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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-09-21, Page 13•1'• 4 Ad 1 Soccer teams sweep Cup final Soccer is probably the fastest growing sport in North America today. And that popularity is reflected in the Goderich Minor Soccer Association whose growth is un- paralleled by any other minor , sporting • association in Goderich over the past three years. But along with the growth, the Goderich minor soccer association has produced top calibre players as evidenced by the sweep of , three dividion finals in Huron County Cup play in Clinton, Saturday. The Huron County cup finals involve teams in the atom, mosquito and pee wee divisions.. Goderich had never won a trophy in the Huron Cup. finals before but more than made up for that Saturday as they became the first town to sweep all three divisions in the same year. Goderich minor soccer teams enjoyed a phenomenal season that was climaxed with the cup victories. The Atoms defeated Grand Bend 7-0, the Mosquitoes edged,St. Columban 5-4 and the Lakeport Steelers Pee Wpes dumped St. Columban 3-1. Organized minor soccer has fought an uphill battle in town. The association was started several years ago but was disbanded because of lack of interest and qualified coaching and teaching personnel. But it started again about three years ago and through the diligent efforts of the executive has grown to nine teams involving 155 girls and boys between the ages of 5 and 19. Minor soccer president, John Bissett said the growth of the sport, in Goderich, is due to many contributing factors. "Soccer is the fastest growing sport in North America and that has sparked interest," he said. "And I think we have a better executive' and working committee than in the past." The number of kids playing soccer in Goderich has doubled tothe the last three years the present registration of 155. Because of the number of registrants this year the soccer association added bantam and squirt teams who were involved in house league play. Bissett and executive member Ed Smythe maintained that soccer is becoming more popular because of the nature of the game. The game requires participation by all team members and is more physical than perhaps other sports. Both men agreed that the sport is likely to continue growing in. Goderich which will pose some serious problems. "We expect it to keep growing," Bissett ex- plained. "And if it does. keep growing we may have trouble finding coaches and referees." This year the association was just able to secure the services of sufficient coaches to run SPORTS the program but the association still lacks assistants and referees. In an effort to alleviate that situation, this winter, for the first time, Smythe will conduct a coaching clinic in one of the local schools to help train coaches and referees for the coming soccer season. The fact that Goderich -swept -swept the Huron finals is likely to encourage more participation in the sport next year too. The mosquitoes lost but one game this year, the atoms did not lose a game, the pee wees were undefeated in 14 games and the bantams won •thpir league •title • and made it to the semi-finals in cup play. The association was also able 'to get some helpful assistance from sponsors in town such as Culligan, Garb and Gear and Ron Allin of the Goderich Oldtimers who donated sweaters to minor clubs. Due to the success of the minor program this year the executive plans to run a Junior B team in the London District next year. The minor soccer •executive included, John Bissett, president; Via Alexander, v ic e - president; May Bissett, secretary-treadurer and Rolf Witrzfield, Frank Graham, Everett Middel and Ed Smythe: The coaching staff included: Ed Smythe and Sid Hall, atom major; Al Fisher, atom minor; John Bissett and Rolf Wirtzfield, mosquito; Vic Alexander and Gil Vanden Heuval, pee wee; Mery Witter, bantam; Wally Watts and Mike Cox, squirt; -and Warren - Robinson, Don Larder, Roy Straughan and Doug Huff, house league. The association hopes to hold it annual awards banquet in October and soccer players will be selling pens door-to-door within the next few weeks to help pay for that banquet. Company edges French 2 1 A four hit attack in the fifth innlng-•enabled Canada Company to wipe out a 1-0 deficit and take over a 2-1 lead, a lead theYheld to edge French Cleaners in the third game of the teams' best of five Industrial Softball playoffs Tuesday night. The to wit�i win of a berth in the 'league playoffs,' "their first appearance in the finals in. their short two year history. Canada Company won the series_ opener 5-4 and French grabbed the second game 8-0. French got off to a quick start scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Wayne Kennedy singled to short centre to lead off for the Cleaners and Frank MacDonald laid down a perfect bunt to move Kennedy into s col.? ng rOWiild error ilion the bunt