For the first time in 10 years, the Frontenac Falcons won the Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association field hockey championship.
Claire Sedgewick tipped in a shot from Lexi Hannah. It was the only goal of the game as the Falcons prevailed over the Holy Cross Crusaders 1-0 at Kingston’s Caraco Field.
“I’ve waited for this for a long time,” said Hannah, the game’s most valuable player.
“When I started in Grade 9 we finished dead last,” Hannah added.
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“Since then, we practised all the time and got better and better and improved every year. We finished in fourth place in the regular season but managed to upset three pretty good teams in the playoffs from Kingston Collegiate, Regiopolis and Holy Cross. We’ve been working towards this day and it feels really good.”
Coached by Dianne Miles, Ros Hanes and Cheryl Dawson, the Falcons saved their best for when it counted most.
“We were nervous going into the game because Holy Cross were the defending champs,” said Claire Lyons.
“We felt this year could be the year if we stuck to the game plan and continued to work hard. It feels really good, knowing we started at the bottom and rose to the very top.”
Knowing the circumstances, very few people expected the Falcons to win the KASSAA title. Jenna Churchill-Anderson always believed in what her team could accomplish.
“We’re just so super happy,” Churchill-Anderson said.
“Words can’t describe how I feel. We worked so hard for this and that hard work finally paid off.”
Despite Wednesday’s outcome, both Frontenac and Holy Cross have qualified for the Ontario High School championships in Burlington, Nov. 1-3.