New gym, new jerseys!

Posted: May 13, 2015 in Football, High School, Sports
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It has been a very busy past few months for the Fighting Saints Football program.

On February 11th, St. Patrick High School hosted its annual Open House for prospective Grade 8 students. Despite the poor weather that day, the event was still very well attended. Our booth in the gymnasium was manned by coaches Marcon, Honeysett and Bevilacqua with assistance  from junior players Calen Fennell and Mike Hachey. A number potential recruits stopped at the booth to hear more about our program.

Calen and Mike manning the football booth, February 2015.

Calen and Mike manning the football booth, February 2015.

Also in February, we commenced our off-season workout program under the direction of our new strength and conditioning coach, Mr. Olynick. To raise more interest and incorporate more cardio into the regimen, we integrated our existing BFS (Bigger, Faster, Stronger) program with Crossfit training. The results were very impressive, with upwards of 30 players or more attending the sessions. All of the new interest necessitated a relocation of our existing weight room.

Since we began off-season workouts, our gym has been located in the basement adjacent to our equipment room. It was a small room to begin with, and as we purchased more and more weightlifting equipment, it became increasingly cramped. In consultation with school administration and the Phys Ed Department, it was decided to move the weight room upstairs to the Tech wing of the school. The room already served as a combination weight/wrestling room, so the weight facilities would be expanded and the wrestling mats moved into the old weight room in the basement. The new location affords much more space, is brighter and is much cooler with better air flow. We look forward to making even more use of this new facility in the future.

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One of the most exciting events of the off-season is that our program has continued last year’s revision of our team image with the acquisition of new uniforms. Our current jerseys and pants have been in use since 2004, and it was time for a make-over. In addition, after 11 years of use, many of the uniforms were beginning to show their age. The process will take place in two stages due to budgetary constraints, with the seniors sporting the new look for this season and the juniors to follow in 2016. So without any further ado, here are the new uniforms sported by Kellen Steudle:

 

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With the arrival of spring and nicer weather, attention now turns to our annual spring camps and our trip to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for their team camp. The senior camp will commence June 1st, followed the junior camp on June 15th and 16th. We are hoping to have as many players take the opportunity to travel to UMD with us from the 25th to the 27th. Those that made the trip last year thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic event put on by the coaches at UMD and the opportunity to test their skills against teams from Minnesota.

Please check back regularly for the latest news and information.

Winter-Spring Football Information 2015

Posted: January 21, 2015 in Football, High School, Sports
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This off-season will provide many opportunities for players in our program to build their football skills. As discussed at the meeting, this post is designed to provide some additional information on up-coming events over the next number of months.

  1. Off-season cross-fit training program will begin the week of February 2nd. Players will be under the supervision of our new strength and conditioning coach, Mr. Olynick. Sessions will typically run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
  2. University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) coaches will be in Thunder Bay in the second week of May to deliver an individual skills camp. This camp is organized by Thunder Bay Minor Football and runs Saturday and Sunday afternoon at the LU Hanger. Registration takes places in late March and the cost is approximately $75. Forms will be available at the school.
  3. St. Patrick spring football camps are held in early to mid-June. The junior edition is 3-day non-contact event for Grade 9’s and interested Grade 8’s. The senior edition will be in full equipment and is full contact; returning junior players are welcome to attend the senior camp. There is no cost for these camps.
  4. The program is planning to attend the UMD team football camp held in Duluth from June 25-27. This is a full-contact event and is one of the best experiences for any football player. Both juniors and seniors are eligible to attend, however players must participate the senior camp to prepare and practice. The cost will be between $210 and $275 Canadian funds. UMD charges $175 (US funds) for all overnight attendees (covers all meals and accommodations at the UMD campus). The additional charges will cover the cost of the charter bus to the camp (the exact cost of the bus is to be determined). All players will need international medical insurance and proper identification.
UMD, June 2014.

UMD, June 2014.

More information will be released as it becomes available. Players are encouraged to listen to announcements and check the program’s Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest updates. Parents who have questions or require additional clarification are asked to contact the coaches at the school.

2014 Season in review

Posted: November 24, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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With the approach of December and snow on the ground, it is time to look back on what was a very successful year for the Fighting Saints program.

