WCSSAA Tuesday: Final Regular Season Day; Plenty On The Line

YTD:  67-9 (.882)

The 9 losses in the picks column sure appear a lot more impressive than double digits, but there are a couple tough games on today's schedule that could trip me up.

Before we get to today's contests, there was some business to take care of last night, as Waterloo-Oxford defeated Forest Heights, 30-12.  Payton Hofstetter (WODSS, 9) and Sona Khalifeh (FHCI, 6) were the respective leading scorers.

That win actually clinched a playoff spot for the Crusaders; I've updated my previous post on the WCSSAA playoff possibilities which you may want to check out again to see where we stand heading into today.  I should note that I had erroneously listed Bluevale's record at 10-1 after last Thursday; obviously their loss against Grand River means they're 9-2 --- so we could have a three-way potential tie between the Knights, Vikes and Gaels should WCI defeat Cameron Heights.


Now, on to today's games:

Cameron Heights (10-1) at WCI (9-2)
My Pick:  CHCI by 7
Without question, the game of the day here.  A Cameron Heights win would lock themselves up in the #2 position, but a loss could slip them as far down as 5th (depending upon tiebreak results), where they would be forced to play an opening round playoff game.  That said, if they can be as impressive as they were against Jacob Hespeler last week, I think they can sneak out a win on the road here -- but it won't be easy.

Galt (6-5) at KCI (6-5)
My Pick:  KCI by 9
The Raiders are always tough at home in their "cozy confines", and I'll take them to win another big game here.  Winner will likely finish 7th, depending on how Elmira does in their game.

Elmira (6-5) at Bluevale (9-2)
My Pick:  BCI by 17
The Lancers have proven to be tough outs at times for some of the top WCSSAA teams (just ask Cameron Heights), but they are much stronger at home.  That's why I'm going with the Knights here.

Jacob Hespeler (10-1) at Preston (2-9)
My Pick:  JHSS by 28
A Preston loss here would eliminate them from playoff contention.  Meanwhile, the Hawks are assured the 3rd seed, and could move up into second with a win and a Cameron Heights loss.

Forest Heights (0-10) at SJAM (4-7)
My Pick:  SJAM by 18
The Highlanders are basically locked into the #10 seed in the WCSSAA standings; they could drop to 11th with a loss but I don't see that happening here.

WODSS (4-7) at Grand River (11-0)
My Pick:  GRCI by 32
The Rens should complete their undefeated season (and wrap up the WCSSAA #1 seed) here at home today.

Eastwood (2-9) at Huron Hts. (2-9)
My Pick:  HHSS by 4
Despite their records, both teams have been playing much better as of late, which makes this pick even tougher.  I'll give this coin flip to the home Huskies, with a playoff berth riding on the line.

D8 Monday: Saints Wrap Up Regular-Season Title

The St. Benedict Saints went on the road yesterday and defeated the Resurrection Phoenix in another D8 Senior nailbiter; the final score this time around was 32-28.

The victory moved St. Benedict to 10-1, with one regular season game remaining (against Woodland).  Resurrection fell to 9-2, but even if the Phoenix win their finale against St. David and the Saints lose (i.e. both teams finish at 10-2), then the Saints would still get first place based upon their 2-1 regular season record against Resurrection.

The top-seeded Senior team also hosts the D8 finals, meaning that if the Saints win their semifinals, the D8 finals would be played down in Cambridge.

The score other game on Monday (MDCSS @ SMHS) wasn't reported by the timing of this post.

One junior game was also played on Monday, with undefeated Resurrection defeating Rockway by a 46-13 final.  Krissia Vasquez had 14 for Rez in that one, while Kat Dyck-Steinman led the Flames with 7.

