Athletics Winter Season Recap

The winter sports season is wrapping up after four months of competition that provided a number of highlights for the Greenwood Grizzlies. 

On the basketball court, our Greenwood boys competed hard all season. At U14, we had teams in both the Division IB & Division II levels. Our DII team showed a great deal of development as the season progressed. The DIB team achieved a perfect record, winning all six of their regular-season games. In the championship game against Royal St. George’s College, they took the victory with a score of 52-40. 

 

Our Junior Boys’ Basketball team enjoyed a successful season, finishing with an 8-4 record in their competitive DII division. In the first round of the playoffs, the team achieved an impressive win at home against Villanova College before losing a tough game away at Hillfield in the quarter-finals. 

 

The Senior Boys’ Basketball team’s record did not reflect their effort or growth throughout the season. Despite some tough results, the team beat The York School 64-50 at home in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Appleby College in the semi-finals.

On the volleyball court, all four Greenwood girls’ teams competed in the playoffs. At the U14 level, the DI team was beaten in the playoffs by third seed, Toronto French School. The DIII team lost at the same stage, in a close game against Toronto Montessori School. The Junior team worked hard all season and finished with a 5-5 record. They beat Trinity College School in the first round of the playoffs before losing to a strong squad from Havergal at the quarter-final stage.

The Senior D1 Volleyball team achieved a 3-3 record and hosting rights for the first round of the playoffs. Facing The York School in the quarter-finals, spectators were treated to one of the most thrilling games of volleyball witnessed at Greenwood in recent years. In a back-and-forth battle, two strong teams played exceptional volleyball but unfortunately Greenwood lost the vital sudden-death point.

On the rink, Greenwood hockey players braved early-morning practices and some long road trips. The U14 team produced a season that demonstrated real growth and was capped by a hard-fought tie against Royal St. George’s College.

 

The Senior Girls’ Hockey team narrowly missed out on the playoffs but their story was made by their rookie goalie Sydney Peel ‘23. A complete beginner to the position, Sydney helped keep the team competitive and even posted a shutout against Holy Name of Mary College in her first league game.

The Senior Boys’ Hockey team earned second place after a strong 6-3 season. After a convincing win over Crestwood Preparatory College in the semi-finals, the boys faced a difficult game away at St. Michael’s College and were disappointed to lose 6-3 to a technically gifted side.

In the pool, both our U14 and Senior swimmers performed admirably at the end-of-season CISAA championships. Among numerous personal-best performances and top-ten finishes, the undeniable highlight was the Senior Girls’ second consecutive CISAA U20 Girls’ 200m Freestyle relay championship. Sydney Acton ‘20 and Mara Baker ‘20 earned individual OFSAA qualifications in the U20 Girls’ 50m Freestyle. The relay team will also represent Greenwood at the provincial level, competing at the OFSAA Championships on Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4.

On the slopes, Greenwood’s Alpine Ski team enjoyed an excellent season. At the CISAA championships, among several notable individual performances, the highlight was the Senior Girls’ qualification for the OFSAA championships.

Greenwood’s Snowboard team lit up the board at the CISAA championships, finishing first overall in the Senior Girls’ competition and second in the Senior Boys’. With nine riders qualifying for OFSAA, the snowboard team made their mark at the provincial level. Graduating students Sydney Acton and Connor Ciotlos achieved incredible individual results, with Sydney finishing first and Connor finishing third in their respective divisions. Impressive individual performances translated into team success. Overall, our Boys’ team placed second and our Girls’ team took home the OFSAA championship title!

Clearly, the winter season saw a great many highlights and special moments worth celebrating. However, regardless of the number of championships, banners and medals won, the many lessons offered by these experiences, the majority of which don’t end with a victory, are what I hope our student-athletes take with them into next season and beyond.