With rumours of the 2027 OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) Golf Championships being hosted in Sudbury now circulating, it was a pair of locals who will have a chance to give it another shot next year and beyond (in one case) who provided the highlights as SDSSAA athletes made their way to the NOSSA and OFSAA playdowns this fall.
Just 15 year-old and only in grade 10, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School standout Camden Poirier blistered his way to a round of 68 at the Huron Pines Golf & Country Club in Blind River earlier this fall, cruising to a five stroke victory at the northern Ontario event.
"My iron play was really good all day," said Poirier, who hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation in a showcase of golfing consistency. "Maybe proximity could have been a bit better but all in all, my iron play was pretty solid."
"This course fits me more or less like the Idylwylde, where if you keep the ball in play, you can score really well - and I am really good at that," Poirier continued. "At NOSSA, I was hitting the ball well, striking the ball well all day, which really helped me."
Poirier showed the way in a one-two Sudbury finish as Carter Baron from St Charles College was next in line at 73, followed by Ronan Grant (75 - St Joseph Scollard Hall), Alex Bourcier (77 - Espanola High-School) and Sylvain Beaupré (78 - E.S.C. Algonquin).
Lo-Ellen Park captured the boys team aggregate as Thadeus Quesnel (80), Jack O'Connell (85), Max Jouppi (85) and Ben Dabous (85) joined Poirier and Baron at the OFSAA Championships in Windsor.
Lia Gallo, also of Lo-Ellen, followed up her win at the city tournament with an easy triumph at NOSSA, her score of 79 leaving the grade 11 multi-sport talent 12 strokes clear of Sophie Larcher from St Charles.
At the Girls OFSAA tournament in Niagara Falls, Gallo carded a two-day score of 169 (86-83), good for an eighth place finish in the high-school division. NOSSA did not have any representation in the Open Girls Division which was captured by Sierra Kowalyshyn of Bishop Ryan, who finished the tournament at 139.
On the boys side, the LEP Knights finished 13th among the 20 teams that were entered, with Poirier still best among SDSSAA individual entries at 148 (76-72 - tied for 22nd), followed by Carter Baron (149), Thad Quesnele (155) and Jack O'Connell (163).
