Close to 300 fans bundled up and braved the snow and wind to cheer on Sydenham's senior Golden Eagles, who faced off against the Almonte Thunderbolts at the EOSSA A AA football championship game in Kingston, which was held at CaraCo Home Field on November 14.

Both teams were undefeated in their regular seasons and were well matched; they played an exciting back and forth nail biter.

Almonte took a 7 point lead with a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Then, with just seconds left in the first they fumbled the ball in Sydenham's end zone and Golden Eagle Conner O'Brien recovered it for a touch down. A successful conversion tied the game up 7-7.

There was no scoring in the second quarter until the very end, when with 30 seconds left on the clock Sydenham's Mike Bashal kicked a 25 yard field goal and Sydenham led at the half, 10-7.

Sydenham pushed hard again early in the third and a second three-point field goal by Bashall put the the up 13 - 7. Sydenham drove to the 20 yard line later in third quarter but failed to score, and Almonte responded with three minutes left on a passing touchdown from the 20. After the conversion they took the lead for the firrst time 14-13.

Sydenham’s offense worked hard to get a last chance in the third and with 40 seconds left they gained possession after recovering a fumble and had another chance to move ahead with under 20 seconds left but fell short once again.

Almonte pushed hard early in the fourth in an effort to increase their one point lead but Sydenham's defense held strong and when the Sydenham offense got possession half way through the fourth, a great long pass to Bashall followed by a hand off to O'Brien, Sydenham was once again within scoring distance at which their coach called a time out.

In their next push Sydenham’s Brodie Latimer put the ball across the line and moved the Golden Eagles into first 19-14. A two point conversion attempt missed the mark.

With just six minutes left in the game Sydenham fans went wild as their defense succeeded in shutting Almonte down. Then, with just under four minutes remaining and the snow falling Sydenham’s Brodie Latimer moved the ball for a first down deep in the Almont zone and Sam Moyse scored what looked like the clinching touchdown for Sydenham. However, that proved not to be the case as their was a flag on the play and Sydenham took a ten yard penalty. When they missed a field goal attempt, it was left to the Sydenham defense to keep the Thunderbolts at bay.

It looked like Sydenham might get a final chance to widen their win when Almonte quarterback was sacked but the fumble was picked up by Almonte again.

With a minute left, Sydenham’s Peter Kaiser intercepted a long pass, bringing the Sydenham fans to their feet. Sydenham then ran out the clock, winning 19-14 win, moving on to the National Capital Bowl.

Following the game Almonte coach Chris Spratt said that his boys had a couple of hardships but never quit. “We knew it would be close and though our team doesn't have the big size and numbers, they never quit and showed that we can swing with the big boys”.

Golden Eagles’ coach Mike Love was thrilled with the win and said that although his team still has work prior to the championship game on Saturday, he was really pleased to see his team moving on to it. “It was a really exciting game right up to the end. The boys just hung in there and played their hearts out and were rewarded with a victory,” Love said. The championship game will take place in Belleville on Saturday November 22 against Crestwood of Peterborough.

submitted by Joel Hasler

For the first time in ten years, North Addington Education Centre is sending a team to OFSAA. The Senior Boys’ Volleyball team, coached by Mr. Hasler, will be travelling to Welland on Wednesday, November 19 to play in the OFSAA Single “A” Volleyball Championship. Our games will be played on Thursday, November 20 and Friday, November 21. The Senior Boys’ Volleyball team qualified for OFSAA after earning a silver medal at COSSA in Port Hope last Thursday. The team’s success demonstrates the nearly three years of dedication from many of the team members and coaches. Not only does this team have a strong group of senior-aged players, the team is privileged to have a great group of grade nine students. The future certainly looks bright for North Addington volleyball teams.

Sydenham’s junior girls AA basketball team had a great season this year but their luck ran out at the EOSSAA (Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association) tournament on November 12, which was hosted by Sydenham High School. The Arnprior Redmen defeated the Junior Golden Eagles in the first match, which their coach Janet Sanderson described as a very close and exciting game.

The Golden Eagles led by eight points early in the game but turnovers hurt them in the second half and Arnprior capitalized on their chances.

Sydenham hung in, though, and got back their focus near the end of the game, sinking a number of threes.

“It was the first game the team had lost at home in a long time,” Sanderson said, adding, “The girls played really hard and I am really proud of the effort that they made but we ended up losing by 3 in the end”.

You would never know that they had lost their first game by how hard the team played in their second game of the day against the Thousand Islands Pirates, even though they would not move on to the finals. In their last game of the season Sydenham beat the Pirates 41 to 27.

Ms. Sanderson, who coaches the juniors along with Mark Richards, said the team came a really long way this season.

