Northdale Central dominates meet

   Dorchester school boasts two race winners, a team title, three teams in second,

    at the TVDSB final cross-country championships, at Fanshawe Conservation Area

Tuesday, October 17, 2017 (update: Wednesday, October 25)

By Rob J. Ross

LONDON, ON. - The Northdale Central Knights had quite a showing at the final meet of their cross country season.

The Dorchester elementary school won the intermediate boys' team title, placed second in three additional divisions (junior boys, bantam boys, senior boys) and had two race winners, at the Thames Valley District School Board elementary championships, held at Fanshawe Conservation Area.

As well, their feeder school, River Heights, won the novice girls' team title and placed second for novice boys.

Jaden Sabinagana led Northdale Central's junior boys' team, winning the 1.5-kilometre race, while Hannah McIntyre was the best of the senior girls.

Sam Willsie placed second and Jaxson Cragg eighth, in the race, to lead the intermediate boys to the title, along with Colby Baigent and Luke Wilson.

Coach Derek Hallman called it one of the best final meets for Northdale Central. 

"Everything just clicked that day. They fed off of each other's success. They kept having good races. They all watched each other and anything seemed possible once the first few races go well," said Hallman. "The kids have a great attitude towards cross country. Once you get the older kids sticking with it, it makes it a cool thing to do at the school. We have really good participation."

The same can be said for River Heights.

Hannah Collins, placed fourth in the novice girls' race, to lead the team, with Lauren Cooper, Kate Dimitroff and Clara Steller.

The novice boys (Emerson Monk, Will Downing, Luke Box, Trace Petitt) were second.

"We'll have all of those kids next year from River Heights, so it's exciting that we'll get to build on this next year," said Hallman.

Sabinagana climbed to top of the podium after working his way up over the past few seasons.

"He's a hard worker. He's been chipping away at it year after year. He's a very good soccer player too."

McIntyre was just as happy to beat a long time rival, as she was bringing home a gold medal.

"Hannah, she runs with legion in London. When she finished her race, she said about the girl who finished second, ‘that's the first time I've ever beat her'," said Hallman. "She was more excited to have beaten that girl then to finish first."

There were several Northdale Central runners who had personal best performances at the meet, including junior Nate Taylor.

"He ran well at regionals, but he ran extremely well (at Fanshawe), beating two kids on our team that he had not beat before. That made him our second runner which helped the team get their silver. He had one of the biggest improvements."

Bennett Thomas placed sixth, helping the bantam boys, with Carter Neve, Callum Savage and Cruze Campbell.

Joining Sabinagana, on the junior team, were Chris Hardeman, Charlie Box and Rowan Parks

Ashley Legg finished third in the open girls' race.

All this success at Northdale Central will have James Tennant, the cross country coach at Lord Dorchester secondary school, smiling. Tennant looks for runners from the grade nine students every September.

"Every year I give him names. He wants to know the kids to track down so they don't skip out on cross country," laughs Hallman.

At LDSS, the midget and junior boys won team titles, at the Thams Valley Regional Athletics Tri-County championships, earlier this month with many names familiar to coach Hallman, from their days as Knights.

BOYS

Novice

Team
1.  Stoney Creek
2.  Dorchester River Heights (Emerson Monk, Will Downing, Luke Box, Trace Petit)

Individual
1.  Jesse Martin (Stoney Creek)

Bantam

Team
1.  West Oaks
2.  Dorchester Northdale Central (Bennett Thomas, Carter Neve, Callum Savage, Cruze Campbell)

Individual
1. Beckham Edwards (Byron Northview)
2. Kirk Hamilton (Thorndale West Nissouri)
6. Bennett Thomas (Northdale Central)

Junior

Team
1.  Northridge
2.  Dorchester Northdale Central (Jaden Sabinagana, Chris Hardeman, Charlie Box, Rowan Parks)

Individual
1.  Jaden  Sabinagana (Northdale Central)
3.  Quinn Vindasius (St. Thomas P.E. Trudeau)
6. Fowler Little (South Dorchester)
9. Ryan Johnson (West Nissouri)

Intermediate

Team
1.  Northdale Central (Sam Willsie, Jaxon Cragg, Colby Baigent, Luke Wilson)
3.  St. Thomas Elgin Court (Dylan Oprenchok, Gabe Stiles, Damon MacDonald, Cooper Ellery)

Individual
1.  Luke Arezina (Centennial Central)
2.  Sam Willsie (Northdale Central)
3. Dylan Oprenchok (Elgin Court)
6. Andrew Monteith (Southwold)
7. Julian VandenOetelaa (West Nissouri)
8. Jaxson Cragg (Northdale Central)

Senior

Team
1.  Ryerson
2.  Dorchester Northdale Central (Jeremy Hardeman, Nate Taylor, Holden Campbell, Ethan Kent))

Individual
1.  Viljar McGee (Ryerson)

Open

Team
1.  Harrisfield

Individual
1.  Heath McAllister (Ryerson)
3.  Mason Basson (Sparta)
4. Aiden Coles (Elgin Court)
5. Tristan Coles (Elgin Court)

GIRLS

Novice

Team
1.  Dorchester River Heights (Hannah Collins, Lauren Cooper, Katie Dimitroff, Clara Steller)

Individual
1.  Amelia Hoogenboom (Parkview)
4. Hannah Collins (River Heights)

Bantam

Team
1.  Stoney Creek

Individual
1.  Sarah Jacquith (Clara Brenton)
2.  Kade Kewley (Sparta)

Junior

Team
1.  Masonville

Individual
1.  Teegan Garrett (Masonville)

Intermediate

Team
1.  Oxbow
2.  Mitchell Hepburn (Lexi Stanat, Kaydence Coffey, Clare Morrow, Ava Moniz)

Individual
1.  Kaitlyn Koyanagi (Nicholas Wilson)
6. Danica Kidder (Southwold)
10. Tereska Lukac  (P.E. Trudeau)

Senior

Team
1.  Masonville

Individual
1.  Hannah McIntyre (Northdale Central)
4.  Christine Annett (Southwold)
6. Sydney Murdock (Mitchell Hepburn)

Open

Team
1.  Ryerson

Individual
1.  Suraya Byam (JS Buchanan)
3.  Ashley Legg (Northdale Central)