D8 Senior Standings - "A"
1.  St. Benedict 10-1
2.  Resurrection 9-2
3.  St. David 5-5
4.  Woodland 3-7

"B"
1.  Mons. Doyle 4-5
2.  St. Mary's 3-5
3.  Rockway 0-9

D8 Junior Standings
1.  Resurrection 9-0
2.  St. Mary's 7-2
T3.  St. David 5-4
T3.  St. Benedict 5-4
----
5.  Rockway 1-8
6.  Woodland 0-9

D8 Monday: First Place On The Line

YTD Picks Record:  20-4 (.833)

First place will be on the line in about an hour's time at Resurrection as the Phoenix (9-1) host the St. Benedict Saints (9-1) in D8 Senior Girls' basketball play.

Both teams have split their games to this point, and have one game remaining.  Even if today's victor was to lose their finale, they would still have the "head to head tiebreak" advantage and would thus be awarded first place.

With a relatively quick turnaround since their last league game (one week ago), it will be interesting to see which adjustments are made.  In that particular contest, a 48-45 Rez win, both CC McGlynn (22 points) of the Phoenix and Afifa Salaad (18 points) from SBCSS had tremendous individual efforts.  Will that trend continue today, or will defenses aim to slow down the top two scorers in the D8 league?

Regardless, it looks like a coin flip type of game.  I'll go with the Saints by 3.

Today's other game is a B Division showdown at St. Mary's between the Eagles (3-5) and the Mustangs (4-5).  The winner of today's game will most likely assume the #5 seed in the D8 playoffs --- exception being if St. Mary's were to be upset by winless Rockway in their finale.

Alums: Two Former CWOSSA Players Named All-Stars at Laval

Jacob Ranton

The Laval Rouge-Et-Or hosted a 4-team tournament for both men and women this past weekend, and, interestingly enough - two former CWOSSA players were among the tournament's all-star team.

Horst during her W-O days

On the men's side, Jacob Ranton (Memorial University via WCI '13)  was selected, while Maddy Horst (Western U via Waterloo-Oxford '14) was selected on the women's side.

Definitely great to see, especially considering that they're in 2nd and 1st year of CIS play, respectively.  

In other words, there's definitely a bright future ahead for those two.

Here's an article I found from the St. John's Telegram detailing Memorial's Tournament performance and listing some of Ranton's stats from the event.

Junior: Eagles Edge Celtics at Lourdes Tournament Finale

It was a nice field assembled for Our Lady of Lourdes' Junior Tournament this past weekend, which was a seven-team affair due to a late withdrawal.

The bracket was modified with three "first round" games and Bishop Mac receiving a first-round bye.

First-round games went as follows:
North Park 52, WCI 35.
Lourdes 40, Bluevale 23
St. John's def. St. David

Bishop Mac, off their bye, knocked off North Park in one semifinal, while St. John's topped Lourdes in the other.

With the draw's modified format, North Park then moved over to the consolation side, where they defeated St. David in one consolation semifinal, 35-19.

The other consolation semifinal had WCI defeating Bluevale, 43-23.  In their second meeting of the tournament, North Park knocked off WCI in the consolation final by a score of 41-32.

The Green Eagles (pictured) took home the tournament title, posting a tight win over Bishop Mac.

Senior Girls: Three Ranked CWOSSA Teams @ Ram Classic

Over the weekend, three ranked CWOSSA senior girls' teams participated in the Etobicoke CI "Ram Classic" -- #5 Bishop Mac, #6 Bluevale, and #7 WCI.

Against tough competition, all three squads would pick up at least one win during the tournament.

That said, as fate would have it, two of those teams --- Bishop Mac & WCI, traveled all the way to meet each other in the first round, which ended up as a nail-biting 42-40 victory for the Celtics.

Bluevale's first-round game was a 57-26 loss to St. Patrick's of Sarnia (who would be the tournament's silver medalists).

On the championship side, Bishop Mac lost a 56-36 decision to Toronto Northern in the consolation quarterfinals, and then in a "championship friendly" were defeated by General Amherst of Amherstburg, 56-41.

Bluevale dropped their consolation quarterfinal by a 40-30 score to Michael Power (Toronto), but rebounded in their finale to take out the host Etobicoke CI squad, 29-26.

