As Haig’s fall sports season comes to a close, it’s undeniable that Haig State has continued its tradition of athletic excellence. Haig athletes had unprecedented results this fall, with our girls’ tennis team capturing the North region title for the first time in Haig history. Special recognition goes to the “A” division pairing of Louise Kwong and Dina Hassan, who won all of their matches at the regional tournament. Kwong and Hassan showed tremendous skill, and Kwong is arguably the best female tennis player Haig has seen in many years. The team proceeded to compete at the city finals, where they placed second to Lawrence Park. Congratulations, girls, for claiming a new title and earning a silver medal in the city championship for Haig State!
Another success story this fall was Haig’s golf team. All five boys and two girls of the team had strong results, but it was Valerie and Vanessa Chu who excelled at the regional finals. Valerie placed first in the entire North Region and Vanessa placed second, both of them going on to compete at the city championships at St. Andrew’s Valley golf club. Again, congratulations for representing Haig State!
The field hockey team kept up the inpressive results by reaching the city finals this fall. The girls were undefeated until their final game against Malvern, where they ended up walking away with a silver medal. Finishing second in the entire city of Toronto was a huge success, and the field hockey team has continued its tradition of being one of Haig’s most consistent and successful performers.
You may have seen the cross-country team working hard around the track in the morning. These countless practices paid off, as the team sent competitors to the regional championships and the metro championships this fall. After racing through cold, wet and muddy conditions, over 15 runners qualified for the metro championships. The team shows much promise for years to come, as some of the strongest runners were grade elevens. We can certainly look forward to a magnificent follow-up performance next year!
Sharing in Haig State’s success was the junior girls’ basketball team, who finished this season with a 6-2 record. The girls worked their way up to the regional finals, and finished in second place after losing to a tough Downsview team. The silver-medal finish has created a new standard for future junior girls.
Keeping up with the juniors was this year’s senior girl’s basketball team, who finished their season with a 4-4 record. Unfortunately, they did not progress past the first round of the playoffs. Grade 12 basketball team veteran Darya Abdollahi stated, “We gradually got better as the season progressed. We had a couple of new players…overall we played great basketball.”
Down in the gym, the boy’s volleyball team had a season that was “filled with learning the sport for most of the team, and just having a good time on and off the court,”according to grade 12 player Justin Tapang. Though the team’s record, (1-6), has been better in previous years, the boys made the second round of the playoffs. Sadly, they lost their elimination game to a talented squad from Emery. Keeping their spirits high, the boys will be looking to this year’s grade elevens to fill the spots of the graduating grade twelves so that they can raise their game for next season.
This year, Haig saw one of its most individually talented teams start their season off with a bang. The boys soccer team beat two other teams who would eventually make it to the finals, but unfortunately couldn’t maintain their performance throughout the season. The team finished with a 2-1-4 record. Nevertheless, coach Mr. Ahumada claimed that the boys had “The most individual talent I have ever seen on a Haig soccer team.” Recognition goes to the team’s top scorer, grade eleven player Adi Cuza.
The junior soccer team also had a season that saw success and kept up with Haig’s high standards, as the boys made the regional playoffs for the seventh year in a row. Outstanding play from team captain Siyavash Kianpour helped the team follow up respectably on their regional performance last year. Over half the players on the team are grade nines, so the boys look forward to improving their skills and getting even better results next year.
The boys’ tennis team for doubles was pitted against some very tough competition. In their one-day tournament, the team swept the “D” division, and had strong results in all other divisions. The boys narrowly missed finishing in the top two, and so their season ended with good results and high spirits. Make sure to look out for the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles season coming up this spring.
The boys’ 7’s rugby team had a solid showing, finishing third in their pool of six teams. Special congratulations to their top scorer, grade eleven Mitchell Charles. Long-time rugby player, Andy Pham, who has been on the team since grade nine, had this to say: “Haig rugby has come a long way… we’ve grown in skill and numbers. This season we did our best and will continue training throughout the winter for our 15’s season.”
Haig’s other rugby team, the girl’s division, had an astounding showing at the 7’s tournament. The team went undefeated for four games and reached the semi finals. Unfortunately, it was here that they lost to a speedy Newtonbrook team. All things considered, it was still a fabulous performance, and as grade twelve player Zakiya Najim put it, “The results of practice really paid off and showed in our tournament, so I can say that we were very successful. This just made me that much more excited for the upcoming spring season… I hope more people will join, as rugby isn’t just a single person’s sport. It takes a whole team to score, to play, and to have fun.” The junior team also had a successful tournament, where they were led by lead scorer Christine Chao to the semi-finals. Look out for fitness training coming up after the holiday break, followed by the 15’s season.
All things considered, Earl Haig has had yet another successful fall sports season. Our reputation as a consistent performer in the North Region has been upheld, meaning that Haig State will continue to vie for every title in the city, and beyond. Look out for winter sports teams such as ice hockey, alpine skiing and snowboarding, boys’ basketball, girls’ volleyball, swimming and dragon boat. Keep an eye on the Athletic Council (EHAC) board in the main hall across from the cafeteria for event updates, tryout dates, and team lists.
Haig State on two! One, two,Haig State!
