Not even the chilly weather could cool off Matt Myers yesterday. The Chatham-Kent golfer shot a 2-over 74 to win the Kent high school championship by two strokes at the Ridgetown Golf & Curling Club. "Even though it was freezing cold, I was playing in shorts and a T-shirt," said Myers, 17. "I was in a zone." He suspected it was going to be a good day when he chipped under a tree from 20 yards out to birdie the par three fourth hole. "That's when I realized things were going my way," he said. Laura Lowther won the girls championship by one stroke over Chatham-Kent teammate Sarah Robertson with a 107. Myers was surprised to be leading when he got back to the clubhouse. While he waited a half-hour for the other golfers to finish, he tried to stay calm by listening to his iPod. "I tried to not show I was nervous," he said. "I really wanted this win." The Grade 12 student has played for the Golden Hawks for two years. He finished 12th at the Kent tournament a year ago. "This year I had it set in my mind I wanted to win," Myers said. "This is my last year and I wanted to win it." Austin Kelly of Ursuline and Kyle Wicks of McGregor each shot a 76 to tie for second place. On Sunday, Kelly set the tournament record at Country View with a 65 during the Essex-Kent Tournament of Champions. Kelly helped Ursuline win the boys team championship yesterday. The other Lancers were Cory Dickson (78), Nate Young (80), Brent Murphy (82) and Adriano Deabreu (86). Myers was joined on the second-place Golden Hawks by defending champion Brodie Weaver (80), Jason Buliga (81), Brett Fujii (84) and Nate Parent (90). The top four scores count in the team standings. Both teams advance to the SWOSSAA tournament Monday at Ridgetown. Lowther, 15, didn't have high expectations for her first year of high school golf. 

The Grade 11 student joined the team to have fun and get in some extra rounds. "I hadn't gotten a lot of practice in the summer, so I wanted to go and play more," she said. "I wanted to be more involved in school, so I thought, 'Why not?'" She was happy with her score, saying she usually shoots around 115. "I know a lot of the other girl golfers," Lowther said. "They're pretty good golfers. They're good competition. I was shocked that I won."

Friday night lights are about to shine in Chatham for the first time in decades. High school football moves to prime time Friday when the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks host the McGregor Panthers at 7 p.m. at the Chatham-Kent Community Athletic Complex. Players and coaches have been looking forward to the historic contest ever since the $150,000 lights were installed in August. "You can kind of make a night of it," Golden Hawks head coach Jeff Green said. "It obviously works well down in the States and there's no reason why it can't work here." A big crowd is expected. Parents and fans who can't go to afternoon games will finally have a chance to attend. The Panthers' receivers, quarterbacks and kick returners practised under the lights for the first time last night. The Golden Hawks take their turn Thursday. "They're pretty excited about it," Green said about the game. "I don't think they realize all the fanfare that's going with it." Cheerleaders and bands from both schools will perform. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for students. Proceeds will be used to maintain the athletic complex. The game will be preceded by three ceremonial kickoffs. 

The complex's three major partners - its steering committee, the Chatham-Kent Cougars minor football program and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent - will be represented. The Cougars and the steering committee received $75,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for the lights. Fundraising covered rest of the costs. The Golden Hawks have another night game Thursday, Oct. 23, against the Blenheim Bobcats. The Panthers are trying to move next Friday's home game against the Bobcats one night earlier and play under the lights. "It's a community complex and we'd like to make use the of it," McGregor head coach James Clarke said. "The idea of playing under the lights is appealing to high school kids." Night football is believed to have disappeared from the local high school scene four decades ago. "They say it happened back in the '60s," Green said. "They used to play at Kiwanis (Stadium)." The lights are the latest addition to the $1.8-million athletic complex. Next on the wish-list is a building with dressing rooms for teams and washrooms for fans. "You know that thing from Field of Dreams? 'Build it and they will come,'" said John Esplen of the steering committee. "Man, that's what's happening here." The complex has hosted an international rugby match in June between Canada and England, the Relay For Life fundraiser, Kent Havoc rugby, Cougars football and Chatham Youth Soccer Association games. "There's just so many things that have occurred and are continuing," Esplen said. "There's growth."