The Vikings put together a nice run on the consolation side of the bracket, nipping Burlington Assumption 43-42 in a consolation quarterfinal before taking out Bishop Allen 57-50 in the consolation semifinals.

Michael Power defeated the Vikes in the consolation final, 39-35.

Senior: Spartans Win Earl Haig Classic in Toronto

The Centennial Spartans went 3-0 last Friday en route to the championship at the Earl Haig Classic in Toronto.

The event was a 6-team, pool play affair which saw the Spartans matched up with the hosts from Earl Haig and Newtonbrook SS (Toronto) in their opening games.

The Spartans easily dispatched Newtonbrook, 37-12, with Emma Cain's scoring effort equaling that of Centennial's opponent (12 points).

The Spartans then defeated hosts Earl Haig, 41-31.  Carter Godman topped a balanced Spartan attack with 9 points in that one.

The championship final was a low-scoring affair, but the Spartans got the job done by topping Vaughan Road CI, 32-21.  Cain netted 16 points in that one, and was subsequently awarded the tournament's MVP.

WCSSAA Senior: Playoff Picture

With only one game left on the schedule, there's still a lot to be figured out in terms of the Senior playoff picture.

Here's what I'm projecting:

1.  Grand River
The Rens will be heavily favoured in their finale against WODSS.  A win, and they clinch the top seed overall (and finish a perfect regular season).  Pretty straightforward.

2.  Cameron Heights
This is certainly the biggest question mark.  In fact, if Cameron Heights loses to WCI, they could finish as low as 5th --- depending on the outcome of a three-way tiebreaker which I haven't sorted out just yet.  A win, and they'll likely be second on a head to head  tiebreak (win over Jacob Hespeler).

3.  Jacob Hespeler
The Hawks should defeat Preston in their finale, and then get the tiebreak benefit of their regular season win over Bluevale.  A Cameron loss would bump the Hawks up to second.

4.  Bluevale
The Knights have a win over WCI, which could come into play if the Vikes defeat Cameron.  Based upon this projection, though, I have the Knights in 4th.  They face Elmira in their finale.

5.  WCI
The Vikes certainly control their destiny.  They've locked up the 5th seed, and could move up into first round bye territory (3rd/4th) with a win over the Gaels.

6.  Southwood
The Sabres are safely locked into the #6 spot.  They have a "bye win" in their finale, and will finish at 8-4.

7.  KCI
The Raiders and the Ghosts will play in their regular-season finale, and the winner will get the 7th seed.  KCI has a head-to-head win over the other team they're currently tied with, Elmira.

8.  Elmira
The Lancers have the tough Knights in their finale, but they do have a H2H tiebreak over Galt should both those teams lose.  If the Raiders lose to Galt, Elmira would finish 9th.

9.  Galt
Galt will finish 7th with a win, or 9th with a loss against KCI -- pretty straightforward.

10.  SJAM
The 'Landers have Forest Heights left, which should give them the win they need to secure 10th overall in the standings.

11.  WODSS
A win against FHCI (on Monday - rescheduled game) officially clinched a playoff berth for the Crusaders.  They finish on Tuesday against Grand River.

12.  Huron Heights or Eastwood
There are three teams currently tied for 12th place in the standings, and Preston looks like they have the toughest route to a playoff berth (playing JHSS in their last game).  Whoever wins this one is in, while the loser is out. 

Non-Playoff Teams:

13.  Loser of HHSS/ECI game

14.  Preston

15.  Forest Heights - already eliminated

WCSSAA Junior: Playoff Picture

For starters, just a quick note that the FHCI-WODSS game that was postponed back in September due to a rim/net issue at Waterloo-Oxford will be played on Monday.

So, those teams have two games still on the schedule, while the remaining teams have one.

Let's take a look at who might finish where after Tuesday's games are played:

1.  SJAM
This one is self-explanatory --- the Highlanders haven't yet been touched in league play.  They conclude their schedule against Forest Heights (1-9).  Pretty safe bet here.

