A little over two weeks ago, the Macdonald-Cartier Panthères defended their city senior boys volleyball title before a raucous crowd on their home court.
In the backdrop of the post-game celebration, alongside the scenic wall murals that add a special something to the environment, a pair of OFSAA Soccer Championship banners stand as a testament to the talent of future Olympian Cloe Lacasse and her 2010 and 2011 teammates who secured back to back provincial titles for the local school.
To be sure, raising one of these tributes to the rafters is not an everyday occurrence in the land of ESMC – but it will happen again in 2025-2026, thanks to the afore-mentioned volleyball crew.
Led by national-level attacker Olivier Tremblay and a strong cohort of returning talent, the Panthères overcame their first loss of the year in pool play, going five sets in the semi-finals to dispose of Hamilton Christian District High-School and bouncing back from a first set loss to their namesakes from London, downing the Monseigneur-Bruyère Panthères 23-25, 25-21, 25-16, 28-26 in the OFSAA “A” final.
In retrospect, the 23-25, 22-25 defeat that the SDSSAA champs suffered at the hands of ESC Plantagenet in their final round robin encounter likely paid dividends. “That showed us very clearly that there is going to be some good competition and, as we move on, it will get harder – so we really need to lock in,” said 17 year old grade 12 right-side Spencer Rousseau.
“And they played fantastic,” added the young man who suited up with the Northern Chill Volleyball Club back in grade 10 but is now focused largely on pursuing his studies in the Electrical program at Cambrian College next fall.
This was a magical year for the Macdonald-Cartier lads and staff.
The team went undefeated in league play and bounced the Lockerby Vikings in straight sets to earn bragging rights locally. With a student-body base that sees the institution that opened its doors in 1969 sitting as an “A” school for OFSAA purposes, the NOSSA pathway was even less challenging.
To a person, these players knew OFSAA would be different.
And when Hamilton District took sets two and three of the semi-final to go up 2-1, it was make or break time for the group looking to create a little history for their classmates. “That was a magical moment for our coaches,” noted Rousseau. “Madame (Brigitte) Coutu really helped us get to the right mindset; she calms us down.”
“Monsieur (Marc) Savage (head coach) told us what we needed to do, what we needed to watch for, different plays and stuff like that.”
That was critical as these teams were by far the toughest opposition ESMC had faced this fall.
“Every time that we hit a very good ball, they would get it back up,” said Rousseau. “I was very impressed with their hustle. There were some nice digs on Olivier’s hits.”
Further showcasing the level of boys volleyball in Sudbury is the fact that the second local entry at OFSAA also advanced to quarter-final play.
Competing at the OFSAA “AA” showdown in Orillia, the Lockerby Vikings posted a 3-1 record to finish second in Pool “D”, a stretch that included a huge 25-20, 17-25, 15-12 triumph over Essex District High-School, the folks they edged out to move on to championship flight playoff action.
And while they threw everything they could at the eventual silver medal winners, a young Vikings entry came up just a little short in the round of eight opposite Port Perry High School, downed by scores of 16-25, 22-25, 22-25.
Macdonald-Cartier Panthères: Jeremy Rhéaume, Aziz Aissa, Riley Payzant, Olivier Tremblay, Hayden Quevillon, Justin Lafontaine, Spencer Rousseau, Max Gilroy, Kaden Major, Cédric Larouche, Mykaël Gagné and coaches Marc Savage and Brigitte Coutu.
Lockerby Vikings: Maks Beljo, Thomas Berardelli, Ethan Hodder, Evan Hulisz, Lowell Huskinson, Masa Innis, Hudson Duhaime, Parker Dutrisac, Noah King, Ben Managhan, Jake Maybee, Dax Rolston, MacYoung, Cameron Young, Ian Ziegler and coaches Stephen Beausoleil and Dilyn Gilbert-Leduc.