Retired lawyer Bill Magee wanted to take part in yesterday's Taking Steps Against Breast Cancer, but he was going to need a helping hand. The Chatham resident has lost most of his mobility due to a vertebrae condition, but he was able to do the five-kilometer event thanks to Ryan Jansseune, 16, and Jordan Roy, 17, who are members of the Ursuline College Chatham Lancers senior boys football team. 

Magee said he decided to take part in the event, hosted by the Chatham-Kent chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society, in memory of his wife Ann, who died of breast cancer 16 years ago at age 55. So Magee, a former football player at Lawrence Park Collegiate high school in Toronto, called UCC football coach Randy Rybansky and asked if two football players would be willing push him 15-and-a-half times around the track at UCC to complete the five-kilometre requirement. He added it was a good opportunity for them to get in some community service hours, which is a requirement for them to graduate high school. Magee said his wife "would be very pleased" he went to this effort for such a good cause. "I was athletic all my life," he said, adding that changed when his affliction hit about six or seven years ago. Jansseune said he volunteered "just to help out a fellow football player." Roy said, "I just wanted to help out a nice old man."

If opening night was an indication, the Kent 'AA-AAAA' senior girls basketball season promises to be a tight race. The Ursuline Lancers beat the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks 41-38 and the McGregor Panthers edged the Wallaceburg Tartans 38-36 in a pair of overtime games yesterday. The Lancers led by seven at halftime, but the Golden Hawks drew even in the third quarter. The defending champions finally pulled out the victory behind a game-high 17 points from Steph Finley. The Panthers, meanwhile, earned their win after the Tartans staged a fourth-quarter rally. In the junior league, Wallaceburg defeated McGregor 41-22 and Ursuline topped ChathamKent 31-23. Chatham-Kent nipped Ursuline 30-29 in the only midget game. SENIOR Lancers 41, Golden Hawks 38 (OT) At Ursuline, Leann Finley tossed in six points for the Lancers, who outscored the Hawks by 10 in the second quarter for a 28-21 halftime lead. The game was tied at 31 after three quarters and at 38 after regulation. Erica McFadden led the Golden Hawks with 14 points and Lindsay Lozon added 10. Panthers 38, Tartans 36 (OT) At McGregor, Carly Green scored 15 points and Chelsea Bakker added 10 for the Panthers. The Panthers led 24-21 after three quarters, but the Tartans rallied for a 33-33 tie after regulation. Ashley Howell netted 18 points for the Tartans, Megan Maynard scored eight and Karlie Handsor had seven. JUNIOR Lancers 31, Golden Hawks 23 Lindsey Schinkel scored six points and Alex Wolting had four for the Lancers. They led 7-5, 18-13 and 24-18 at the breaks. Kailey Houston scored 10 for the Golden Hawks and Sarah MacFarlane added five points. Tartans 41, Panthers 22 Megan Vandevenne scored 10 for the Tartans, and Kaylene Hagen and Shauney Fischer each had eight points. They shut out the Panthers in the second quarter for a 15-8 halftime lead and were up 31-18 after three. Mersaydees Ferrell scored five points for the Panthers and Rachel Redding had four. MIDGET Golden Hawks 30, Lancers 29 Melissa Hawgood scored a game-high 10 points for the Golden Hawks and Gracia Alanis added eight. Candice May and Chelsea Broad scored six apiece for the Lancers and Taylor Hoffman had five.

Kent Golden Hawks' Lindsay Lozon, left, dribbles past Lancers' Katie Fryscok during last night's season opener in the Kent 'AA-AAAA' senior girls basketball league at Ursuline. The Lancers won 41-38 in overtime.