2.  WODSS
The Crusaders, as a result of having defeated JHSS head-to-head, have the inside track for second place in the standings provided that they can beat FHCI (1-9) and Grand River (4-7) in their remaining two games.  Pretty good chance that will happen.

3.  Jacob Hespeler
The Hawks have the toughest remaining game of the top three teams, drawing Preston (7-4) in their finale.  Regardless, they can finish no worse than 3rd in the standings.

4.  Galt
The Ghosts (8-3) are one game clear of the 5-7 logjam in the WCSSAA standings and have KCI (1-10) in their final game.  Look for the Ghosts to lock down the 4 seed and the first round playoff bye.

5/6.  Elmira & Huron Hts.
Both these teams have winnable games left; Elmira gets Bluevale while Huron Heights takes on Eastwood.  As they did not meet during the regular season, we'd have to take a closer look at the tiebreak scenarios.

7/8.  Preston or Cameron Hts.
The Panthers have the toughest remaining game (JHSS) of those teams tied at 7-4.  However, given their loss to Cameron Heights, they could slip down to #8 should they lose and Cameron Heights win (over WCI).

9.  WCI
There's two options for the Vikes --- 8th or 9th.  A win against CHCI = 8th, while a loss means the Vikes will finish 9th.

10.  Eastwood
Even if they don't win against Huron Heights, the Rebels are looking like they will finish in 10th regardless.  They have beaten the two other teams that they're (projected to be) tied with, Grand River and Glenview Park.

11.  Grand River
The Rens will be in tough against WODSS in their finale, but should be able to get the 11th spot based upon their H2H win over Glenview Park.

12.  Glenview Park
How big was that win over WCI?  Without it, the Panthers would definitely be on the outside looking in.  Now, they're a Bluevale loss (against Elmira) away from an assured playoff berth.

Non-Playoff Teams....

13.  Bluevale
Eastwood and Grand River already have 4 wins, and GPSS gets their 4th due to the "bye win" next Tuesday.  As such, the Knights will need to defeat Elmira to have a shot at the playoffs.

**Forest Heights & KCI Already Eliminated From Playoff Contention**

CWOSSA Senior Girls' Top 10: Week 5

Things seem to be settling into place as far as the Senior CWOSSA rankings are concerned; St. John's continues to lead the way as usual followed by Grand River and Cameron Heights -- two teams that are playing very well right now.

That said, there is some parity (depth) in the senior circuit this year; the 6-10 teams (Bluevale, WCI, Centennial, NPC and Brantford) are arguably the strongest in the history of the rankings.

1.  St. John's Green Eagles / Brantford (1)

2.  Grand River Renegades / Kitchener (2)

3.  Cameron Heights Golden Gaels / Kitchener (3)

4.  Jacob Hespeler Hawks / Cambridge (4)

5.  Bishop Macdonell Celtics / Guelph (5)

6.  Bluevale Knights / Waterloo (T6)

7.  Waterloo CI Vikings / Waterloo (T6)

8.  Centennial Spartans / Guelph (9)

9.  North Park Trojans / Brantford (8)

10.  Brantford CI Mustangs / Brantford (10)

CWOSSA Junior Girls Top 10: Week 5

Not too much shifting this week in the rankings, but there is a potential game to keep an eye on --- assuming all goes to form, #1 Resurrection and #3 Brantford CI will likely meet this evening at Centennial CVI in tournament play.

Brantford CI kept their perfect D5 record in tact yesterday by taking out #4 Brantford St. John's, 32-24.

Here's the ranking for this week, with last week's in brackets:

1.  Resurrection Phoenix / Kitchener (1)

2.  SJAM Highlanders / Waterloo (2)

3.  Brantford CI Colts / Brantford (3)

4.  St. John's Green Eagles / Brantford (4)

5.  Bishop Macdonell Celtics / Guelph (7)

6.  St. Mary's Eagles / Kitchener (6)

7.  Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders / Baden (8)

8.  North Park Trojans / Brantford (5)

9.  Lourdes Crusaders / Guelph (9)

10.  Jacob Hespeler Hawks / Cambridge (10)

WCSSAA Senior: Rens, Gaels Pass Big Tests

And then there was one.

