Muskie boys’ team set for all-Ontarios Squad is seeded #2

The Muskie boys’ soccer team begins its 20-hour journey to the all-Ontarios in St. Catharines on Saturday at midnight.
However, there are a few pressing matters that need to be attended to before they board the bus.
The black-and-gold, ranked second among the 20 teams, held their final practice Friday at Fort High to go over all the last-minute details before the ref blows the opening whistle for their first game against the Cardinal Carter Cougars of Leamington on Monday at 9 a.m. (EDT).
And then there’s that little thing called the prom. Graduating Muskie players will make a whirlwind appearance at the ceremony Saturday, take some pictures with family and friends, and then meet up with the rest of the team for the trip to southern Ontario.
Muskie head coach Shane Beckett is excited about both the trip and the prospect of fulfilling the objectives the team set for itself before the start of the season.
“Our team goal was to reach the [playoff] round [at OFSAA],” he said. “That was the ultimate team goal that they established at the beginning of the year.
“I think that is something we are definitely capable of.”
Fort High’s ranking as the second seed is based on how NWOSSAA teams have fared at OFSAA over the past five years, as well as the Muskies’ league and exhibition records.
Beckett was a little surprised by the seeding, but said the team has fared well against some of the better NWOSSAA teams in the past.
“Our association has always done very well down at OFSAA and we’ve always competed very well against [St.] Ignatius [Thunder Bay], which has been the perennial powerhouse, so they take that into consideration,” he explained.
“So, we come in at number two, which is a pretty high ranking for us,” Beckett conceded.
The Muskies have been practising hard over the past couple of weeks in preparation for the provincial tournament.
Given the short length of the NorWOSSA season (roughly three weeks), qualifying for OFSAA almost doubles a normal Muskie soccer season—allowing the team more time to practise and improve.
“We’ve worked on some things that we definitely need work on,” Beckett said. “Offensively, defensively, we’ve been able to specialize a little bit more.”
While winning a few games at the all-Ontarios would be a great accomplishment, Beckett said what’s most important is the experience each of his players have on the trip.
“It’s about the experience,” he stressed. “One of the best things about playing high school sports from what I’ve heard from so many people is the bus ride to OFSAA.
“It’s a huge experience the kids remember for their entire lives.”
The other lesson Beckett is hoping to impart on his team is that they are capable of competing against teams from other areas of the province.
“You always think that because you’re from Northern Ontario, you’re not really good enough to play southern Ontario or Winnipeg or whatever—that to play NorWOSSA or NWOSSAA is second class,” he remarked.
“I want these guys to start to realize that they need to be confident,” Beckett stressed. “At their level, the ‘AA’ level, they should be able to compete with anybody and not be fearful of the fact they’re from Toronto or they’re from London or they’re from wherever.”
The Muskies will face the Nicholson Crusaders of Belleville in their second match Monday at noon (EDT).
Fort High then kicks off the second day of the competition against Wellington Heights Wolverines of Mount Forest at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
They wrap up the round-robin portion of the tournament against Kingston’s Bayridge Blazers at 11 a.m.
The top two teams in the four pools then advance to the quarter-finals, which start at 5:15 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday.
The semi-finals and final go Wednesday.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)