left two men on with none out. Company pitcher Stan Doherty managed to get Ron Klages and Bill Gallow to hit grounders but both hits allowed Kennedy to move in and score what proved to be the Cleaners only run. Bill Durst was caught trying to score on a squeeze play in. the third inning for Canada Company when the Company threatened to tie the game. Durst singled, moved to second mt. ao error and went to third on a sacrifice by' Tom O'Brien. Bob Dick bunted with • Durst run- ning on the squeeze play but Cleaner backstop Jim McWhinney played• the bunt perfectly and caught Durst in a rundown 4 - '.3 • ,'"?"1 , tr. • " . between third and home. Durst avenged the play with a one run double in the fifth that tied things up. Mike Donnelly singled to start the inning and Durst smacked a double to left centre to score him. Tom O'Brien singled and Durst went in from second to score the w inn ing A diving,catch at ; the left field fence in the bottom of the fifth saved the game for the Com, pany. With two men on and two out Ron Klages lifted a short to the left field corner and Pat The Goderich Atom A soccer team captured Huron County championship honors Saturday in a tour- nament held in Clinton when they shutout Grand Bend 7 - 0. The Championship team members are (front row from left) Brian Klazinga, David Jewell, John Paul Epson, Ian MacKinnon and Bobble Barwick, (second row from left) Chris Sideris, Brian Chambers, Baird Robinson, Darcy McGee, Jeff 'Bissett, Gary Burbine and Todd' Wilson. Not available for the" photo Were Steve Austin, Scott Garrow and Jim Wright. The coaches for the team are Syd Hall (left) and Ed Smythe. (photo by Jeff Seddon) Conlon managed to move into range pulling the ball in with a leaping grab. Doherty went to work in the final two stanzas facing only seven batters and allowing only one hit, a two out single by Clare Harman. Doherty gave up just fou hits for the win strikihg • out three. Don McWhinney was the loser giving--,tp six hits' and striking out one. The teams meet -tonight at Agriculture Park for the fourth game of the series. Gord's Sports and McGee Pontiac s play the second game of their best of five playoff tonight as well. 1 • t- GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21,197&—FAGE 13 Greg Marshall of Goderich and Joe Flanaghan battled to get posssession of the ball during the pee wee match at the Huron Minor Soccer Finals in Clinton on Saturday. The Goderich Blue Jays team won the match. (News -Record photo) uniors blast Sarnia in exhibition opener BY TD The GDCI junior Vikings won an easy 28-0 victory over Sarnia Central in Sarnia Friday in a tune-up for their auron-Perth Conference football opener here today (Thursday) against Stratford Central. the Viking total to 13. In the fourth quarter, Viking quarterbacks Steve Gallow and Dave MacDonald directed the Blue and White to two more majors.' End Steve Frayne scored on a reverse, topped off with a two-point conversion pass play to Mike Wedlock, and Wedlock went over for the final Viking touch- down on a broken play. Larry Boyce kicked the convert. The junior Vikings, who are coached again this year by Bill Garrow and Bruce Baker, will be going after their first league win here today. The junior game will be the second game in the senior -junior doubleheader with Stratford Central, with the first game beginning at 1:30 p.m. The Vikings offence piled up a total of 336 defensve crew allowed:, yards while a stingy iLeafs-1863 vie for Sarnia only three first downs and kept Central's total offence' below 100 yards. , The Vikings led 7-0 at half-time on the strength of a, touchdown by Mike Wedlock on a short , yardage off -tackle play, and a single kicked by Larry Boyce. • Brian Shewfelt ram- bled 68 yards on a sweep in the third quarter to up Steelers in Cup play The Goderich Lakeport Steelers Pee Wee soccer 'club will play Petrolia i,n the regional final of the Ohio Cup at Agriculture Park Saturday at 2 p.m. The Steelers are undefeated in 14 games this year scoring 77 goals with only 11 against. The team coached by Ed Smythe, won the Huron County Cup final in Clinton Saturday and if they win Saturday will advance to the Ohio Cup final in Ohio. A representative of the North American Soccer Association will be in attendanCe Saturday to make the trophy presentation. -slowpitch championship The Signal -Star Paper Leafs will seek their second straight men's slowpitch championship when they battle 1863 in the finals. The two teams were scheduled to begin the best -of -five final series earlier in the week but inclement weather delayed the start of the series until Thursday. The union squad eliminated Bethel in two straight games in the opening best -of -three series and entered the semi-final Against Stothers Bricklaying, who ousted Denomme. The union jumped ahead quickly in the series with two straight victories over Stothers and a sweep appeared imminent but gtothers