The junior season began way back on Thursday, September 4th with the first practice of the year. The squad had a number of returning Grade 10 players and a large contingent of Grade 9 freshmen. This year the team was able to get back to its usual tradition of a pre-season scrimmage thanks to some great weather and the cooperation of the Westgate Tigers. The exhibition game is great preparation for the season, especially for those who have never played football before.

The juniors roared out of the gate to a 4 and 0 record, thanks to victories over Hammarskjold, Churchill, Superior and Westgate. That set up a first-place showdown in the regular season finale with our cross-town rivals, St. Ignatius. Unfortunately that meeting resulted in a disappointing loss, but the team still secured second place and a first round playoff bye.

The semi-finals saw the juniors square off with a dangerous Hammarskjold squad they had not seen since a week one 17-6 win. Aside from a few miscues, the team rode a strong defensive effort on route to a 31-13 win. For the second year in a row, and third time in four years, the juniors would now try to win their first city championship since 2002.

November 8th dawned bright, windy and extremely cold. With wind chills hovering in the -12C range, it was not going to be an easy contest. Faced with a very tough St. Ignatius team that had dominated the regular season matchup, the juniors struggled to find any consistency on either side of the ball and lost 39-6.

Although the title eluded the juniors yet again, it was another successful winning season. The team has upwards of 20 potential returning Grade 9’s, so they are in great shape for another run in 2015.

2014 Juniors

2014 Juniors

The seniors held their first practice of the year on Wednesday, September 3rd. With a large group of Grade 11’s moving up from junior, the team hoped to erase the memory of the 2013 campaign’s 2-5 record. Since Superior did not field a varsity team this year, the seniors drew a first week bye and did not play their first game until September 19th.

The team struggled at the outset, dropping 3 of their first 4 games. However they were able to find their stride after a huge upset victory over St. Ignatius. The seniors went on to win their next 3 games to finish the regular season with 5 wins and 3 losses, good for third place in the standings.

The semi-finals would pit the seniors against a tough Churchill squad, with each team winning one game in the regular season. On a cold evening, a number of miscues put the seniors in a 24-14 half-time hole. However, the team rallied and roared back in the final minutes of the game, due largely to the arm and legs of quarterback Joey Ward. The 28-24 victory launched them into the championship game for the first time since 2009.

In a repeat of the junior final, the seniors would face rival St. Ignatius to decide who would advance to the OFSAA Bowl game in Hamilton on November 28th. The game was very tightly contested, with the lead changing hands several times. The seniors seemed to grab the momentum with a late interception by Marc Degagne, but a botched hand-off on the ensuing series resulted in the game winning fumble recovery touchdown by St. Ignatius.

The seniors should be well positioned to make another championship run in 2015 with the bulk of the team returning and a strong group of juniors moving up. Off-season training starts soon!

2014 Seniors

2014 Seniors

2014 Season

Posted: August 26, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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The following is important information regarding the 2014 season.

Junior

All new and returning players are asked to attend a brief meeting on Wednesday, September 3rd, at lunch, in the main gym. To be eligible to play junior, players must be born in 1999 or 2000. Returning players who do not have equipment or those that attended the spring camp may pick up their equipment on Wednesday after school. The first practice will take place on Thursday, September 4th at 3:15 on the football field; this will be a non-equipment practice. Full equipment practices will begin on Friday, September 5th. For more information, please see Mr. Battistel, Mr. Honeysett or Mr. Bevilacqua.

The first junior game of the season takes place on Friday, September 26th at 3:00 versus Hammarskjold. There is a possibility of an exhibition game the week before. The full schedule is available by clicking on the link below.

2014 JR Football Schedule

Senior

Practices begin on the first day of classes, Wednesday, September 3rd at 3:15; new players are welcome. For more information, please see Mr. Marcon or Mr. Pearce.

The first senior game of the season takes place on Friday, September 19th at 7:00 versus St. Ignatius. The full schedule is available by clicking on the link below.

2014 SR Football Schedule

The beginning of a new era

Posted: May 10, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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The modern manifestation of the St. Patrick Fighting Saints Football program began in 1986. There have been a lot of great moments during the past 28 years.