When the dust settled from WCSSAA Senior Girls' play on Thursday, the Grand River Renegades were at the top of the standings heap as the lone remaining unbeaten team.

The Rens (11-0) had to overcome a 6-point halftime deficit to knock off the Bluevale Knights, 60-51.  Nyamuoch Teny poured in 20 points while Maya Day added 10 in the win; Julia Curran also put home 20 for Bluevale with Rachael Hamm knocking in 13.

The other big game on Thursday saw Cameron Heights open up an early double-digit lead on Jacob Hespeler (15-4 after one) and maintain that advantage for much of the game, winning by a final of 49-35.

Andjela Stankovic had 16 and Hunter Johns 15 for the Gaels; Candice Wright was strong in defeat for the Hawks with 21 while Jasmine Ramcharan added 6.

Thursday's results mean that Bluevale, Jacob Hespeler, and Cameron Heights are now all tied for second in the standings with 10-1 records.  In case you're curious, Cameron Heights has the toughest remaining game (WCI), while Bluevale gets an Elmira team that can't be overlooked.  Jacob Hespeler will be heavily favoured in their finale against Cambridge rival Preston.

Here's the other results from Thursday:

Elmira 32, WODSS 29
My Pick:  EDSS by 9
The "Battle of the Barns" lived up to its name in this one, with the Lancers taking the 3-point road win.  Karley Sider had 11 and Nicole Cressman 9 for the Lancers, while Payton Hofstetter (13) and Tess Pettigrew (12) were both in double-figures for WO.

Galt 47, Forest Hts. 39
My Pick:  GCI by 23
The Trojans kept things close against the Ghosts, but were unable to get their first win of the season.  Sophie Caiton (13) and Emma Buck (11) had double-digit Galt scoring efforts, while Linna Liou had a game-high 20 points for the Trojans.

KCI 40, SJAM 29
My Pick:  KCI by 15
The Raiders moved above .500 with this win, thanks to 13 from Amy Graves and 11 by Frances Campbell.  Taylor Trush had a game-high 15 for SJAM, with Nicole Trekiokas adding 7.

WCI 40, Preston 22
My Pick:  WCI by 32
Danielle Sauve (13) and Kaylee Anagnostopoulos (11) chipped in double-digit efforts as the Vikes kept their hopes of a first-round playoff berth alive.  Maddie Devries had 10 for the Panthers.

Southwood 52, Eastwood 30
My Pick:  SSS by 28
The Sabres, who will also pick up a bye win next Tuesday in the league's final scheduled game date, end their season on a winning note on the road at ECI.  Taylor White had 16 and Eden Westlake 12 for the Sabres; Mel Samuel put home 13 for the Rebels.

WCSSAA Senior Standings
1.  Grand River 11-0**
T2.  Cameron Hts. 10-1**
T2.  Jacob Hespeler 10-1**
T4.  Bluevale 9-2**
T4.  WCI 9-2**
6.  Southwood 7-4**
T7.  Elmira 6-5**
T7.  Galt 6-5**
T7.  KCI 6-5**
10.  SJAM 4-7**
11.  WODSS 3-7
T12.  Eastwood 2-9
T12.  Preston 2-9
T12.  Huron Hts. 2-9
15.  Forest Hts. 0-10

** - clinched playoff berth

WCSSAA Junior: Top 4 Teams Continue To Roll

The league's top four Junior teams --- SJAM, Jacob Hespeler, WODSS, and Galt --- all continued their winning ways on Thursday afternoon in WCSSAA basketball.