“We started off the season slowly due to some injuries and sickness but we had a great positive stretch towards the end of the season. I'm really proud of the girls and what they were able to do this year. They were really dedicated and there was almost a kind of a family feeling within the team, which was great,” she said.

Photo 2018-       

In the early going of their EOSSA (Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association) semi-final game at the Point, the Sydenham Golden Eagles looked like they might make mincemeat out of the Brockville Rams. 30 short seconds into the game the Rams fumbled a kick by Mike Bashall, and Sam Moyse scored a touchdown in the next play. After a successful conversion, the Eagles were up 7-0.

Sydenham's defense shut down a push up the middle by the Rams and then Bashall scored again, on a long pass from Dylan Fisher, putting Sydenham at 14-0 just half way into the first quarter.

Early in the second Sam Moyse made great catch and although he was rammed hard by Brockville he miraculously held on to the ball, sparking a drive down the field that led to a touchdown on a run by Tyler Cancian

The Rams fought back hard nad finally put 7 points on the board, and Sydenham responded with a field goal tobe up 24-7 at the half.

At the start of the third quarter, Sydenham marched down the field again, mixing their passing and rushing games, all culminating in another touchdown by Tyler Cancian, bringing the score to 31-7.

Brockville then mounted a sustained comeback, scoring twice in the third quarter, and after makingonluy one of two conversions they were down 31-20. After dominating play in the foruth, the Rams finally scored late in the game and after a two-point conversion the score was 31-28.

Then Sydenham finally maintained possession near the end of the game and managed to run the ball until the clock ran out, clinching the win and sending them to the EOSSA final.

Following the game Brockville coach Pete Atkinson said he was pleased with how his team fared. “Sydenham attacked quickly and got a great lead but my guys persisted, stuck with it and stayed with them and came roaring back in the second half, making for a very close game."

Sydenham coach Mike Love said he found the game “a little more nerve racking” than he and his team preferred it to be. “Brockville had a very strong second half and we kept giving them opportunities and they kept taking advantage of them but at the end of the day, we got a win and that is what we wanted.”

The Golden Eagles will play the EOSSAA final against the Almonte Thunderbolts on Friday Nov. 14, at 1pm at the Invista Centre, Kingston. The winner of that game will go on to the National Capitol Bowl in Toronto.

Move on to EOSSAA on home turf Nov 7

Sydenham’s senior Golden Eagles football team finished off their regular season with a 6 and 0 winning streak and a final win at the KASSAA (Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association) double A championships, which took place at Richardson stadium at Queen's University on November 1 and was a stellar team effort. Sydenham shut out the LaSalle Black Knights with a final score of 47-0.

Head coach for the senior Golden Eagles, Mike Love, who has been coaching the team since 2006, highlighted some of the more important points of that game. He cited the team’s quarterback Dylan Fisher as a important piece of the team’s win. Fisher threw four touchdown passes, earning himself the MVP trophy, which was presented to him at the end of the game.

Running back Brodie Latimer also had a great game and ran the ball for two touchdowns.

Love credited the team’s defense led by line backer Mitch Herron for virtually shutting down the Knights’ offense and preventing them from getting a single point on the score board.

The Knights came into Saturday’s game with a 6-1 record, having lost their one and only game of the regular season to Sydenham at the annual Bubba Bowl event.

Love credited his “great group of players both in offense and defense” for a great regular season and the KASSAA win.

For their first EOSSAA (Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association) game, the senior Golden Eagles will be taking on the Brockville Collegiate Institute’s Rams on Friday, November 7 in Sydenham at 1:00 pm. The winner of that game will play the following weekend at the winner’s field. If the Golden Eagles keep it up they may indeed land themselves a spot at the National Capital Bowl, which is scheduled to take place on November 22, with the location to be announced.

In other football news the Sydenham Juniors also played at the KASSAA double A finals and lost their game against the LaSalle Black Knights 27-7.

The three-year-old tradition of raising funds to send local kids to camp continued at Arden's Circle Square Ranch on October 19. Over 20 riders saddled up to participate in the ranch's third annual Ride-a-thon, an event whose goal is to raise funds to subsidize children who might not otherwise have a chance to attend summer camp.

The fundraiser was started by Dwayne and Cindy Matson, former directors at the ranch for the past five years, who this September were forced to step down due to Dwayne's health issues. The couple have since passed the reins over to Anne and Andrew Douglas, the ranch’s new co-executive directors, who took the helm in September. The Douglases decided to continue the tradition of the Ride-a-thon and it was their first fundraiser in their new positions.

