Huron Park Huskies celebrate special sixth-place OFSAA AA finish

The Huron Park Huskies thoroughly enjoyed their OFSAA AA senior boys volleyball experience. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

Finishing sixth in the province is a remarkable achievement.

But the Woodstock Huron Park Huskies’ Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) AA volleyball experience in Orillia was about more than what happened on the court.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” said middle hitter Parker McLeod.

“Definitely the team,” agreed Connor Harper, describing the Dawgs as a big friend group.

“Everyone was great in their own way.”

“The whole team grew closer over the weekend,” added setter Gavin Jansen, noting he’ll remember his teammates and the coaches who put so much time into the building the program together. “And how we played a high level of volleyball.”

The Huskies received a sendoff from members of Huron Park’s previous OFSAA senior boys volleyball team, including Bob Takacs and Woodstock Mayor Jerry Achhione, celebrating a return 36 years in the making.

“That was pretty cool,” said Jansen, absorbing their advice to have fun and take in the experience. “Still bleed purple, right?”

Huron Park opened OFSAA AA Pool C play Thursday, Nov. 20 with a three-set victory over St. Mary’s CSS from Hamilton.

“There were nerves,” Harper admitted. “Definitely nerves.”

“We still took it to them in the end,” said McLeod.

“After you woke up,” interjected coach Eryn Orr.

As the team found its competitive legs, Harper credited middle hitter Jaxson Finnie for getting off to a quick start.

“Finnie was on a mission the whole tournament, he was on fire.”

The Huskies cruised past Dundas Valley in their second match.

“We got in our groove,” said McLeod. “After our first match we settled in and took care of business.”

Huron Park faced second-seeded Port Perry in its third match, a pretty skilled team in the words of McLeod, who faced at times, a triple block. Port Perry also had a great setter, credited Harper, who disguised his attack point well.

“You couldn’t read him one bit.”

Dropping the match by 25-19, 25-17 scores left the Huskies in a must-win the following morning, should they wish to advance to championship quarterfinals. Advancing in the championship bracket was the team’s goal, preferable to winning the consolation round, in effect proving they belonged in the 20-team tournament’s top half. Timiskaming District SS pushed Huron Park to a third set, ultimately wrapped by a narrow 15-12 margin.

“So stressful,” recalled Orr, whose message was clear during a time out. “I said we’re not losing this game.”

The Huskies faced Ottawa ESC L’Escale that evening. To that point, L’Escale had not lost a set, finishing atop pool D with a perfect 4-0 record. Huron Park broke off that string in the first set, eking out a narrow 26-24 victory. L’Escale responded with a 25-21 win in set two, taking a pivotal third set by a 28-26 margin before closing out the match 25-21.

“We never gave up,” said Orr.

“It wasn’t easy wins for them,” Jansen added.

“Really good volleyball,” Harper agreed. “They were very good but so were we. Made them earn it.”

In arrears of this tough match, L’Escale was swept 25-20, 25-19, 25-15 by Owen Sound St. Mary’s SS in a semi-final, while Port Perry rode the momentum from a marathon 38-36 set one win over West Hill CI to a tough three-set sweep.

St. Mary’s SS took the gold medal with a 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 sweep of Port Perry, while L’Escale rebounded for a 25-21, 25-21, 27-25 bronze medal win over West Hill.

Huron Park’s efforts through the event earned the Huskies a final provincial AA ranking of sixth.

“Every team was good,” said McLeod.

“Skill everywhere,” Harper agreed.

Getting there as a coach and being able to share OFSAA with her team checked an item off Orr’s bucket list. After the team’s final loss, she experienced a mixture of different emotions, which ultimately coalesced into pride.

“So proud of how far they’ve come and the work they put in. It’s way more than making it to OFSAA for me.”

The achievement was an honest one Orr continued, built from the ground up as opposed to the product of a long-standing program. The players really wanted it from their start in Grade 9 with coach Jenn Windsor Orr credited, part of a broader Huskies effort which resulted in a shared OFSAA experience.

“The word I keep coming up with, is special,” she concluded.