Only one game on Thursday was decided by single digits, and it was an 8-point win for Grand River over Bluevale.  It was an important win for the Rens, as both teams entered the game tied for 10th (3-7), with only the top twelve teams making the playoffs.

Here's the scoring rundown from Thursday:

WODSS 35, Elmira 14
The Crusaders held their opposition under 20 points for the third consecutive game here on Thursday.  Emily Glendinning paced the offensive attack, with 15 points, while Madeline and Rachel Woolvett added 6 each.  Natalie Mayer and Cobi Morris had 4 each for the Lancers.

Galt 49, Forest Hts. 24
The Ghosts' win combined with Elmira's loss moves Galt into sole possession of 4th place.  Rachel Clement (10) and Erin Woeller (8) led the way for GCI, while Natalie Walsh had a nice effort for the Trojans, scoring a game-high 11.

Grand River 41, Bluevale 33
As I mentioned at the top of this post, a big win for the Rens here.  Jenna Crawford had 9 for the Rens, while Avery Webster (13) and Becca Sanchez (10) topped the Bluevale scoring.

Jacob Hespeler 31, Cameron Hts. 18
The Hawks kept pace with the other top teams in the league, backed by an 11-point effort by Maddy Arbuckle and 8 more from Charlotte Clifford and Amy Claydon.  Tamara Grahovac had 6 to lead the Gaels.

SJAM 53, KCI 19
Ho-hum.  Another day, another big SJAM victory as they stay perfect in WCSSAA play.  Serena Barry and Joanna Bamberger each had 13 in the win for the 'Landers, while Simone Clarke led the Raiders with 8.

Preston 40, WCI 32
Big win for the Panthers here in this battle of teams that entered the game at 6-4.  Brooke Davidson (16) and Blaire Raftis (9) again did much of the damage for Preston, while Emma Cheeseman (13) and Victoria Giguere (10) had double-digit efforts for WCI.

Huron Hts. 27, Glenview Park 14
A defensive battle --- that featured  a pretty impressive offensive performance, actually, as Huron's Jamila Beckford poured in 19 points in the win.  Chuchu Oyual led the Panthers with 5.

WCSSAA Junior Standings
1.  SJAM 11-0**
2.  Jacob Hespeler 10-1**
3.  WODSS 9-1**
4.  Galt 8-3**
T5.  Elmira 7-4**
T5.  Huron Hts. 7-4**
T5.  Preston 7-4**
T8.  WCI 6-5**
T8.  Cameron Hts. 6-5**
T10.  Eastwood 4-7
T10.  Grand River 4-7
T12.  Bluevale 3-8
T12.  Glenview Park 3-8
14.  Forest Hts. 1-9
15.  KCI 1-10

** - clinched playoff berth

(Note:  SJAM, Jacob Hespeler, and WODSS have all clinched first-round byes, which go to the top 4 teams in the standings)

D10 Thursday: Celtics Wrap Up Top Spot

It certainly didn't come easy, but the Bishop Mac Celtics locked up top spot in the D10 Senior Girls' league with a narrow 35-33 over the Centennial Spartans at home last night.

The victory puts Bishop Mac (11-1) two games up on Centennial (9-3) with two games to play; however, even if the teams would tie Bishop Mac owns the head-to-head tiebreak having won both regular season games between the clubs.

In Thursday's affair, Cindy Seke had 9 and Tianna Sullivan 7 for the Celts, while Emma Cain (14) and Hannah Newman (13) did most of the damage for Centennial.

In other action on Thursday:

Lourdes 43, St. James 37
My Pick:  OLOL by 10
The Crusaders had to rally from a 10-point second half deficit in this one, and the win ensured that they will finish no worse than 5th in the D10 standings.  Rainey Psenicka knocked home 16 points with Elise Roche adding 9 for OLOL; Meghan Santi (13) and Caroline Bombino (8) were the top Lion scorers.