The Circle Square Ranch runs in the summer months as a Christian faith-based sleepover camp for children ages 6-18 and in the other months it runs as a retreat centre for any groups and organizations looking for a peaceful place to gather. The ranch, which is spread over 300 scenic acres, offers horseback riding, a high ropes course, a waterfront beach area, plus all of the usual camp activities. The summer camp offers a unique wilderness camping experience to children from all kind of socio-economic and non-faith or faith-based backgrounds. Proceeds from the Ride-a-thon fundraiser help to subsidize children from higher risk backgrounds, who would not be able to afford to attend the camp, by offering them camper scholarships.

“Children who might not otherwise get a chance to experience nature, swim in a lake or ride horses are able to get a week-long camping experience here, which for many can be a very transformative experience”, said Anne Douglas. Andy Douglas spoke of one camper who attended the camp through a scholarship in the past, a youngster who had serious health issues and had been in and out of the hospital for over nine years. However, she wanted to experience camp for the first time. “She really thrived when she was here; it was an incredibly positive experience for her and was amazing to see,” Andrew said.

Anne spoke highly of the ranch’s summer camp staff. “We have a phenomenal staff here, kids who teach the campers a number of skills and who also mentor them. Leadership building is also a main focus and we have a Leaders In Training program for older campers as well.”

At the Ride-a-thon fundraiser the Douglases invited Dwayne Matson to lead the longer of the two trail rides that were offered to participants. Beginner riders were offered a shorter one-hour trial ride on the ranch property. Participants collected pledges prior to the event and the end goal was to raise $2,000 or more in pledges, which would fund four individual camper scholarships. Riders who collected the most pledges won a number of impressive prizes donated from local businesses and individuals. The day ended with a festive chili dinner in the ranch’s main dinning hall. For more information about Circle Square Ranch visit their website at www.csranch.ca/arden, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613-335-5403.

A picturesque setting sun followed by a bright moon made this year’s Bubba Bowl on October 9 one to remember.. The main event was a double header where the Sydenham Golden Eagles took on the LaSalle Knights in two very exciting and close games, one going to Sydenham and the other to Lasalle.

The Bubba Bowl, now in its ninth year, is named for Alex “Bubba” Turcotte, who played for three years as a member of Sydenham’s junior football team and sadly died of heart failure in May of 2001. The event continues to draw thousands of football fans from the local community and is popular both with former students at the school, some of whom played ball there, and others who just happen to be big fans of the Sydenham Golden Eagles and the game.

Th Junior Golden Eagles and Kinghts taking to the field first. Though I was not able to stay for the games, coaches Mike Love and Jeff Ryan got me up to speed on how they unfolded.

In the junior contest, Sydenham scored early in the first quarter in their opening drive, with Merrick Wilcock getting the touchdown. After missing a 2 point conversion, and with the score at 6-0 for Sydenham, LaSalle tied it up and their single point conversion brought them into the lead 7-6. In the second quarter both teams demonstrated strong defense, each making it difficult for the other team to score and the half the score was unchanged at 7-6 for LaSalle.

Early in the third LaSalle put together a great drive and scored a touchdown and with a successful conversion spread their lead to 14-6. In the fourth Sydenham came back strong and in a long drive Shane Herron scored a touchdown, narrowing the score to 14-12 for LaSalle.

The tensest part of the game happened next, when Sydenham's Colin Bowman went for a two point conversion that ended at the goal line, leading to a lengthy conference among the referees. In the end they decided that Bowman had not crossed the line, leaving the score at 14-12 for LaSalle.

Sydenham then executed an onside kick recovering the ball on the Knights 40 yard line. The Golden Eagles then made a final attempt but their stalled after a failed fourth down attempt.

LaSalle won the game with a final score of 14-12.

Mike Love, Sydenham coach for the Senior Golden Eagles, provided a description of the game against the LaSalle seniors. He said it was “a very close and exciting contest”.

Picking it up at the half time mark, the Golden Eagles were leading 7-6. Early in the third quarter Tom Withey of Sydenham intercepted a LaSalle pass and returned it for a toucdown. LaSalle responded quickly, scoring a touchdown and adding a two point conversion to tie the game 14-14.

Late in the third Sydenham jumoed back into the lead when Sam Moyse scored on a long pass from Dylan Fisher, putting Sydenham into the lead 21-14 at the end of the third.

Early in the last quarter Sydenham recovered a fumble and following a short drive to the line, Brodie Latimer scored a rushing touchdown from a yard out, bringing the score to 28-14.

LaSalle fought back, though, recovering a fumble to score a touchdown with just one minute 30 seconds left in the fourth, closing Sydenham’s lead to 28-21. The Knights then attempted a short kick to get back possession but the Golden Eagles were quick to recover the ball. The Knights had a final chance with just 20 seconds left in the game but failed to get far enough to score.

