Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-05-29, Page 13Juniors win Huron -Pe h Beat Stratford 1-0 First to it - South Huron's Jeff Lingard fright) tries to strip the ball from a Stratford Central defender during Tuesday's Huron -Perth soc- cer final. Tuesday, June 4 Torchrun into .second successful year STRATFORD - History was made here last Tuesday as the South Huron District High School Panthers won the Huron -Perth jun- ior boys soccer championship. With a 1-0 win over hosting Stratford Central Ramblers, the Panthers became the first junior team from South Huron to win the league title. With about ten minutes left in the second half, centre forward Sivichay Sengkhounmany pounced on a loose ball and fired it into the net. Jamie Dougall had shot it at the Ramblers' goalie but it was bobbled and Sengkhoun- many was there to put it in. Panthers' coach Ray Lewis said during the close game, both teams had really good chances but at times, they did look sluggish. "Once we scored we had tons of opportunities after that," said Lew- is. Lewis who coaches with Bill Shore commended South Huron goalkeeper Darren Malcolm for playing a good game. He was espe- cially sharp at close range. "He came up big a couple of times," said Lewis. In the first half, Malcolm was shaken up when he dove for a loose ball but he stayed in the game and stopped the Ramblers from scoring. "I was a little worried at half time," said Lewis about Malcolm. "But he was alright." The Panthers trip to the finals against the Ramblers started after they compiled a 4-1-1 record dur- ing regular season action. In the playoffs they knocked off Mitchell and pulled a big upset by beating undefeated Stratford Northwestern in a shootout. Northwestern was the only team to beat the Panthers this year and they were expected to win the Hu- ron -Perth title. "They were happy to win (Huron - Perth), " said Lewis of his team's emotion. "But the win against Northwestern was the biggest." The last time a soccer team from South Huron won the champion- ship it was in 1985 when the sen- iors won. Lewis was a member of that team. Senior Panthers three times unlucky STRATFORD - The SHDHS senior soccer team must feel cheated. After qualifying for last Tuesday's Huron -Perth finals against Stratford Central for the third straight year, and this time leading the game 1-0 with under two minutes to play, their season took a dreadful turn against them EXETER - For the second straight year, local law enforce- ment officers will be taking part. in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Ontario. Special Olympics. On Tuesday, beginning at 8 a.m., the officers will set out from the Bluewater Rest Home in Zurich and make their way to that village for presentations at the municipal office. Then, it's back down Highway 84 to Hensall which is 14 kilom- eters away. More presentations are planned at about 9:50 a.m. and then the group of runners will make their way to Highway 4 and then to Exeter, which is 11.5 kilometers. A year ago, the officers from the Exeter OPP detachment raised over $5,000 in their first year. This year they will be joined by one member of the Ex- eter Police Department and arc :hoping to match last year's total. Constable George Finch of the .Exeter OPP says there has been a ;lot of enthusiasm showed by the public in this area. . "Everywhere we go, they're ask- ing when the run is starting," said Finch. Once in Exeter a public ceremo- ny will be held in front of the mu- nicipal building and the torch will be handed off to the Goderich po- lice. He was very pleased with the generosity of those who supported the torch run last year and quite surprised at the amount of money ;raised. "1t was top in the district. It was -the most in the region 6 district of :the OPP," he said. This year, Finch has extended an invitation to three developmentally liandicappcd athletes to take part and they will be participating dur- ing various stages of the run. • The 1991 Law Enforcement •Torch Run will continue to carry :the torch which represents the •"Flame of Hope" and the values of :Special Olympics - Skill, Sharing, Courage and Joy. From May 30 to June 13, at the :direction of the Ontario Associa- tion of Chiefs of Police, the fifth :annual run will take place across :the province. During the run, each runner will :take up the torch as part of a cross - province run which begins in eve- ry comer of Ontario and continues through each day until its conclu- sion in Ottawa. : On Thursday, July 25, the final :leg of the run will be held with .representatives from various law enforcement agencies who will travel through the nation's capital to the opening ceremonies of the Ontario Special Olympics Sum- m"r finmrc -301111-w. r. Zurich Village Rice Start:14 14 kib Blue Water metres Rest Home Hensall Village Office Route for the -- eannual �,o Law . 