Julia Tremeer was back in a familiar position at Wednesday’s NCAA cross country meet at Firemen’s Park.
The Grade 9 student at Notre Dame had won two or three Niagara Catholic District School Board cross country titles at the elementary school level and Wednesday she was first across the line in the novice girls division.
“I was hoping to do well but I didn’t know I could go that fast and do that well,” the Niagara Olympic Club member said.
About the only hiccup in the run was a little puking episode when the race was over.
“I don’t know what that was all about,” the 14-year-old Fenwick resident said, with a laugh. “I have never done that before and it was really weird.”
Tremeer is looking forward to what the rest of the high school season has in store for her.
“I am hoping to do well at SOSSA and maybe even move on to OFSAA,” she said.
Her Niagara Olympic Club training will help in that regard.
“I have a lot of great friends there that push me to do my best and the training and coaches are awesome.”
Tremeer also plays soccer and was a member of a Pelham travel team that made it all the way to the Ontario Cup semifinals.
Her sporting loyalties are divided.
“I love both of them,” she said.
Novice girls individual: Julia Tremeer, Notre Dame (17:31.3); 2. Bridget Peazel, Lakeshore; 3. Briar Collins, Notre Dame; 4. Syenn Pylpiw, Saint Francis; 5. Sarah Smith, Lakeshore.
By Bernie Puchalski - October 14, 2021
Tal Ibrahim scored a TD Thursday to help Notre Dame beat Denis Morris 35-0 in senior football action.
If football games were determined by time of possession and successful plays, the Denis Morris Reds senior football team would have emerged from its Thursday game against the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish with a victory.
But games are obviously determined by scoring and the defending Niagara Catholic Athletic Association champion Irish used five big plays to improve to 2-0 with a 35-0 victory over the Reds (1-2).
“We are making far too many mistakes, we are so undisciplined, we are playing flash and dash and trying to be all swagger and stuff and it’s just not working,” Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci said. “We don’t look good, we don’t look crisp as a team and we are winning with our athleticism.
“We are just out-athleting teams and that’s a problem.”
One of those athletes is running back Tal Ibrahim, who scored on a 40-yard run, caught a two-point convert and was a hard runner to corral all afternoon.
“He is a helluva running back,” Bisci said. “We missed blocks and he took a beating today. He gets back up, he is as tough as nails, he runs hard and he is fast and elusive. There is a lot of upside there.”
The 18-year-old Ibrahim last played high school football at Saint Paul but moved to Welland to live with his sister. During the COVID pandemic, he trained with David Pow and worked out on the field with Notre Dame quarterback Marshall McCray.
Continue Reading
By Bill Potrecz - October 14, 2021
Ella O’Connor wasn’t going to let a broken leg stop her from playing her favourite sport.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student broke a pair of bones in her leg in August of 2019 playing soccer, but you would never know it based on her performance Thursday.
O’Connor netted a team-high eight points while also running the offence to lead the St. Francis Phoenix past the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 33-27 in a Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior girls basketball game at ND.
“I broke my fibia and tibia and I have a rod in my leg,” O’Connor said. “I was out for maybe four months.”
O’Connor admitted it took a lot longer than that to get back to 100 per cent.
“It did bother me at first,” she said.
O’Connor, who also plays JUEL for the Pelham Panthers, missed playing at the high school level when the COVID pandemic wiped out all high school sports in 2020.
“Just everything,” she said when asked she missed the most. “I love high school basketball. It’s my favourite sport probably.”
The Phoenix made sure O’Connor had the ball in her hands with the game on the line as the Fighting Irish mounted a late comeback attempt.
“She’s just like a very sweet girl, on and off the court,” St. Francis head coach Karly Ruetz said. “Sometimes I wish she’d be a little bit more aggressive on the floor, but she’s great. She’s an awesome player, for sure, and we’re very lucky to have her.”
Continue Reading
By Bernie Puchalski - September 30, 2021
For the foreseeable future, whenever a high school quarterback in Niagara is able to beat teams with his arm and legs, comparisons will be made to former A.N. Myer great Tre Ford.
No one is saying Notre Dame quarterback Marshall McCray will be able to match Ford’s accomplishments but the Grade 11 quarterback sure looked good helping the Fighting Irish open the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior season with a 37-21 road victory over the Saint Paul Patriots. The 17-year-old Welland resident smiled when asked if he models his game after Ford.
“He’s actually my cousin,” the Grade 12 student said. “I have been watching ever since I was little and growing up and I am trying to be better than him.
“He set the bar high.”
The six-foot 180-pounder has been playing quarterback since he was seven years old, including stints in minor football, the Saint Paul junior team and with the Niagara Spears junior varsity squad.
He admitted it was odd playing against Saint Paul.
“It is a little unusual because I have been playing with them all my life but it was a great experience to play against them too. I had a lot of fun.”
For McCray and every player on the team, it felt awesome just to be playing football again.
“It feels great to be back out there after not playing for two years,” he said. “We got the nerves out of the way at the beginning and then we started rolling.”
During the pandemic, McCray and his friends trained almost every day on the field and working out.
“I feeI have gotten a lot better at throwing and I do a lot already with my legs. I can still get better at throwing and this team with its receiving corps, I think we can do great things.”
He is looking for one thing in particular this season.
“We want to go all the way and win a championship.”
Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci liked what he saw Thursday from McCray.
“He is learning a new offence but he did very well,” he said. “We did a few different things and ran a read option with him and he’s picked it up.”
There was a lot of repetition prior to the game but it showed Thursday.
Continue Reading
By Bernie Puchalski - September 24, 2021
Notre Dame’s Michael Martel and Denis Morris’ Ben Hebert carded 77s Friday at Twenty Valley to top the boys division at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association golf tournament.
Blessed Trinity’s Mya Mackey topped the girls division with a 99 and Blessed Trinity (Cole Thompson 78, Caleb Shorthouse 80, Hudson Mielko 81, John Kingdon 82, Ben Kelly 82) won the boys team title.
As a Grade 9 student at Denis Morris in 2019, Ben Hebert was low man on his team at the NCAA golf championships helping Denis Morris advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association championships.
On Friday, he took the next step, tying Martel for low medalist honours. The 16-year-old Thorold resident came in to the tournament on a high after finishing fourth overall this past summer in the under-19 division of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour.
“I definitely felt that I could have been better,” the Lookout Point member said. “I had a strong set of rounds but some people just had better days at those tournaments.”
Continue Reading
Notre Dame Outfitters
Cafeteria
Load Student Card
Donate 