The senior Eagles have now won three in a row. The Junior Eagles are still trying for their first win of the season and are down three games.

Congratulations to Dave Compton, who won the 50-50 draw, which he generously donated to SHS Athletics.

by Lucas Wales

For over 70 years the Land O’ Lakes Tourist Association (LOLTA) has been working to add value to our region of Ontario, to create a sense of place, and to establish the small rural communities within it as a destination.

The association is one of the best shared services that our local municipalities and business owners make an investment in each year. General Manager of LOLTA, Lucas Wales, says the association has been doing a great job in terms of marketing the area over the short term, but it is time to start looking at some of the bigger picture items that need to be addressed. “Our region’s growth rates are not flattering to the long term sustainability of our small communities. Without the means for proper investment we are going to be facing some major challenges within the next decade. If we are unable to invest in the infrastructure that is crucial to growth, we will remain stagnate; that hurts our communities, but it also hurts our tourism industry...We need to continue to focus our efforts on bringing people here from Kingston, Ottawa, and Toronto, but what is critical is that while we have them here we are making a sales pitch as to why they should retire or start a business here. That can be either formal, or informal through projects like community improvements plans and beautification projects which many communities have begun undertaking.”

For those who already own a business one of the most important marketing connections they can make is with the Land O’ Lakes. “Each year we print 70,000 tourist information maps for the region that go all over the province, including inside the region as well at local gas stations, accommodations, restaurants, tourism centres, in outdoor boxes, and countless other locations. If you run any type of business that is tourism-related, you need to get yourself listed on our map and on our website. We currently have about 180 businesses who are members of the association, but there are so many more out there with whom we still need to connect.” According to a recent report from RTO 11, tourism is a $440 million industry in Ontario’s Highlands alone every year. Our job is to connect as many of those dollars being spent within the industry with our piece of Ontario here in the Land O’ Lakes. This summer our social media outlets were driving our focus on our small festivals and events, which create a huge economic stimulus within our communities. Next year we will publish our first ever festivals and events map for the region, highlighting exactly what is going on, where, and when to connect visitors with an added incentive to visit our communities. We will also be focusing on driving tourism to our trails systems as we move into 2015. With winter quickly approaching we are building a relationship with the OFSC to draw on Snowmobile Tourism into our region. We will be working with our accommodators to highlight which businesses remain open in the winter months, and how we can connect snowmobilers with their businesses.

Anyone wishing to become a member of LOLTA, please contact Lucas Wales at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 613-336-8818 to find out more information about the benefits of membership.

Last weekend the Frontenac Society of Model Engineers (FSME) held a "Golden Spike" ceremony as they drove the last spike to complete the loop of their track in Battersea, just in time for the Battersea Pumpkin Festival, which is coming up on October 4. The dedicated group of model engineers worked numerous hours to complete the mission. The club welcomes new members. For further information contact the club president, Phil Ibbotson at hThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.trainweb.org/fsme/

On September 20 the community room at Trinity United church in Verona was handily transformed into a Victorian tea house as close to 70 guests, many of whom were dressed in fancy bustles, petticoats, lace and fascinators, enjoyed tea, fancy sandwiches and dainty pastry desserts at a special fundraiser. Guests were also entertained by the local flute quartet Toute Ensemble and enjoyed the musings of a properly Victorian attired Debbie Lovegrove, who emceed the event and who mused on the era when Queen Victoria, England's longest reigning monarch, held sway over her empire for 64 years.

Lovegrove spoke of the Queen’s epic reign, of her taking the throne at age 18, her marriage to Albert, their nine children and 42 grandchildren, who gave the Queen the title “grandmother of Europe”. Albert’s death at age 42 from typhoid fever sunk the Queen into a deep depression, and she wore black for the remainder of her life.

Lovegrove recounted Victorian times, when “women's fashion surged to the forefront with horsehair petticoats stiffened with cane and padding”, and the popularity of crinolines, pagoda sleeves, hoop skirts and bustles. She cited the “great cultural expansion” that occurred during Queen Victoria's reign and the many advances made in industry, science, communications and infrastructure.

Included in the event was a festive lunch meal that included tea served from shining silver teapots, cheese and cracker appetizers, followed by a vast array of rolled and other fancy assorted sandwiches. Dessert included fine pastries plus scones, cream and homemade strawberry jam. As an added treat, guests were also invited to have their photos taken by local photographers Carl and Sharon Sole.

Numerous members of the church volunteered their time and services for the event and were also dressed to the nines as they served the guests. Noreen Peters, who organized the tea, was thrilled with the turn out and said she plans to hold another Victorian tea party fundraiser again at the church in the future.