0 Enforcement Torch Run Times Advocate Graphlx resulting in a 3-1 overtime loss. "It's a little disheartening," said Panthers' coach George McEwan. "But they did more than anyone expected them too." The team finished third in the regular season standings, but reached the finals after a shoot-out win against Mitchell and a 2-1 vic- tory over St. Marys. Tuesday's match was another close one, which saw ,Stratford hold the edge oveX•-9entit 44 n l to have manyrscefieg bppottu�a. • The Panthers took advantage of a miscue by the opposing goal- keeper to score on a scramble. Sisivay Sengkhounmany picked up a loose ball in the crease after a cross by Pete McAllister, and popped it into the open net. Stratford mounted a furious at- tack in hope of tieing the game, but South Huron's defense managed to keep them from . many shots in close. When the forwards did sneak through, Exeter goalie Gary Wilson shut the door. Finally, with under two minutes to play, Stratford got the break they had been looking for. A hand ball inside the penalty area led to a pen- alty shot, which they scored on to send the game into 20 minutes of overtime. My buddy Reg is a good friend and greaeathlete Iremember a guy by the name of Reg Pre- scott. He could hit the ball a mile, had a good glove at third base and he was willing to learn. Reg is a friend of mine in Bar- rie and he's developmentally handicapped. Like so many oth- er athletes who compete with the Ontario Special Olympics, Reg was very able-bodied when it came to sports. He was a competitor and he liked to win. But what I noticed about Reg was his eagerness to always try to be the best he could be. Sure we've heard the stories and seen the film clips of a mentally handicapped runner crossing the line into the arms of a waiting vol- unteer. Always lots of praise from the volunteer, but in Reg's case it wasn't always needed. With him, it was much more important to be- come his friend. And that's what I became. We also became a partnership which saw him win three gold medals at the 1989 Winter Games in Otta- wa. He became the pupil and I, a not so knowledgeable teacher. Reg wanted to go into the games as a speed skater, and why not, he was already playing hockey once a week with a group of non - handicapped guys and knew he could keep up with them. We began to train together. At night, usually after dark, we'd gath- er up our skates and head over to a local school yard to their bumpy ice patch. It was more work for me to keep warm than it was to actually get on the ice and skate with my partner. He was a hard worker and when he wasn't on the ice, was training at home with weights. After a while though, Reg didn't want to train any more he was going to call it quits and forget about the Winter Games and forget about his own personal goals. But after a couple of weeks he was encouraged by volunteers, they didn't push him but gave support where needed. I couldn't go with Reg to the Games because I was working and was saddened I couldn't be there to see him skate to victory. Special Olympics has been a part of my life before and hopefully it will become a big part of it again in the future. One of the key ingredients that makes the Ontario Special Olym- pics is a success and gives developmentally handicapped athletes a chance to have fun, is a very large group of police officers. I have many pleasant memories of coaching Reg and others but I'll never forget a warm summer's night in Toronto at York Univer- sity. It was the Summer Games, similar to the one being held late in July in Ottawa this summer. Over 800 athletes plus their coaches stood on the grounds of the athletic complex at York University. Brian Williams, the broadcast- er with CBC was the master of ceremonies. Minnesota North Stars' Bobby Smith and Brian Hayward were just two of the many celebri- ties. But getting the biggest hand was a large group of police officers. They are one of the major financial supporters of Special Olympics and when dozens of them ran into the stadium on that night, it was them who received the largest ovation. I was,quite•proud to be standing with a group of athletes and cheering on those men and women who had been so supportive and still are. Exeter has several police officers who will be participating in the Law Enforcement Torch Run on June 4. Although the province wide program has been going for five years now, this is the second summer George Finch of the Exeter OPP detachment has organized it and last year they raised over $5,000. That money which was generously donated from local businesses, service clubs and individuals, went to help support athletes like my buddy Reg. On June 4, beginning in Zurich at the Bluewater Rest Home, Con- stable Finch and his fellow officers will be running to help Special Olympics. Give them your support, whether it is financial or just a yell of congratulations. Believe me, they'll certainly appreciate it. Check" out this week's sports section for more information on the Law En- forcement Torch Run in this area. i sidelines by Fred G roves 4 Exeter Town Hall TAKING INNO VA TION TO NEW HEIGHTS 4 p 6r NOMA .00 Hydrostatic DYNAMARK MODEL 3812 12 HP B&S engine, 38" deck with twin blades, 5 speed H.D. Transaxle Drive SALE PRICE $1,499 SIGNATURE SERIES MODEL 4012-14 12 HP B&S I/C engine 40" cut lawn tractor with hydrostatic drive SALE PRICE $2,195 OTHER COST-SAVING MODELS IN STOCK CIIL Transmission 2 or 4 Wheel Steer Selma 3912-200 12 39" 4012-000 12 40" 4012-190 12 40" 4014-090 14 40" 4616-050 16 46" 4616-060 16 46" D a ,wrr.ia Ammomos Gear Gear Hydro Hydro Gear Hydro 2WS 2WS 4WS 4WS 4WS 2WS $1695 S1895 $2625 $2895 $2925 $2950 ALL UNITS HAVE A 2 -YEAR WARRANTY Stop in and do a teat drive RAJ wift FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. (519) somoom 615 Main SI. S., Exeter Ont. Fax (519) 235-2121 1-800-265-2121 235-2791 Donation - Zurich Public School student council president Dwight Gingerich presented OPP constable George Finch with a $100 cheque on Thursday towards the Ontario Special Oiymplcs torch run which will be held June 4. I��[•Iu�1