Players might as well wear question marks instead of numbers for the first few games of the Kent 'AA-AAAA' senior girls basketball season. Coaches are hesitant to make any predictions about other teams. Most are still getting to know their own. "I really don't know what to expect (from the league) because right now I don't know what to expect from us," Ursuline Lancers coach Patty Bromley said. "I have high hopes." The Lancers are going for their third straight championship. As the defending champs and the only team with a winning record last year, they've been tabbed by opposing coaches as the pre-season favourite. The nine-game regular season that began last night will give coaches a good chance to see how the teams match up. "When we play each other three times, three league games, there's a lot of time to figure each other out," McGregor Panthers head coach Carrie Carleton said. Following is a brief look at each team: Ursuline Lancers Coaches: Patty Bromley, Ed Freeburn and Michele Mommersteeg 2007 Season: First place (8-1); defeated Wallaceburg 33-27 in Kent final; lost to Sarnia Northern 59-53 in overtime in SWOSSAA 'AAAA' semifinal. Roster: Point guard Deanna Kerkhof, guard Corryn Martin and forwards Stephanie Finley and Brittany Scott are joined in the starting lineup by Grade 10 guard Leann Finley. Guard/forward Ashley Hosfeld and guard Nusia Dzieciol also return, guards Chloe Nordstrom and Lisa Ashton and forwards Carlie Lemieux and Catherine Brown arrive from the junior team, and guards Marisa Sloan and Katie Fryscok are back after sitting out last season. Outlook: The Lancers start the season with a banged-up lineup. Only six players were healthy enough to practise Monday. Kerkhof, a two-time senior all-star, is out with a concussion. Other players are bothered by shin, ankle and groin injuries. They're not very quick right now, but they have good size. "We're big - bigger than usual," Bromley said. The Lancers have 13 players, yet the rotation isn't deep. Bromley is counting on the return of Sloan and Fryscok to help the bench. "We'll take baby steps," she said. "We want to defend the Kent, then we'll go from there." Three players - Scott, Kerkhof and Stephanie Finley - are going for their third straight Kent title. They've been to three tournaments so far and have a 5-4 record. (They're 5-2 with Kerkhof, who is getting attention from U.S. and Canadian universities.) 

Sarnia Northern is hosting the OFSAA tournament, so the Lancers hope to earn one of the two berths given to SWOSSAA teams. Wallaceburg Tartans Coaches: Janine Day and Lill Cragg 2007 Season: Third place (4-5); lost to Ursuline 33-27 in Kent final; lost to Sarnia St. Christopher 54-36 in SWOSSAA 'AA' semifinal. Roster: The starting lineup has four returning players (guards Brooke Lee, Abbie Lozon and Karlie Handsor and forward Ashley Howell) and one rookie (guard Megan Maynard). Returning forward Meagan McCorkle comes off the bench with first-year guards Renee Gittens, Paula Gray and Tegan Baulcomb and forwards Katherine Vander Veeken and Nicole Bullock. Outlook: The Tartans' goal is to reach the Kent final for the third time in four years. They won the championship in 2005. The guard-heavy starting lineup is small, but the returnees played a lot last season. Lee is a two-time senior all-star. "The starting group has a lot of experience," Day said. Depth, however, is a question mark. The bench is young, so the veterans will have to provide leadership. The Tartans have already played in two tournaments, reaching the consolation final at one, and gone 2-0 in exhibition games. They're shorter than last year and will have to play solid team defence to avoid being hurt by mismatches. "We lose a lot of height, but we gain some quickness, so we'll try to use that to our advantage," Day said. CKSS Golden Hawks Head Coach: John Corrente 2007 Season: Second place (4-5); lost to Wallaceburg 38-31 in Kent semifinal; lost to Sarnia St. Clair 59-40 in SWOSSAA 'AAA' semifinal. Roster: 

