36 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2006 Neighbouring high schools developing cross-country rivalry Abbey Park, Loyola top contenders for Halton championship By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Headlock R unning between Abbey Park High School and St. Ignatius of Loyola would hardly even constitute a warm-up for the schools' cross-country teams. But the schools, less than a kilometer apart, are close in more than proximity. When the Halton/Golden Horseshoe cross-country championship is held in two weeks, the Oakville neighbours should be the top contenders for the Halton title. Nowhere is the battle more heated than in the junior girls' division, where each school boasts impressive depth. In three meets this year, the Abbey Park Eagles have won two while the Loyola Hawks won the other. There's also an interesting individual battle being waged between Loyola's Paulina Maher and Abbey Park's Julia Friesen, who each have three "It's ironic that our straight top-five finishes. Maher toughest battle took a 2-1 advantage in that showwill be the junior down by winning the latest race at the Iona meet in Etobicoke. She girls, even though had a winning time of 14 minutes, that's our 33 seconds while Friesen took strongest team." second in a field of more than 250 runners. Abbey Park coach However, it was Abbey Park Greg Dailey that took the lead in the team race, although it took a tie-breaker to edge Loyola. In addition to Friesen, Abbey Park placed three other runners in the top 12: Jade Johnson was ninth, Ailey Jarvis 11th and Corinne Smith 12th. And although only the top four runners count in the standings, Sarah Malone's 20thplace finish was just as important in helping Abbey Park claim the victory. She beat Ariane Morency, Loyola's fourth finisher, to the line by one second, bumping her back one place and creating the tie in the team standings. Abbey Park had two other runners, Rachel Oliver (22nd) and Nicola Ramsden (29th), in the top 30. But even the Halton title is no guarantee for the Eagles. "It's ironic that our toughest battle will be the junior girls, even though that's our strongest team," said Abbey Park coach Greg Dailey. That's because Loyola also has an impressive lineup in the junior girls' division. In addition to Maher, Lindsay Bryant (fourth) and Alicia Knox (eighth) also turned in top10 finishes at the Iona meet. Morency and Megan O'Neill (36th) give the Hawks added depth. In the midget girls' division, both schools are contenders to claim one of the two berths for the provincial champi BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER BLANKET COVERAGE: Loyola's Mike Robinson (left) appears quite determined to bring down T.A. Blakelock ball-carrier Tim Hong during last week's Halton high school senior football clash, which Loyola won 13-7. Both teams are back in action today. Volleyball Eagles rounding into form Coming off a season in which they went to the Halton semifinals, the Abbey Park Eagles needed a little time to get rolling. The Eagles dropped their first two games of the high school senior boys' volleyball season, but got back on track Wednesday by knocking off the defending champion Nelson Lords 25-14, 2521. Coach Wendy Shute said it has taken some time to blend the seven players moving up from the junior team she coached last year with the five returning players. "It's nice to bring up all those players and have them fit so well with the returning seniors," Shute said. "And because I've coached a lot of the guys up from Grade 9, they know what plays I like to run." Matt Wildbore and Matt Donnelly give the Eagles some size up front to block opposition attacks while setters Tony Duc-Malagisi and Daniel Pass help set up those two for the Eagles attack. The Eagles opened the season with a 2-0 loss to T.A. Blakelock, last year's finalist, and then dropped a 2-1 decision to Loyola, a game Shute said the Eagles should have won. See Several page 39 See Consistent page 40 CANLAN ICE SPORTS OAKVILLE Get the Stink out of your GEAR! Clean your sports equipment Ice Sports Oakville's Esporta Present this ad and receive 20% off a full equipment wash REGISTER TODAY 905-845-6989 www.icesports.com