In our short history, we have always sported a green jersey (with a white or yellow/gold away jersey) and a yellow/gold helmet. There was little deviation from this uniform configuration over the years due to restrictions that had been put into place by our governing body, the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association, or SSSAA. When St. Patrick expanded in 1985 after full-funding was extended to Catholic high schools, our varsity sports programs expanded as well. However, there was an issue with our school colours of green and gold, since there was already a school with a predominately green coloured uniform, Hillcrest.

The comprise became that we would have to sport different colour headgear and have a non-green away jersey; hence the reason for the yellow helmets in football. However everything changed in 2009. That year Hillcrest High School closed, and was replaced by a new school, Superior CVI. The new school sported a new name, logo and colours. The change thus left us as the only green team in the league, and paved the way for the change that is about to come.

Selecting a new uniform will ultimately be a two step process, with new helmets introduced for the 2014 season and new jerseys to come the following year. There was a lot debate and discussion amongst the coaching staff and players as to what our new uniforms would look like. Eventually a green helmet was settled on, with a logo and striping on it. A large factor in the decision was the need to accommodate the look and colours of our current uniform, which as indicated will not be replaced for another year.

So without further adieu, the St. Patrick Fighting Saints Football program is proud to unveil our new look for the 2014 season. Many thanks go out to John Ongaro, a former Fighting Saints alumni, for taking these fantastic photos. As well, special thanks go out to current players Kellen Steudle and Cody Baranyk for volunteering to model the new head gear.

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Our players will be showing off the new helmets at this weekend’s UMD/Thunder Bay Minor Football skills camp. Be sure to visit our Facebook page for all the pictures from the photo shoot. Watch out for the new jerseys coming in 2015!

Football in February?

Posted: February 19, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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Yes, it does happen! Even though we are in the middle of winter, many things are still happening with our program.

On February 12th St. Patrick High School hosted its annual open house for Grade 8 students. Fighting Saints Football was well represented as usual, this time with its own separate booth. Junior coaches Honeysett and Bevilacqua, along with Senior Head Coach Marcon manned the display. Joining them as well was junior player Xander Scriver. It was a very successful evening with a number potential recruits stopping by to learn more football at St. Patrick.

Football booth, February 2014.

Football booth, February 2014.

Football booth, February 2014.

Football booth, February 2014.

Football booth, February 2014.

Football booth, February 2014.

In other news, off-season workouts have recently begun. Under the direction of Coach Marcon, the Bigger Faster Stronger (BFS) program is in full swing in the football weight room. Sessions run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 4:15. Initial turnout has been very good, with over 30 juniors and seniors participating. BFS will continue until spring training camps commence in early June.

BFS, February 2014.

BFS, February 2014.

BFS, February 2014.

BFS, February 2014.

BFS, February 2014.

BFS, February 2014.

Thunder Bay Minor Football is organizing a under-16 team that will participate in a tournament to be held in Winnipeg this summer. Several Fighting Saints Grade 9 players are trying out for this all-star team and have a good shot at making the cut. Best of luck to them!

Please check back often for the latest news, information and photos.

Winter-Spring Football Information

Posted: January 22, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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This off-season will provide many opportunities for players in our program to build their football skills. As discussed at the meeting, this post is designed to provide some additional information on up-coming events over the next number of months.

  1. BFS (Bigger Faster Stronger) weight training program will begin the week of February 10th. BFS is an internationally recognized strength and conditioning program designed to teach athletes sport-specific exercises. Players will be closely supervised by coaches. Sessions will typically run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
  2. University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) coaches will be in Thunder Bay on May 10 & 11 to deliver an individual skills camp. This camp is organized by Thunder Bay Minor Football and runs in the afternoon of both days (in the past it has been held at the LU Hanger). Registration takes places in late March and the cost is approximately $75. Forms will be available at the school.
  3. St. Patrick spring football camps are held in early to mid-June. The junior edition is 3-day non-contact event for Grade 9’s and interested Grade 8’s. The senior edition will be in full equipment and is full contact; returning junior players are welcome to attend the senior camp. There is no cost for these camps.
  4. The program is planning to attend the UMD team football camp held in Duluth from June 26-28. This is a full-contact event and is one of the best experiences for any football player. Both juniors and seniors are eligible to attend, however players must participate the senior camp to prepare and practice. The cost will be approximately $275 Canadian funds. UMD charges $175 (US funds) for all overnight attendees (covers all meals and accommodations at the UMD campus). The additional charges will cover the cost of the charter bus to the camp. All players will need international medical insurance and those over 16 will require a passport. More information is available on the UMD website or on the UMD camp brochure: Team Camp Brochure 2014
Fighting Saints at UMD, June 2008.

