By Bruce Burton
The Haldimand Press
Dunnville & Jarvis Christian schools face off in Niagara
HALDIMAND—Although the high schools are just beginning their various championships, the elementary schools are ending theirs.
The first to do so were the Christian schools, with both Dunnville Christian School and Jarvis Community Christian School taking part in the Niagara Region Championships in Grimsby.
A total of 934 runners took part in six races: the Novice girls and boys grades 3 and 4; the Junior girls and boys grades 5 and 6; and the Senior girls and boys for grades 7 and 8. Team scores are determined by taking the placement numbers of their top four runners, so the lower score the better.
The Novice girls from Jarvis came close to capturing the Team Championship for their race, scoring an impressive 86 points for second place, narrowly edging out Brantford Christian by three points. A strong team from TEACH, also in Brantford, scored an amazing 42 points to capture the pennant.
Of the 150 girls finishing the race, Jarvis saw Audrey Dekkers in fourth, Danielle Regneurus 16th, Addison VanBenthem 26th, Macy De Boer 40th, Brynn Hutton 45th, and Clara Epp 56th, which means that the entire team placed in the top 40% of the field, a tremendous accomplishment for a team of that size. Also in the race were Alainna Vanderknyse (33rd), Natalie Vanderheide, and Elainne Vanderknyse from Dunnville Christian.
In the Novice boys race, with 198 runners, Jarvis was eighth as a team, due to the efforts of Lincoln Falk (6th), Deacon Kraay (16th), Aaron Houwer (35th), and Cohen Salverda (72nd). Also running for Jarvis were Aaron VandenHengel and Lucas Nyman. Running for Dunnville were Joel Bergen (24th), Katdon Guenthen (69th), Chase Benson, and Mason DeVries.
Of the 179 girls in the Junior race, Kylie Salverda (18th), Samantha Regarerus (47th), Mya De Boer (65th), Paige Helder (79th), Lilliana Addison (80th), and Clara Houwer (87th) all placed in the top 50% of the race. Also running were Kailyn VandenHengel of Jarvis, Jenelle De Boer of Dunnville, and Danielle Vandersluis of Dunnville.
Jarvis has one entrant in the Junior boys race, with William Epp placing 41st out of 158 runners. From Dunnville, there were Jack DeVries, Eli Hoiting, and David Bergin.
The Senior girls race saw only Payton Kraay of Jarvis representing Haldimand, but she finished a very creditable sixth out of 127 runners.
For the final race, 138 runners contested the Senior boys tilt. When the dust had cleared and the yelling died down, Labron Arrendell finished fourth, with Ryan Stam (62nd), Tyler De Boer (63rd), Colin Gibbons (69th), and Adam VandenHengel (98th) rounding out Jarvis. Emirson Ricker was the lone Dunnville representative.
Haldimand home to multiple AABHN Cross Country champions following October 19 meet
HALDIMAND—Local distance runners finally had the day they’ve been waiting for the last six weeks, as the AABHN (Athletic Association of Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk) Cross Country Championships were held in Brantford’s Mohawk Park on October 19, 2022.
First local to cross the finish line was Hagersville’s Abby Martin, who finished second in her Novice girls 4km with a time of 17:23. Teammate Emily Walton was ninth in the same race in 20:33.
The Novice boys 4km produced Haldimand’s first winner, as Cayuga’s Ethan Kindree romped home 23 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. Dunnville’s Kalen McCormack was third, with Cayuga’s Simon Burrill 10th and Riley Thibealt 20th.
Cayuga’s Junior girls duo of Ella Long and Addison Jepson were 5th and 6th in their 5km race, with times of 23:26 and 24:13 respectively.
Gaven Mathieson duplicated his Novice boys championship of last year, winning the Junior boys 5km race with a time of 16:45. McKinnon Park’s Aiden Snelgrove and Sean Fisher were 6th and 20th in the same race.
For the Senior girls 6km, Bethany Burrill of Cayuga was the top local, placing 6th in 27:28. McKinnon Park’s Alexis Fess was 27th, and Ella Stroud of Cayuga was 34th.
Unlike track and field, which has a limited number of competitors that qualify for the next round, based on finishing position, AABHN cross country allows every competitor to move on to the next race. In this case, it is the CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association) Championships, which was held at Ainsdale Golf Course in Kincardine on Wednesday, October 26 after press time.
At that meet, the top two teams (minimum of four) and the top five individuals not on teams qualified for the OFSSA (Ontario Federation of Secondary Schools Association) Championships, being held at Dagmar Ski Resort in Uxbridge on November 5.
