SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary Schools' Athletic Association) crowned a pair of first-time city golf champions last week - though this time around, both of the Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School tandem of Lia Gallo and Camden Poirier have the runway necessary to tack on multiple titles before they head off for their post-secondary studies.
Now in grade 11 and a consummate multi-sport athlete, Lia Gallo captured her first city crown with an eight stroke victory last week, her round of 86 at the Lively Golf Club comfortably ahead of Sophie Larcher (SCC - 94), Sydney Uhrayn (SCC -98), Isabella Moretta (SCC - 98) and Lily Martel (STB - 101).
No stranger to a golf course, hitting balls in her youth with her father, Gallo has more recently seen her golf game enter the conversation with hockey and perhaps soccer in terms of a primary sport focus.
"I really only started to play tournaments last year," said the grade 11 senior at LEP. "It became a bigger part of my life this summer. I worked at the golf course (Idylwylde Golf & Country Club) during the summer."
"It was very convenient to be there all the time, to practice and play."
Having competed as part of the Northeast team at the Ontario Summer Games in August in Kitchener-Waterloo along with playing in a handful of stops within the Northeastern Junior Golf Tour, Gallo felt even more prepared than when she was runner-up to Lea Lemieux (2024) or Elliott Boyles (2025) in recent years.
"I think this year, I feel a lot more comfortable playing tournaments," she said. "I don't really get nervous for sports but golf was one where I did get nervous, especially at the first tee block."
"Playing in more tournaments definitely helped out."
Having now competed in Lively in each of the past three SDSSAA Championships, Gallo suggested that the venue is particularly apropos given scores on the girls side that ranged from 86 to 143.
"It's a great course to have for our high-school tournament," said Gallo. "It's not a super long course. It's a pretty good difficulty if you're just starting out - and even if you're pretty good."
On the boys side of things, Camden Poirier served notice that the potential is there for the first repeat SDSSAA Boys champion since Josh Hayes (2018-2019) as the grade 10 youngster at Lo-Ellen walked off with a three stroke victory thanks to his round of 72, marking the seventh different boys champion in the past seven years.
Poirier was followed by Peyton Goudreau (SCC - 75), Lo-Ellen Park teammate Thaddeus Quesnele (76) and Jack O'Connell (STB - 77) as the Knights took the team title with a quartet that also included Ben Dabous (82) and Max Jouppi (80).
St Charles, Horizon and Collège Notre-Dame followed Lo-Ellen in the boys team event while the individual top ten was rounded out by Reece keyes (LIV - 79), Kaiden Major (ESMC - 79), Cameron Bernstein (LAS - 79), Blake Chenier (HOR - 80 - tied with Jouppi) and Ryerson Johnston (HOR - 81).
All qualifiers moved on to compete at the NOSSA championships hosted on Tuesday at Huron Pines Golf & Country Club, with the OFSAA Championships set for October 14th & 15th in Niagara Falls (girls) and Windsor (boys).
