Hawks Solid At OFSAA

Chatham-Kent Secondary School badminton players Lee Kucera and Julie Earle, and Christian Bechard, all had winning records at the 2015 OFSAA Badminton Championships in Markham this weekend.

Lee Kucera and Julie Earle, who were the LKSSAA and SWOSSAA mixed doubles champions finished 5th in the B Flight, and 13th overall in the province with a 5-3 record.

Kucera and Earle, who have played together since grade 10, and are both now senior students defeated Sarah Mitchell and Shawn Bowman (Eastview Barrie – GBSSAA), Helen Ng and Jasper Ho (UTS – TDCAA), Taylor Colangeli and Matt Thorpe (A.N. Myers S.S. – SOSSA), Kiersten Hillman and Chris Murphy (Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes – GBSSAA), and Joey Kuang and Jonathan Ho (Agincourt CI – TDSSAA). The duo suffered losses to Molan Ren and Jameson Weng (Bell – NCSSAA), Yuming Han and David Park (Sir John A MacDonald – CWOSSA), and Lisa Gearing and Danny Gearing (E.L. Crossley S.S. – SOSSA).

Christian Bechard, competing in boys singles, also finished with a 5-3 record, and was able to fight his way to a bronze medal in the C Flight, good for 26th overall provincially.

Bechard got out of the gate close, losing three straight matches to Wil Hausenblas (Elliot Lake S.S. – NOSSAA), Andre Genier (Nouveau Regard – NEOAA), and Jermaine St-Pierre (ESC Casselman – EOSSAA).

The multi-OFSAA medallist in volleyball, who is committed to playing OUA volleyball for Guelph, bounced back after his start to win five straight matches en route to the C Flight bronze medal in a game he had to defeat Jermaine St-Pierre after falling to him to start the tournament.