OFSAA Preview: Who Ya Got?
With OFSAA just a few days away, it’s time to get a look at who will be representing each region heading into this year.
The Draw
- Pine Ridge (Pickering)
- LaSalle (Kingston)
- Cathedral (Hamilton)
- Toronto Central Academy (Toronto)
- Eastwood (Kitchener-Waterloo)
- Saltfleet (Hamilton)
- Pickering (Pickering)
- Vaughan (Varsity) (Vaughan)
- Orillia (Orillia)
- Brampton Centennial (Brampton)
- Holy Name (Windsor)
- Longfield Davidson Heights (Nepean)
- B. Beal (London)
- Michael Power (Toronto)
- Upper Canada College (Toronto)
- Mary’s (Sault Ste. Marie)
- Orchard Park (Stoney Creek)
- Prince Edward CI (Picton)
This year’s AAA OFSAA will be held at Saltfleet and Glendale out in Hamilton, from March 4-6.
NPH is also proud to announce that we will be a sponsor to this year’s event, and will be on site providing scouting, Ontario NPH Showcase information, mixtape production, and live broadcasting of the Bronze and Gold medal game.
If anyone is interested in video exposure opportunities, please contact Mike Dotto at mdotto@northpolehoops.com
Teams to watch
As with the last few years, Pine Ridge is the heavy favourite to repeat as champions. The Pumas have been ranked throughout the entire year on the Top 25 NPH National High School Rankings, and will be looking to continue a dominant run throughout the past few seasons.
One of the best surprises this season has been the play of number 2 seed LaSalle out of Kingston. A school more noted for football, LaSalle managed to put together a 39-game winning streak before it finally came to an end just a couple weeks ago at the hands of YRAA finalists Middlefield. That streak included wins over nationally ranked teams such as St. Martin’s, North Park, Crescent, and Saltfleet. Despite this being the first time LaSalle has entered the AAA tournament (they reclassified this year from AA), they are more than deserving of their 2 seed, and are must watch this week.
Host Saltfleet will be in tough against a St. Mary’s squad out of Sault St. Marie that will not be intimidated coming into OFSAA, having already matched up earlier this year against top programs like Pickering. Regardless, Saltfleet has a few accomplishments of their own, sporting a 30-3 overall record that includes a tournament win at the Niagara Festival of Lights.
Eastwood out of Kitchener had the toughest road to OFSAA, having to go through 3 other nationally ranked teams in CWOSSAA just to get to this point. Despite being a 5 seed, they will be my pick to make it to the finals.
Other teams to watch out for would be Cathedral out of Hamilton, Orillia (who ended Middlefield’s perfect season at 34 straight wins), Toronto Central Academy, and Brampton Centennial, who despite a 7-3 regular season record, knocked off nationally ranked St. Francis Xavier in the ROPSSAA Playoffs.
The first two games on the schedule will be Toronto Central Academy vs Upper Canada College on at Saltfleet, and Eastwood against Orchard Park at Glendale. Both games will tip-off at 10 am on March 4th.
