News and Notes: Wednesday

Loehle Suits up at Niagara
Former Monsignor Doyle PG (Class of '10) Josh Loehle has cracked the roster at Niagara College of the OCAA.

Here's a look at Loehle from his playing days with the 'Stangs:





Early Returns:  CWOSSA Girls "AAAA" (Senior)
It may only be late September, but it would appear as though a few teams have an early grasp on CWOSSA "AAAA" berths.

In the WCSSAA league, the WCI Vikings appear to be headed to yet another CWOSSA appearance, especially considering their strong start.  The second WCSSAA spot will be a battle between several other clubs, including Cameron Heights, Bluevale, Eastwood and Grand River.

The D5 spot, as always, will be coming down to either St. John's or Assumption.  The Green Eagles appear to have the inside track early --- but don't discount the Lions.  Keep in mind the core of this team won the 2009 "AAAA" junior championship.

Things seem a lot more decided already in the D10 and D8 leagues.  With the Centre Wellington Falcons and JF Ross Royals off to 3-0 starts, the other two "AAAA" teams (Centennial and Orangeville --- GCVI is "AAA" this year) are sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum.  Now, upsets can happen but based upon what we've seen transpire to this point, CW and JF Ross look like a CWOSSA spot is theirs to lose. 

Speaking of having a firm grasp on a CWOSSA spot, the St. Mary's Eagles have almost done a full circle of the D8 schedule and have yet to be tested.  Today's game against St. Benedict remains as the lone question mark --- if they can handle the Saints with ease, we can pretty much pencil them into the CWOSSA mix, barring some sort of disasterous outing in the playoffs.  Now, that being said, the Eagles will need some tough competition in their tournament and exhibition schedule to get themselves prepared for CWOSSA, as they appear to be the class of the D8 league to this point.

Early Returns:  CWOSSA Girls "AAA" (Senior)
The North Park Trojans are poised for a CWOSSA "repeat" but will have their share of challengers.

Early contenders would appear to be the the St. James Lions (D10) as well as the Elmira Lancers, Preston Panthers and the upstart Jacob Hespeler Hawks in the WCSSAA circuit.  A potential "darkhorse" team would be the Westside Thunder out of the D4 league; however, they would have to get past the Lions in order to make it to CWOSSA. 

-------
Still a ton of basketball to be played, but it's interesting to at least think about how things could begin to play out down the line!