For Halton crown 'Cats claw Pearson

Those 7 a.m. practices held four days a week over the past two months likely won't rank among the cherished moments of the 2006-07 school year for members of Acton's senior boys' volleyball squad, but the Bearcats' commitment to winning has brought them to within one victory of returning to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations' championship tournament at the end of the month. The 9-1 Bearcats are the Halton AA champs for the second consecutive year after beating Burlington's Lester B. Pearson 25-19 and 25-23 on Monday at Sheridan College. A victory over Hamilton's Bishop Tonnos in Acton this Friday would earn the 'Cats a berth in the OFSAA AA finals Nov. 24-25 in faraway Dryden, Ont., which promises to be an adventure just getting up there for the 16-team tourney. "Our players have sacrificed every morning except Fridays to achieve their goals and it's paying off," said fifth-year coach Chris Braun. "We have the same team as last year. They've just grown a little more, become better co-ordinated through the summer and have got a lot more heart. We didn't anticipate that we'd even make it to OFSAA last year, but we went, had fun and gained a lot of experience, so hopefully we can do it again this year." Acton's seniors boast one of the taller lineups in the Halton region, beating AAAA teams such as Georgetown during the season. Norman Tosh delivered several powerful kills from the middle hitter's territory on Monday to lead a balanced Bearcat attack against Pearson, which brought along a boisterous cheering section. Braun hopes that home-court advantage in Friday's GHAC final in front of partisan spectators will spur Acton on to the provincials. Match start time is 3:30 p.m. The team has raised a little less than half of the estimated $8,000 cost of accommodation, flying to Winnipeg, and rental of a vehicle to then make the three-hour trek to Dryden.

Acton's Norm Tosh (5) and Bearcat teammate Brandon Nixon (10) brought too much offence for Lester B. Pearson to defend against in the Halton high school senior boys' AA volleyball final at Sheridan College on Monday. Acton's seniors won 25-19, 2523.