St. Marguerite d’Youville Panthers Preview:
This year’s goal remains the same for the d’Youville Panthers, and that is to win the ROPSSAA Championship.
“We are always after the ultimate prize,” said head coach J.P. Falacho. Β “We will continue to work hard one game at a time, and correct our mistakes.”
The Panthers have won two championships in the last three years, and absolutely dominated the league in 2012. Β They failed to allow a single defensive point during the regular season, and managed to rack up 254 points in 6 games with their high powered offence. Β They fell short to the Lakeshore Gators in the OFSAA semi-final 24-17, after an impressive and dominating first half.
Since then, the team has lost some key leaders but have a great group of returning and core players. CFC Top 100 ranked WR Malik Richards, LB Damian Halstead, and DT Donovan Glave look to use their experience to lead the Panthers to another title.
Coach Falacho admitted, “We did lose some talent from last year, but we have a strong group of core leaders who have earned a ROPSSAA championship, played in a high level OFSAA game, and understand the commitment it takes to be successful. We also have a strong group of grade 11s who are ready to fill in some positions on the field.”
Among those grade 11s is FB Marquis Richards who recently grabbed some attention and interest from US scouts by playing for Team Ontario over the summer. Β “Marquis is one of those guys that works hard in practice everyday, and is a mentor to his teammates,” says coach Falacho. “He will definitely make an impact on this roster during the season.”
This year the d’Youville faces a tough Peel north Division with powerhouses Notre Dame, St. Edmund Campion, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
The Panthers were ranked as high as 17th in the Nation in 2012, and lost in the final minutes to CFC #8 Lakeshore Gators in a close game in the Golden Horseshoe Bowl semi-final. Β d’Youville opens their regular season this year on the road, against the Mayfield Mavericks on September 19th, who they dominated by a score of 64-0 last year.
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