The SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary School Athletic Association) managed to sweep the NOSSA Golf Championships In North Bay last week, though the winners' circle did not duplicate the results from the city playdowns one week earlier.

While Marymount Academy senior Elliott Boyles managed to double up, her three stroke victory over Alivia Purcell (St Joseph Scollard Hall) at NOSSA coming on the heels of a one-stroke win at home over Lia Gallo (Lo-Ellen Park), it was Ryder Coe (Lockerby Composite) who would supplant city champion Carter Baron (St Charles College) at step two.

"Because SDSSAA was hosted at Lively Golf Course again, it challenged me to be hitting the ball very well, given that it is a tight course," said Coe, who shot a one over par to slide in two shots back of Baron.

"Thankfully my driver was on during cities and I was able to set myself up with flip wedges into par fours and very short lefts on the par fives. At NOSSA, I wouldn't say my driver was off necessarily, but my short game was definitely the shining attribute throughout my round."

The fact that Coe carried little in the way of any residual disappointment as he went to challenge for his first northern title ever a week later says a great deal about that one area of his game that has shown the most growth in the past year or so.

"I would say the biggest change since 2024 has definitely been my mental side," said Coe. "It's crazy how much of a difference it makes when you don't get down after a poor shot. It makes you have the memory of a goldfish."

"I would also say that it doesn't only benefit me, having a positive attitude, but also the three other players that are trying their best," Coe stated. "They can be affected on how others are acting or behaving, positively or negatively."

Elliott Boyles had every reason to be behaving positively, slipping into the shoes of NCAA freshman Lea Lemieux by sweeping the tournaments in Sudbury and North Bay.

"My approach to both events was very similar: the key was to stay focused and trust the work that I had been putting in consistently throughout the season," said Boyles. "My success at SDSSA contributed to the confidence I had going into NOSSA, having seen the results of my dedication pay off."

A fixture on both the youth golf scene in Sudbury as well as the SDSSAA championships for several years now, Boyles understands that her game no longer jumps forward by leaps and bounds annually.

"The biggest improvement in my game over the past year has been the overall refinement as a whole, truly developing in all aspects of the game," she said. "No two shots are identical and it is truly experience and experimentation that contribute to the improvement of any golfer."

Following are the top five finishers for both the boys and girls draws at NOSSA:

Boys NOSSA - Top Five
1st - Ryder Coe (Lockerby) - 73
2nd - Noah Thorpe (Manitoulin) - 75
3rd - Buddy Luoma (Bishop Carter) - 79
4th - Camden Poirier (Lo-Ellen) - 79
5th - Lucas Brown (Manitoulin) - 80
5th - Logan Remeikis (St Charles) - 80

Girls NOSSA - Top Five
1st - Elliott Boyles (Marymount) - 89
2nd - Alivia Purcell (St Joseph Scollard Hall) - 92
3rd - Lia Gallo (Lo-Ellen) - 94
4th - Amy Smith (Manitoulin) - 95
5th - Mila Beljo (Lo-Ellen) - 100