rebounded for two Wins and forced a fifth and deciding game in that series. That final game was decided in the seventh inning with 1863 winning 10-7 on the strength of a two -run homer by Wayne Draper. Stothers, who continuously came -from - behind in the series, ran out of rallies in their half of the seventh and were eliminated. The Paper Leafs were also hard pressed in their best -of -five semi-final set with Meneset Park as they rallied for wins in' the fourth - a,nd fifth Midget girls win township title The Goderich Township Margaret Haak, Sherry Midget girls have done it Duff, Teresa Duff, Walter again. Last week the Bell, assistant coach; Goderich Township girls' Catherine Orr, Debbie 'defeated Benmiller 9-5. Harrison, Pat Harris, Coming behind in the last Lori Harris, and Janice inning they loaded the Orr. bases with two out and I would like to extend a Pat Harris finished it off hearty thanks to all our with a grand, slam home run. It was a hard fought game between both teams. Congratulations to the girls for their second year effort. Members of the ,win- ning team are Coach, Arnold Bell; Freda Uyl, Lee Ann Bell, Audrey Van Den Hewel, Seniors field contending team by TD The GDCI senior Vikings served notice on the rest of the Huron - Perth Conference that they will be tough to dethrone as reigning football champions Friday when they crushed Sarnia Central, 42-7, in eXhibition play in Serbia.' The game is the only exhibition encounter for coach Ray Donnelly's Vikings. Regular season 1310 starts 'here today (ThurlidaY) when Stratford Central sup- plies the opposition, with game time set for 1:30 p.m. Coach Donnelly rated his team's performange •in Sarnia as "a reasonable offensive and defensive effort for an early bellion game", and although he feels the offence's timing is not up to par, the defence needs more work on their responsibilities and the specialty teams need polishing, there was no doubt that the veteran Viking coach again has a • strong ,contender, He has 16 returning players on a squad of 29, players. There may be a lack of depth in certain areas, and if the Vikings can avoid injuries to key personnel, they4hould be the class of the league. Fleet -footed Dave MacKenzie scored three Of the Viking touchdowns Friday in Sarnia. to the first quarter he was on the receiving end of a 30 yard pass from quar- terback Jon Barz, and MacKenzie gathered in a 20 yard toss from Barz for another touchdown in the second quarter. His other came on an eight yard sweep in the final quarter. Barz scored the other Vikings' touchdown in the first half on a two - yard • sneak. Half-time score was 20-0 for the Vikings. Chris Wood went over on a two -yard dive for a,. third quarter Viking major, and Dennis Donnelly scored in the fourth quarter on a 15 yard sweep. Eric Mit- • chell kicked four con- verts, and Mark Finlayson was credited with a two point safety touch for the Vikings. The Vikings had two other touchdowns called back and lost 147 yards because of penalties. coaches and umpires who. • did such a terrific job again this year. Also a very special thank -you to the sponsors who put sweaters on six of our teams. The wiener roast was very well attended and enjoyed by all, despite the weather. I would like to also say thank you to the A&P store for their generous donation and to the Goderich Fire Dept. for the use of their bar- becue. The players all received Softball '78 bars for their jackets and the games to take the series, 3-2. The Leafs grabbed the opening game of the series 8-7 in nine innings in a game that seemed to set the tone of the series. The Park evened the series with an 8-5 victory in the second game and pulled within one game of entering the finals with a 19-3 trouncing of the Leafs in the third game. But the Leafs, facing elinination, edged Park 4- 3 in the fourth game to tie the series at two games apiece and force a fifth game. The Leafs built up a seven -run cushionc in that final and hung on for an 8-5 win to advance to the championship for the second consecutive season. coaches received Sheaffer 'pens with Goderich Twp. printed on them, compliments of the Recreation Board. May you all enjoy your winter and come back to our new ball diamond next year. ‘1" V.ty * Vo. itAnt Itfr` tak rifft Goderich township softball teams recently ended their season and one team in the township was successful in league play. The Midget girls softball team won their league championship for the second straight year and are pictured with the league trophy. Next season township teams will be playing on their new diamond In Hohnesville. .4 Members of the team include coach, Arnold Bell, Freda Uyl, Lee Am Bell, Audrey Vanden. Heuval, Margaret Hoak, Sherry Duff, Teresa Duff and assistant coach, Arnold Bell. The front row includes Catherine Orr, Debbie Harrison, Pat Harris, Lori Harris and Janice Orr. Karen Jantzi was absent for the photo. (Photo by Dave Hemmingway)