Mere months after local NHLer Jerry Toppazzini would play his final game of professional hockey with the Port Huron Flags, the next in the family athletic lineage would strut her stuff in dad's home town.

Representing Corpus Christi, Cheryl Toppazzini captured top spot in both the intermediate girls triple jump and the long jump at the Separate School Track & Field Meet.

Other top award winners included Charles Galipeau (Pius XII - first in 220 yards and long jump) and Phil Pharand (St Thomas - first in softball throw; second in long jump) in Open Boys and Sandra St Denis (St Jerome - first in softball; second in standing broad jump) and Angela Mirabelli (St Anthony - first in standing broad jump; second in 220 and softball) in Open Girls division.

Stars of the Senior Boys & Girls brackets were George Velcich (St Anthony - first in 100 yards and triple jump), Richard Novak (Corpus Christi - first in long jump and 440), Ed Whalen (St Thomas - first in 440; second in broad jump), Mary Behun (Our Lady of Mercy - first in 100, standing broad jump and 440) and teammate Debbie Fox (first in 440 and long jump).

Joining Cheryl Toppazzini at the top of the intermediate groupings was Dennis Obonsawin (St Michael - first in 220; third in long jump and 100) while John Lachowski (Our Lady of Mercy - first in 100; second in high jump), Heather Ryan (St Bernadette - first in triple jump and standing broad jump) and Kaila Favero (St Anthony - first in 100 and 220) showed the way in the junior classifications.

Sudbury Italia has secured possession of first place in the National Soccer League - and they managed to do so with a win over the previous occupants of the lofty perch, the Toronto Hellas.

Hosting the Southern Ontario side at Queen's Athletic Field, the locals rode a late tally from Pat Byrne, set up nicely on a click-click pass from Mario Anselmo to a 1-0 victory as keeper George Paz recorded his fourth shutout of the still-young season.

The Italia eleven entered the contest on a high, having netted four second half goals the previous weekend in taking down Toronto Croatia 4-1 last weekend. The goal by Byrne provided a reprieve for teammate Joe Tonani, who misdirected his penalty attempt only minutes earlier.

The homeside were provided some good fortune prior to the contest even starting as league leading scorer Bruce Smith, who toiled for Sudbury last summer but now helps lead the Hellas attack was unavailable for the match due to a wedding commitment.

In soccer action limited to local entries only, the Sudbury District Football Association features only three teams fighting it out for the hardware, with the Croatia Adria Rockets, Polish White Eagles and Sudbury United Sports Club all in contention in 1968.

A 29 goal scorer the previous year, Ray Korkiala was back in the United lineup after missing their first three outings, scoring twice as his crew played to a 3-3 draw with Croatia Adria.

Cliff Baird rounded out the scoring for United, while Ilija Prodanovic (2) and John Svalina countered for Adria. As for Korkiala, the United gents will have to hope that the slick forward who has accepted a soccer scholarship at Michigan State can find work in Sudbury, allowing him to playout the summer with United.

With Canadian Football League commissioner Jake Gaudaur settling the dispute, Ken Shaw will be attending the training camp of the Ottawa Rough Riders and not the Hamilton Tiger Cats next week.

A talented end with both the Sudbury Spartans and Laurentian Voyageurs, Shaw was signed by Tiger Cats' coaches Ralph Sazio and Ray Malavasi while in town for the Northern Ontario Coaches Clinic, only to find out that Ottawa had placed Shaw on their negotiation list several months earlier.

A gradate of Copper Cliff High School, Shaw will be entering his third year of studies at L.U., where he has played both football and hockey, unless he cracks the Rough Riders roster.

With still a few weeks to go before the start of the 1968 Idylwylde Invitational, the tension is already starting to rise. Defending champion bruce Brewer has confirmed that he will be back in town looking to repeat - and with a chance to pull even with Nick Westlock as the second most decorated golfers in the tournament with three victories to their credit.

A tournament champion in 1951 / 1953 / 1954, Westlock will also be in the field, just one triumph back of the all-time winningiest champion, North Bay native Bill Morland with four titles.

The list of contenders also includes Bruce Castator, Merle Noyes, Dave / Bill Morland, Bob Ptashnik, Ken Thorpe (only left-hander to ever win the tournament), Sandy McAndrews, Bill Hutchison, Dave Pernu, Tom Binkley, Don Missere, Bill Bell and 20 year-old Ben Kern, an up and coming talent who is attending the University of New Mexico on a golf scholarship.

Frood Hotel might still be trying to chase down the league-leading Elliot Lake Merchants, but for one night at least, their powerful offense was on full display at O'Connor Park as the Frood gents pummelled the Parklane Hotel 21-6 in Nickel District Softball League action.

Brian Campbell (2/4 with a walk), Ed Marynuk (2/5 with a triple), Norm Duhamel (2/3 with a double), Ed Blanchard (2/5 with two doubles) and Chi Chi Farenzena (2/3 with a double) all enjoyed multi-hit games in the rout that saw Frood Hotel up 11-3 after three innings, adding a seven spot in the bottom of the sixth.

"It was just one of those games where everything went wrong," said Parklane head coach Lou Fazekas. "We had to play without Oscar Clouthier at shortstop and that hurt us. He was in that Walkathon on Saturday and went 43 miles. His legs were sore and he couldn't run."