CALEDONIA—The McKinnon Park Secondary School boys lacrosse team is officially in uncharted waters after taking home their third straight Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) A/AA gold medal.
Jason Johnson has been the team’s head coach for over 20 years, with Delby Powless joining three years ago just as the championship streak was kicking off.
Powless credited the impressive three-peat achievement to a high level of commitment from the student-athletes in overcoming challenges, recalling the semi-final game versus Holy Trinity from Courtice as one such example.
“We built a 7-2 lead midway through the second quarter. We then suffered an injury to our face off guy Renson Hill, who had been controlling draws and had allowed us to play offence most of the game,” said Powless. After some mistakes and penalty trouble, the team found themselves down 11-8 going into the final quarter.
Senior Captain Owen Fess said, “I knew our team could come back, but we just weren’t getting anything going. It was really tough.”
Powless said it was team leaders like Fess who “really stepped up and took over the game.”
“Fess, who was the best defenseman in Ontario this year, got our whole defensive unit locked in, which gave our offence plenty of opportunities,” said Powless. “In the offensive end, seniors Cam Hill, Grayson Skye, Wahsa Thomas, and Kalem Powless did a great job of playing patient lacrosse, creating scoring chances and capitalizing on shots.”
Fess added, “It ended up being a one-goal game, which is crazy, but we snuck out with the win, which was well-deserved.”
The challenges began long before the championship run, however.
“We graduated some very experienced and talented players from the 2025 championship team, so being a bit younger this year we had players in important roles who matured and improved as the season went on,” Powless explained.
He knew the team had to find players to fill keys roles.
“We had a couple guys step up into those roles, with Renson Hill and Houston Jamieson doing a great job on face offs for us. Carson Jamieson stepped into the starting goalkeeper spot and was huge for us all season,” said Powless.
That transition caused some growing pains as returning players adjusted to their new roles and as some Grade 9 students joined the starting lineup.
“We did have some struggles early in the season,” he continued. “It did take some time to get everyone playing at a level where we could contend for an OFSAA title.”
He described an early season loss that became a valuable opportunity to learn.
“We lost a game earlier in the year 9-6 to Brooklin, who won AAA/AAAA OFSAA, and it was good wake up call for us. Gave the coaches a good look at some of the areas where we needed to improve,” he said. “The players bought into the adjustments and stayed the course rest of the season.”
Carson Jamieson, a Grade 11 student, has played on all three championship teams. Named a Junior Captain this year, he spoke to how the team’s chemistry is strengthened through a foundation built on years knowing each other.
“I know a lot of these guys just from growing up and around the area, so it’s good to play with familiar faces. You know guys’ routines, how they’re seeing the field,” he said. “We’ve got everybody at practice. Everybody’s super committed. Obviously, everybody wants to win, so there’s that.”
A recent graduate, Fess is off to McGill University this fall to study Education, where he will continue his lacrosse journey with a new team. He praised the coaches who helped him along the way: “Our coaching staff was amazing. They taught me everything I know about field lacrosse.”
He will miss the team camaraderie, reminiscing about fishing together during their downtime between tournament games.
“We’ve had a very tight knit core group of players for the past three years,” he said, adding he is excited to continue playing at the next level. “I can’t wait; it’s going to be a blast.”
While Jamieson will remain at MPSS next year, the future is already calling.
“I’ve had a few offers from universities, colleges in the area, and a few from out of the area,” he said, noting he hasn’t made any final decision yet on where he will go and what he will study once there. Regardless, he’s not worried about losing touch with his triple gold-medal winning teammates anytime soon.
“I could probably still play with these guys any time that I needed to,” he said.
As the 2026 team continues forward with their educational and athletic journeys, with championship memories never to be forgotten, Powless will remember them as a team that willed their way to a championship.
“As I said, there were some question marks coming into the season. We had not faced as much adversity in the previous two seasons,” he said. “Guys on the team this year just got in their heads they were getting a three-peat, and no team other team was going keep them from getting it.”
