals. Abbi-Lynee Dufour won a gold in the visually impaired shot put with a throw of 2.89 metres and a silver medal in the 100 metres in 27.67. Kaiya Hlady won a bronze medal in the senior girls’ triple jump with a leap of 11.53 metres.
Vista Academy scored a pair of gold medals. Kaitlyn Pepper won the senior girls’ javelin with a throw of 40.08 metres while Thomas-Daniel Tent took the junior boys’ 300-metre hurdles in 38.75 seconds.
Assumption’s Alyssa Rizzo won gold in the novice girls’ pole vault by clearing 2.95 metres while St. Joseph’s Anthony Cigan also won gold in the open boys’ intellectual 800 metres in 2:19.04.
Belle River’s Drezdon Howe won a silver medal in the senior boy’s 110-metre hurdles in 13.72 while teammate Brayden Labonte won a bronze medal in the senior boys’ 400-metre hurdles in 54.41 seconds
St. Joseph’s Madison Gravelle won a silver medal in the junior girls’ 80-metre hurdles in 11.48 seconds while North Stars’ Wakan Rainville won a bronze medal in the novice boys 100-metre hurdles in 14.24 seconds and Leamington’s Dakari Milks captured a bronze medal in the senior boys’ 200 metres in 21.22 seconds.
jpparker@postmedia.com
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