November 23, 2025

NO. 1 OFSSA SEED TEAM MACDONALD-CARTIER NEW BOYS SR. A PROVINCIAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPION AT GHS SATURDAY

GRAVENHURST — The Panthers beat the Panthers to win the OFSSA senior boys A high school volleyball championship here yesterday.

The No. 1 seed E.S. Macdonald-Cartier, of Sudbury, who scored a 4-1 games victory over ESC Monsignor Bruyere, of London, took the first game 25-23. But Macdonald Cartier rebounded with 25-21 and 25-16 before being taken to extra points and finally the delirious championship 28-26.

They only lost one game all season, which was in their Pool C play at GHS against ESC Plantgent the Ottawa regional rep.

Hamilton District Christian took home bronze after winning OFSSA five of the past six years. (There was no final in 2020). ESC Saint Frere Andre was the consolation round winner.

**Macdonald-Cartier players celebrate their boys Sr. A volleyball championship win Saturday at GHS. PHOTOS Mark Clairmont MuskokaTODAY.com**

The same one GHS competed in after finishing 3-1 Pool C play.

The host Gryphons finished tied for 13^th — just slightly better than their 15^th seed ranking going into the round-robin.

Coach Diana Clarke was happy overall with the tournament and her team’s finish.

“Absolutely, great. It’s what we wanted, high caliber of volleyball,” she said after referring to the three days of play. “All the participants were good and it ran smoothly.”

**The Sudbury team rebounded with three stright wins after losing Game 1.**

The Gryphons were comeback kids forcing their opponents to extra points — even scoring 33 points in one set game.

“Yeah, you could never count them out. They were always there and would fight back,” boasted their coach.

Clarke said her team was a mix of Grade 11 and 12 players.

But the “majority of the starting line-up is graduating. It’s gonna be a big difference next year. Based on everything we came out pretty well among 20 teams in the tournament provincewide.”

Clarke —who smiled broadly on the bench Friday at BMLSS when the opposition’s teams were cheering “Go Gryphons!” — said: “I was really proud of them. They were in there. The team that finished third, Hamilton Christian, they were close with them.”

She added “a lot of teams play AA schools depending on how big their association is. But you can play double A and triple A schools in tournaments — as we did. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a better school. Just a larger population.”

See the final results here.