Fighting Saints at UMD, June 2008.

More information will be released as it becomes available. Players are encouraged to listen to announcements and check the program’s Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest updates. Parents who have questions or require additional clarification are asked to contact the coaches at the school.

2013 Season in review

Posted: December 29, 2013 in Football, High School, Sports
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Another season has come and gone for our football program. Now that the cleats have been hung up and snow is on the ground, it is time to take a look back at what was the 2013 season.

Although it did not end exactly how we may have wanted, this year was another successful campaign for the junior squad. The team entered the season with 16 returning Grade 10’s, and a number of promising Grade 9’s. Practices began on Thursday, September 5th and by the following Monday all players were in full equipment. This meant that there would be approximately two and half weeks to get the team ready for the season opener on September 26th.

Things got off to a shaky start however, with weather forcing the cancellation of the usual pre-season exhibition game on the 20th. For the first time since 2003, the juniors would begin the season playing someone other than our cross-town rivals, the St. Ignatius Falcons. This game would end up as a disappointing loss to the Churchill Trojans and the next week would end similarly, this time to St. Ignatius.

The juniors were able to reverse their fortunes in the following two games, doubling up the Hammarskjold Vikings and the Westgate Tigers. With a record of two wins and two losses, the juniors would finish third and automatically advance to the semi-finals against number-two ranked Churchill. The team was in good shape heading into their bye week and certainly on an emotional high. During the couple weeks off between games, two junior players, Cody Baranyk and Kellen Steudle, were privileged to be called up by the senior squad and had some significant playing time in their game that week.

The November 2nd semi-final would pit the juniors against a team that had soundly defeated them in week one. The team had improved significantly since that time, and had two weeks to prepare for the match-up. The juniors roared out to a 21-0 lead after the first half, and hung on to upset Churchill 34-29. This would set up a second trip to the finals in three years, and a re-match with number-one ranked St. Ignatius.

What was anticipated to be a high-scoring slugfest turned into a tight, defensive battle. With five starters out of the line-up due to injury, the offense struggled to move the ball against a tough Falcons defense. However as the game progressed, the offense began to pick up momentum. Unfortunately the clock became the enemy, and the game ended as a disappointing 7-0 loss.

Although the championship has eluded the team again, it was a great season. With upwards of 15 potential returning Gr. 9’s, next season promises to be equally as exciting. Spring camp is only 5 months away!

2013 Juniors

2013 Juniors

The 2013 senior campaign was one fraught with challenges but also with some successes.  With quite a number of returning players, including several fifth year athletes, practices began on Wednesday, September 5th. This would leave approximately one week and half to prepare for the season’s first game on September 20th.

The opener began with the traditional match-up against our cross-town rivals, the St. Ignatius Falcons. At stake was claim over the Catholic Cup, which had been firmly planted at St. Pat’s for the last number of years. Unfortunately this round went to St. Ignatius and along with it the Cup (at least until next year).

Promise returned the next week with a win over Superior, but the injury bug hit the team and a number of players were lost for the year. This precipitated heartbreaking losses to Westgate, Churchill and Hammarskjold which doomed the season. The very under-strength squad did achieve some redemption with a victory over Superior and finished with a final record of 2 and 5.

With another sizable group of Gr.10’s moving up next year from junior, there’s a lot of hope for more successful 2014 season!

2013 Seniors

2013 Seniors

Our first post!

Posted: December 19, 2013 in Football, High School, Sports
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Welcome to the blog of the St. Patrick High School Football Program, the Fighting Saints!  Please visit regularly for the latest news and information regarding our teams and football.

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