JF Ross 44, Guelph CVI 40
My Pick:  GCVI by 4
The Royals snuck past the Gaels on the road and assumed sole possession of 3rd place in the D10 standings.  Maddie Darling had a game-high 15 points for Ross, with Mya Leacock adding 11.  Sydney Wilson put home 14 points for GC.

CWDHS 49, Orangeville 30
My Pick:  CWDHS by 11
The Falcons topped the winless Bears and wrapped up 7th place in the D10 standings.  Nikki Sinkner (13) and Maddie Fennell (12) provided double-digit Falcon efforts, while Acacia Smith led Orangeville with 8.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 11-1
2.  Centennial 9-3
3.  JF Ross 8-4
T4.  Guelph CVI 7-5
T4.  Lourdes 7-5
6.  St. James 4-8
7.  CWDHS 2-10
8.  Orangeville 0-12

Junior
Bishop Mac 62, Centennial 39
The Junior Celts are still unbeaten after a big win over third place Centennial.  Sophia Nash had 14 and Grace Drewry 13 for the Celts, while Lauren Zonneveld put home 12 for the Spartans.

Orangeville 24, CWDHS 23
First win of the year for the Bears here as they nipped the Falcons on the road.  Full scoring details weren't immediately available.

Lourdes 39, St. James 21
The second-place Crusaders picked up their 4th straight league win, this time over St. James.  Hannah McIntosh had 11 for Lourdes, while Kate Glaab led St. James with 8.

JF Ross 38, Guelph CVI 32
The Royals moved into a tie for 4th with the Gaels as a result of this win.  Catie Terrey was tremendous for Ross in this one, pouring in 23 points.  Emina Bektic (12) and Aysia Male (10) were the top GCVI scorers.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 12-0
2.  Lourdes 10-2
3.  Centennial 8-4
T4.  Guelph CVI 6-6
T4.  JF Ross 6-6
6.  St. James 4-8
T7.  Orangeville 1-11
T7.  CWDHS 1-11

WCSSAA Thursday: Top 4 Teams Go Head To Head

YTD:  60-9 (.870)

Huge day today in WCSSAA Senior Girls' basketball, which actually sees the top four teams all square off in games against each other.

As such, I'll start today's picks column by examining those two very important games:

Jacob Hespeler (10-0) at Cameron Hts. (9-1)
My Pick:  CHCI by 5
A definite toss-up here between two talented squads.  Yes, I have the Hawks ranked higher in my weekly power ranking, but I'm going with the Gaels in this "coin-flip" on their home floor.

Grand River (10-0) at Bluevale (9-1)
My Pick:  GRCI by 8 
Like the JHSS-CHCI tilt, certainly wouldn't be surprised to see this one go either way.  The youthful Rens seem to be the team to beat right now in WCSSAA, and I'll keep going with the hot hand.

Elmira (5-5) at WODSS (3-6)
My Pick:  EDSS by 9
Regardless of their records, this is usually a hotly contested rivalry game between the two WCSSAA schools not located in Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge.  The Crusaders have come on after a slow start, but I like Elmira to take the win here.

Southwood (6-4) at Eastwood (2-8)
My Pick:  SSS by 28
This is actually Southwood's last game of the year, as they'll pick up a bye win next Tuesday with GPSS on their schedule.  A win here solidifies 6th place for the Sabres, and they should be able to get it done here today.

KCI (5-5) at SJAM (4-6)
My Pick:  KCI by 15
The Raiders are in a three-way logjam for 7th place in the standings at the moment, though they appear to have the inside track against GCI & EDSS.  A win here is a necessity though, and I think they'll come through.

Galt (5-5) at Forest Hts. (0-9)
My Pick:  GCI by 23
The Ghosts, like the Raiders, are one of the teams in that battle for 7th --- and the third "AAA" CWOSSA WCSSAA berth.  Look for them to take care of business here today on the road.

Preston (2-8) at WCI (8-2)
My Pick:  WCI by 32
Having already locked up 5th place, the Vikes still have a shot at one of the top four seeds.  One step at a time, though, and it starts with a win today over Preston.