Three veterans (point guard Lindsay Lozon and forwards Irene Protopapas and Ashley Brown) are joined in the starting lineup by rookie forward Jessica Kuehl and Grade 9 point guard Erica McFadden. Guard Jane Olexa, guard/forward Kelsey Parent and forward/centre Brittany Calhoun, all returning seniors, are key reserves. Guards Kayley Davis and Angela Donohue, forward Margarita Newton and centre Janeka Berry arrive from the juniors. Outlook: The Golden Hawks' success will rest largely on their starting backcourt. Lozon is a two-time senior all-star and McFadden was considered for the provincial midget team. "She (McFadden) is going to be one of the best players in the league," Corrente said. "She's that skilled and that talented. She knows how to play the game." He expects the two point guards to complement each other and cause trouble for opponents. "It's going to be tough to stop two girls who shoot the ball and handle the ball," Corrente said. The Golden Hawks are a young team, especially in the frontcourt. They're not deep, either, but Olexa, Parent and Calhoun bring experience off the bench. "Our goal again is to make the final," Corrente said. The Golden Hawks last reached the final in 2006 and won the championship in 2004. McGregor Panthers Head Coach: Carrie Carleton 2007 Season: Fourth place (2-7); lost to Ursuline 28-17 in Kent semifinal. Roster: Point guard Carly Green, guard Chelsea Steveley, forward/guard Brittany Shepley, forward Jolene Beck and centre Brenna Youlton are the starters. Guards Chantelle Ladd and Erica Bennett and forwards Chelsea Bakker, Julie Legg and Paige Wilcox are the other returnees. Centre Ainsley Rance and guards Bryanne Murray and Chenessa Solomon were juniors last season. Outlook: Spirits are high at McGregor after some lean seasons. The Panthers are ready to challenge for their first Kent championship since winning four straight from 1999-2002. "These girls have come a long way in their learning of the game," Carleton said. "Each year we get better and better. We're excited about this year." With 10 returning players, the Panthers look to be deep and experienced. Carleton expects to have at least nine players in her rotation pushing each other for playing time. The deep bench will also let them play more aggressively than in previous years. "We hope to challenge this year and make it to the championship game," Carleton said. The players have confidence after going 1-3 against 'AAAA' teams at a Guelph tournament and winning the Duane Newby Memorial tournament.

McGregor Panthers ball-carrier Jonathon Cattrysse tries to elude Wallaceburg Tartans' Richard Lester during a Kent senior football game Saturday afternoon at the Chatham-Kent Community Athletic Complex. Max Allin beat the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks in the air and on the ground Saturday. The Ursuline Lancers quarterback threw for three first-half touchdowns and ran for another in a 49-3 win in the Kent senior football league. Bryce Cumming had two touchdown catches for the Lancers, who scored six TDs in the first half. They improved to 2-0-0 with their victory in the opening game of the annual Red Feather doubleheader at the Chatham-Kent Community Athletic Complex. 

The McGregor Panthers and Wallaceburg Tartans tied 7-7 in the second game. McGregor moved into second place with a 1-0-1 record, followed by the Blenheim Bobcats (1-1-0), Wallaceburg (0-1-1) and Chatham-Kent (0-2-2). The Golden Hawks visit the Lancers for a rematch this Friday, while the Bobcats host the Panthers. Lancers 49, Golden Hawks 3 The Lancers rushed for three touchdowns in the first quarter and threw for three more in the second. Jason DeHoey began the scoring with a 12-yard run, Allin added a 25-yard TD run and Jeremy Walker scored from 52 yards out. Allin, last year's Kent offensive co-MVP, tossed a 20-yard TD pass to Mitch Koehler. Cumming caught touchdown passes of 75 and 55 yards from Allin to end the first-half scoring. Arkadiusz Nowak scored on a 10-yard run in the third quarter. "We came ready to play and it showed," Lancers head coach Randy Rybansky said. "Everything we tried on offence worked, and our defence hit hard and forced fumbles." Brock Herman made 12 tackles for Ursuline, Anthony Praill had 11 and Zach Howard added six. Jeremy Gorzelak kicked five extra points and Dane Dillon caught a two-point convert from Allin. Noah Hanemaayer kicked a 46-yard field goal for the Golden Hawks. Chatham-Kent quarterback Mike Moore was 10-of-15 for 138 yards. Cheyenne Batten made five catches for 49 yards and Alex Heavens ran seven times for 51 yards. Zach Butler led the Golden Hawks with five tackles, Dave Meurkes and Dylan Turato each made four and Sam Tamman had an interception. Panthers 7, Tartans 7 Chris Verrall scored for the Panthers on a 50-yard run in the second quarter. He finished with 92 yards on six carries. B.J. Gibson also ran nine times for 59 yards. A.J. Dressler and Tyler Brown each made six tackles for the Panthers. Brandon Pratt added two tackles and an interception. Statistics for the Tartans were not submitted by press time.

