October 22, 2021
The Saint Paul Patriots improved to 2-1 in NCAA senior football play Thursday night with a 20-8 victory over the visiting Denis Morris Reds (1-3).
“The offence had some promising drives but still needs to be more efficient in finishing drives,” Patriots head coach Rick Oreskovich said. “The defence played well allowing one touchdown.”
Performing well for Saint Paul were: Elijah Pappin with TD runs of three and five yards; Lucas Vetere with a 30-yard field goal and two converts; Tyler Rankin, Derek Amores, Erik Leskiw, Jack Busch and Marcel Salmen had interceptions; and, Joey Primerano made some key tackles.
“The senior football team had a very strong game last night under the lights against St Paul,” Denis Morris head coach Andy Cecchini said.
Standouts on defence for the Reds were Michael Ukiomogbe, Chris Paugh and Mateo Di Giovanni. Alex Meffe scored the lone Reds touchdown on a 60-yard pass from Max Barnowski and Luca Marcone helped move the ball for the Reds as well.
“The Reds fought hard but unfortunately lost 20-8,” Cecchini said.
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By Bill Potrecz - September 30, 2021
Emma Hemphill got a big piece of her life back Wednesday.
The 16-year-old, Grade 11 student stepped back on the court with her Holy Cross Raiders teammates for the first time in over a year after the COVID pandemic wiped out last season.
“I was so excited,” Hemphill said after netting 12 points to lead the Raiders to a 36-34 triumph over the visiting Denis Morris Reds in a Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior girls basketball game. “I couldn’t wait to play.”
Hemphill said there was so much she missed about suiting up for her school.
“I think the whole game, but mainly being able to play with your teammates and work together and it’s just a fun sport to play,” she said.
Hemphill did her best to keep in shape during the pandemic, working out online with her Niagara JUEL teammates. Emma Hemphill
“We did Zoom calls to work out or do ball handling and then once we got in here we were practicing a bunch of mornings, just trying to get some cardio in and get back in shape,” she said.
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By Bernie Puchalski - September 24, 2021
Notre Dame’s Michael Martel and Denis Morris’ Ben Hebert carded 77s Friday at Twenty Valley to top the boys division at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association golf tournament.
Blessed Trinity’s Mya Mackey topped the girls division with a 99 and Blessed Trinity (Cole Thompson 78, Caleb Shorthouse 80, Hudson Mielko 81, John Kingdon 82, Ben Kelly 82) won the boys team title.
As a Grade 9 student at Denis Morris in 2019, Ben Hebert was low man on his team at the NCAA golf championships helping Denis Morris advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association championships.
On Friday, he took the next step, tying Martel for low medalist honours. The 16-year-old Thorold resident came in to the tournament on a high after finishing fourth overall this past summer in the under-19 division of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour.
“I definitely felt that I could have been better,” the Lookout Point member said. “I had a strong set of rounds but some people just had better days at those tournaments.”
He was pleased with how his game developed this summer.
“I didn’t win any tournaments but I had some really good rounds and I shot my personal best at Willodell. I shot 69 so I was happy with that,” he said. “I have been working with my coach, Travis Glass, and he has really helped me the last few years to become the golfer that I am today.”
Hebert is planning to do winter training with Glass.
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By Bernie Puchalski - September 15, 2021
In 2019, then Denis Morris principal Dan DiLorenzo made the agonizing decision to cancel the school’s senior football program and rebuild from the junior ranks.
At the time, it was a no brainer with only 14 to 15 athletes attending practice on a daily basis in a sport where attrition is a fact of life.
Fast forward after one season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 campaign will see the Reds reborn at the senior ranks with a varsity football team.
“We had a good year with the junior team and a lot of those kids were turned on to football. A lot of them are coming out because they have been off for a couple of years,” head coach Andy Cecchini said. “And then we have a good group of (Grade) 9s and 10s that want to play. They have also been off and are excited about playing.”
Since practice started last week, the mix of attendees is about 20 junior-aged players and 30 seniors.
“I wouldn’t say we are the most experienced team. That’s for sure,” Cecchini said.
He feels it was an easy choice for the Reds to cancel its junior program and go with a varsity squad.
“It is the struggle with numbers. With 20 juniors, can you make that team work?” Cecchini said. “Now with 50 kids we have no worries about injuries. We have three at every position, we have no worries about fielding a team and that’s the big thing.”
There is a perception Denis Morris has a huge population to pick a football team from but that is no longer the case.
“I don’t think a lot of people know it, but we are a school of 800 kids. They still think it is DM of the 1980s when there were 1,500 or 1,600 students at this school. We are half of that now,” he said. “We are not that big, humongous school any more and to field one team makes sense. Hopefully we can’t be competitive and give the kids a great experience. That is what we are here for.”
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Cait Whittard made the most of her first appearance at a high school cross country running event.