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Kevin Nagel, Oakville Beaver Sports Editor, knagel@burlingtonpost.com Sports "Connected to your Community" .Q I Ridge's Stuart | wins Oakville's i GHAC meet By Herb Garbutt § Oakville Beaver staff I only gold at £ --------------------------------------------------------------------- ± ± ___________________________ -c It looked like Ethan Stuart might have to settle for second place again. Having finished second to Robert Bateman High School's Koen Lytle at each of the previous two cross country meets, the Iroquois Ridge runner emerged from the forest 10 metres behind Lytle. It was going to take an outstanding final push to track down his rival. That morning, Stuart and his coach were discussing the race when the Grade 10 student let her know he wasn't going to settle for second. "We were talking on the bus this morning and he said, `It's alright. I got it," said Iroquois Ridge coach Kelsey Newhook. Over the final 4 0 0 metres, Stuart delivered on his promise. He closed the gap on Lytle and by the time they reach the final bend about 100 metres from the finish line, the two were side-by-side. As they approached the line Stu art got a step and pulled away to win by two seconds, completing the five-kilometre course in 19 minutes and 15 seconds. Wednesday's victory in the clos est race of the day gave Oakville its lone individual win at the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference cross-country championships. Abbey Park's Connor Bosy and T.A. Blakelock High School's Declan Adams (above) runs the final half kilometre on his way to a second-place finish in the senior boys' race at the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference cross-country championship Wednesday at Hilton Falls Conservation Area in Milton. At right, Sandra Guga of White Oaks Secondary School powers through the last leg of the course to come in second in the senior girls' division.j photos by Nikki Wesley - Oakville Beaver Garth Webb's Brady Afelskie, who finished fifth and sixth, respec tively, also qualified for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic As sociations (OFSAA) championship next week in Petawawa. A pre-race conversation on the way to the meet was also help ful for the Loyola Hawks, who captured the midget girls' title. Loyola finished two points behind St. Thomas Aquinas in last week's Kielburger Invitational, which was held on the same Hilton Falls Con servation Area course in Milton. "We had that conversation on the bus, that every position m at ters, even if you can catch that one person at the end," said Loyola coach Barb Celestini. "Grade 9s don't always get that, but this is a very dedicated group and they have a mature attitude." Both teams placed four runners in the top 25, but it was Loyola that took the title 63-64. Loyola's Victoria Percival fin ished third and will be joined at OFSAA by Mackenzie Widdup (17th ), Madison Anton (21st), Isa belle Cresencia (22nd) and Leslie Lee (52nd). "They helped motivate each other to push the limits," Celestini said. "They were good cheerleaders for each other." Aquinas will look to turn the tables at OFSAA. The Raiders will be led by Rachel Marriott, who fin ished second to Christ the King's Nicole Britton. "W e've got a really good group of girls so we're really looking for ward to (OFSAA)," Marriott said. Rounding out the Aquinas team are Layla Calitri (18th ), Laryssa Calitri (19th ), Victoria Taylor (25 th) and Erin O'Halloran (40th). It was the first of two team titles for Loyola, who had four top-20 fin ishers to win the junior boys' team title by four points over Ancaster' s Bishop Tonnos. Dawson Maloney led the Hawks with a sixth-place fin ish while Nicholas Legaspi (13th), Paul Gherghel (14th), Marcos Cisnero (16th) and Nicholas Matusiah (46th) will join him at OFSAA. Bishop Tonnos edged Abbey Park by a single point to claim the second OFSAA team qualifying spot. The Eagles junior girls' team did qualify, though. Abbey Park finished second to Georgetown's Christ the King and edged Burling ton's Frank Hayden by two points to earn the second OFSAA team berth. The Abbey Park team con sists of Stephanie Evans (third), Frieda Piepp (11th ), Sara Distefano (18th ), Debra Chemutal (35th) and Antonia Guo (62nd). 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