Ursuline College's Chris Luis strains to catch a wet marshmallow during the Animal House Olympics held at the Chatham-Kent Community Athletic Complex Saturday.  A celebration of school spirit and community pride filled the stands at Chatham-Kent Secondary School last weekend. The annual Red Feather event, which is held in support of the local United Way, featured numerous activities, including football, cheerleading and the Animal House Olympics. And Saturday's weather couldn't have co-operated more, said Jenne Wason Pickard, co-chair of this year's United Way campaign. She also praised the different high schools and volunteers involved in making Red Feather a success. "The kids worked so hard to put this together," she said. "It's great to see." 

It was the second year with the new Red Feather format, since the parade, dance and broomball match were cancelled due to safety and liability concerns. However, participants still enjoyed themselves, in particular the high school teams who either painted or dressed themselves up for the Animal House Olympics. The marshmallow toss and apple bob were only a few of the events, along with seeing who had the best school cheer. Donning a blue track suit and covered in fake blood, Chris Luis, 17, said his team pulled out all the stops. "We did a lot of preparation for our zombie wear," said the Grade 12 student at Ursuline College Chatham. Lindsay Lozon, 17, is a Grade 12 CKSS student. Her squad was dressed up like The Incredibles. She said she was having a good time with her teammates.

The Ursuline Lancers started the new Kent senior football season yesterday the same way they ended the last one. The Lancers rallied to beat the Blenheim Bobcats 13-8 in a rematch of the 2007 championship. Jeremy Gorzelak kicked two second-half field goals for the defending champs in the comeback win. The Lancers allowed only one point after halftime. "Our defence kind of turned it around in the second half," Ursuline head coach Randy Rybansky said. The Lancers (1-0-0) were making their season debut, while the Bobcats (1-1-0) were playing their second game in five days. The rivals have met in two straight Kent finals. Blenheim won in 2006 and Ursuline got its revenge last year. "Heck of a football game," Blenheim head coach Brian Pugh said. "Could have went either way right to the end. "It was a war." The teams traded rushing touchdowns in the second quarter for a 7-7 halftime tie. Jason DeHoey scored for the Lancers from 11 yards out. Zack Shuian had an 18-yard TD for the Bobcats. Gorzelak and Blenheim's Tyler Drury kicked the extra points. Drury gave the Bobcats an 8- 7 lead in the third quarter with a single point on a missed field goal. Gorzelak answered for the Lancers, kicking a 17-yard field goal in the third and a 20-yarder in the fourth. 

Rybansky wasn't happy with the Lancers' penalties and two turnovers, but he did find a positive in the sloppy win. Any overconfidence they had after beating London Oakridge in an exhibition last Friday should be gone. "This is a good game to ground us and get us refocused," he said. Pugh said the Bobcats did "a lot of good things" in the loss. "Our defence swarmed all day," he said. "I thought our special teams, especially on coverage, were excellent." The offence was good at times but inconsistent, he added, and the players need to be more disciplined. DeHoey gained 112 yards on 14 carries. Lancers quarterback Max Allin completed seven of 14 passes for 126 yards. Jeremy Walker caught three for 55 yards. Bobcats quarterback Ryan Vanderzwan was 7-of-15 for 119 yards. Kyle Mailing ran 12 times for 81 yards, Shuian had two catches for 50 yards and Wendel Heyinck made three catches for 42 yards. Brandon Gregg made a gamehigh 10 tackles for Ursuline. Anthony Praill and Zach Howard had seven apiece. Shuian led Blenheim with seven tackles and a forced fumble. Dylan Bonner and Brandon Bourgeois had six tackles apiece, Chad Segeren made five, and Matt Price and Mike Forget recovered fumbles. The Lancers play the Chatham- Kent Golden Hawks at noon Saturday in the opening game of the Red Feather doubleheader at the Chatham-Kent Community Athletic Complex. The McGregor Panthers and Wallaceburg Tartans play the second game at 2:30 p.m. The Bobcats have a bye Saturday.

