HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
St. Mary Looks Ahead After GHAC

St. Mary Catholic Secondary School's days as an AA-level playoff competitor may be numbered.

And it's due a growing student population at that west Hamilton location.

The Crusaders played host to King's Christian Cavaliers on May 28 in the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference title game for boys' AA soccer.

The Oakville squad won that contest, 5-0, to advance to the OFSAA championship tournament, June 4-6, in Milton.

After the game, Crusaders coach Sean Dennison said St. Mary's student enrollment is approaching the threshold for being considered AA.

During league play -- in almost all sports -- St. Mary competes against six larger Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic AAA schools. Then, at playoff time, St. Mary gets to choose whether to vie for regional and provincial championships against AA or AAA opponents.

"It depends on the growth of the school," Dennison said of St. Mary's classification for the future. "I don't know what the numbers are going to be like. We're on the cusp.We're growing a little but not much. We may have one more year in AA."

The veteran senior boys' coach pointed out that AA playoffs give players something more to look forward to.

"Playing in a GHAC final or semifinal is a great opportunity to go to OFSAA," Dennison said.

"We'll figure it out, though. We'll roll with whatever the rules are."

St. Mary finished its 2026 regular schedule with a record of 2-5. The Crusaders then dropped a 2-1 quarter-final playoff against the second-place St. Thomas More Knights.

Against King's Christian, the visitors got three goals by Stefano Zarlenga plus one apiece by Ethan Peterson and Bibawi. Matthew Madagu's back-heel pass set up one of Zarlenga's markers.

"We're a super-young team in a strong league," Dennison explained. "Most of our kids are in Grade 11."Leaving the field this year we got a lot of compliments about our play and our players.

"And our junior team did well this year, so we hope it bodes well for the future."

King's Christian, a private high school in Oakville, had a 5-1 regular-season record against Halton Secondary School Athletic Association teams. King's then defeated Burlington Nelson, 4-1, and Oakville Iroquois Ridge, 2-1, before losing 2-1 to Garth Webb Chargers in the final.

King's then took its GHAC semifinal in the AA division, 3-0, over St. Kateri Tekawitha.

"It's a credit to our players for knowing how to mentally pick themselves back up after we lost to Garth Webb," King's coach Dmitri Lee said. "We're excited to go to OFSAA. It's what we expected."

The Cavaliers have won OFSAA gold in the A category twice previously (in 2012 and 2008). They've also captured top honours at eight consecutive All-Ontario Christian high school championship tournaments.

"We have a hard-working, focused team," Lee added. "So that makes it easier to coach. I was impressed with our composure today."

The St. Mary coach said King's is a talented group that conducted themselves with class.

"When we were down 3-0 at the half it kind of took the wind out of our sails," Dennison said.

Elsewhere, the St. Mary senior girls' soccer team punched its ticket for OFSAA. The Crusaders -- 5-3 overall in league action -- won their GHAC AA final with a 6-0 road victory over St. Kateri Tekawitha.

The provincial AA tournament for girls is June 4-6 in Belleville.

Holy Trinity Titans captured this year's GHAC girls' AAA soccer championship, 5-2, over the previously undefeated Bishop Tonnos Titans.

And in the GHAC boys' AAA final, the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals topped the visiting Garth Webb Chargers, 7-1.

See photos on our HWCDSB Athletics Facebook page.