McGregor Panthers' Brett Alexander, right, watches a shot go past Ursuline's Scott Easter during the Lancers' round-robin win at the annual Red Feather senior boys volleyball tournament Wednesday at McGregor. In the final, the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks defended their tournament championship with a three-set win (21-25, 25-16, 15-13) over the Lancers. Chatham-Kent swept Sarnia St. Clair and Ursuline defeated Wallaceburg in the semifinals. The Golden Hawks and Lancers won their respective pools with 6-0 records.

Brandon Dube scored twice for the Ursuline Lancers in a 4-3 win over the Chatham- Kent Golden Hawks in the Kent junior boys soccer league's season opener yesterday at Ursuline. Taylor McArthur and Ryan Harris also scored for the defending champion Ursuline Lancers. Braydon Myers, Nick Kouyzer and Dylan Bell replied for the Golden Hawks. The Tilbury Titans are the other team in the three-team junior boys league. There is no Kent junior girls soccer league this season due to a lack of teams. The two remaining clubs - Ursuline and the Chatham- Kent - will play exhibition games through the regular season.

The host Ursuline Lancers beat London Saunders 23-25, 25-15, 16-14 in the championship of the Early Bird senior boys volleyball tournament Saturday at Ursuline. Saunders was first in pool play with an 11-1 record and Ursuline was second at 10-2. Next were London Oakridge (9-3), Mississauga Rick Hansen (6-6), West Lorne West Elgin (3-9), the McGregor Panthers (2-10) and the Wallaceburg Tartans (1-11). Ursuline’s Joe Hastings, McGregor’s Jason Redding and Wallaceburg’s Mitchel Baeyens were joined on the all-star team by Andrew McWilliam of West Elgin, John Pham of Rick Hansen, Peter Scholtes of Oakridge and Justin Scapinello of Saunders.

Students and staff at two local high schools made a fashion statement against bullying yesterday. Ursuline College Chatham students were challenged to go beyond just wearing a pink shirt to show their opposition to bullying. Several staff and students donned pink shirts as a show of unity against bullying. The movement began last year at a Nova Scotia high school when two Grade 12 students wore pink in support of a Grade 9 student who was bullied on his first day of school for wearing a pink polo shirt. UCC Vice-Principal Ray Power said students were also asked to sign an oath to take action if they see an incident of bullying. "Anybody can put on a pink shirt," he said, "but are you going to actually stand up and do something about bullying?" He said students had a choice of signing one of two oaths. The first is a personal commitment to intervene if someone is being bullied. An alternative option is for students to intervene by telling someone if they see bullying happening. If a student is not comfortable personally intervening, Power said, "we didn't want to put them in a situation where the bullying could turn on them." The vice-principal said organizing the "wear pink to school day" was a good opportunity to kick off UCC's theme for the year: "Stand up against bullying." UCC student Chandler Wilson, 17, butted heads with school officials last spring when he decided to wear a pink shirt after his request to organize a wear pink to school day was turned down. He was told to leave school for the day because he was violating the school's dress code. Yesterday, Chandler was helping with the organization of the event. He also received acknowledgment from fellow students for taking a stand. "It's great to see kids wearing pink shirts," Wilson said. "It's amazing." He was also impressed with the amount of staff wearing pink. 

Grade 12 students Nusia Dzieciol and Mack Warner, both 17, were among the students who signed the anti-bullying oath. "It's definitely an issue we're trying to get rid of," Warner said. He said students are aware of bullying, but sometimes they, personally, don't feel some of their actions could be considered bullying. Dzieciol said when people can't see their actions as bullying, "they don't realize they are hurting people's feelings." She said it is important to have events such as a wear pink day "to spread awareness (about bullying) so everybody can take a step back and think about their actions." A similar exercise took place at Wallaceburg District Secondary School.

Grade 9 students at Ursuline Chatham College let their school spirit fly during a special orientation day Friday. Madison Lucio, front left, Alena Fiala, front right, Brayden Santavy, back left, Austin Urbach, Kirk McKillop and approximately 300 of their new classmates hollered and shouted during the annual spirit day. The students were encouraged to meet new people and get involved in school programs.