JUNIOR AND SENIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL
September - November
Coaches: Coach Jake, Coach Sanford, Coach Heeringa
West Niagara Secondary School is excited to get the 2025 volleyball season started. The Junior boys Volleyball Team is open to all student athletes in grade 9 and 10, while the Senior Boys Team is for boys in grade 11 and 12. The Boys Volleyball season includes scheduled league play and one or two local tournaments which will aid in developing the skills of our players. The commitment will be approximately 4 nights per week, including both games and practices. Come out and see what it’s all about!
JUNIOR AND SENIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
November - February
Coaches: Maeve Mowat & Sarah Bacchus
The Junior Girls Volleyball Team is open to all students in grades 9 and 10, while the Senior Girls Team is open to students in grades 11 and 12. The Girls Volleyball season includes scheduled league play and up to three local tournaments which will support the development of our players as well as connect the girls as a team. The commitment will be approximately two to three nights per week, including both games and practices. Hope to see you this season on the volleyball court!
GIRLS’ FIELD HOCKEY
September - October
Coach: Short and Putzman
Field hockey is best described as a combination of soccer and ice hockey with lots of crazy rules thrown in! This varsity team is open to all female athletes from grade 9-12. This field hockey season will consist of three daytime jamboree game days where the team will get to compete against a number of local teams in a tournament format. We will also be attending one tournaments to test our skills outside of the DSBN. Practices are three times per week (Tuesday-Thursday) and the season finishes between late October and early November.
SR FOOTBALL
September - November
Coaches: Silverthorne, Martin, Firlit, Aloian
The Senior Football Team is open to grade 11 and 12 student athletes wanting to engage in some fierce competition and team camaraderie. The Football team practices everyday on our turf field and competes in game play once a week beginning in mid September. We compete in Tier 1 and compete for NHRSSA & OFSSA championships.
JR. FOOTBALL
September - November
Coaches: Nero, Firlit, Gemella
The Junior Football team is open to all Grade 9 and 10 students. Football is the ultimate in competitive team sports, challenging your mental and physical strength each day. Practices are held every day after school with a one game a week schedule beginning in the third week of September. We compete in Tier 1 and compete for NHRSSA championships.
TENNIS
Coach: Malcolm and Mowat
September to October
Junior and Senior tennis teams practice twice a week throughout September and October and compete in the Zone, SOSSA (pending on results in Zone) and OFSAA (pending on results in SOSSA) tournaments. Singles and doubles positions are available on the team, but due to the short season, prior experience is an asset. It is an intense but fun experience! It is a chance for students to meet new people, make new friends and have the experience of being on a high school sports team.
CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING
September to November
Coaches: Beuttenmiller and Mitchell
The cross country team is open to all student-athletes who want to experience a wide array of cross country training. Training for cross country includes road running, hills, long runs, and interval training. We meet after school Monday-Thursday for practices. The cross country team participates in one invitational meet at the beginning of the season. The qualifying meets, Zone and SOSSA, begin mid-October and run through to the OFSAA Championship which is the first week of November. Running is for everyone! Come on out and give it a try!
BOYS HOCKEY
Boys Varsity Hockey
November to March
Coach: Carey and Malcolm
The varsity hockey season runs from November to March. The team will play approximately 4 exhibition games, 6-10 scheduled season games, participate in 2-3 tournaments and have 1 mandatory practice a week after school. We are always looking for grade 9 and 10 players. If you play rep hockey you are eligible to play high school hockey, however, you need to commit to both teams. There is a team fee associated with the varsity hockey team and will vary each year depending on financial circumstances around tournament fees and buses.
SWIM TEAM
Coaches: Kathaleen McNeil, Dryden Oliver,
Swim Team officially begins in October and runs through to the OFSAA Championships held in March. Juniors compete with other juniors, and seniors against seniors. All students are welcome to participate. A basic knowledge of swim strokes, the ability to swim 50m independently and tread water are the only requirements. There are three formal meets at Brock University Pool throughout the season, leading up to OFSAA, practices are Tuesdays and Fridays after school at the YMCA.
BOYS AND GIRLS SOCCER
April to June
Girls Coach:
Senior Boys Coach: Mr. Nero and Mr. Coates
Junior Boys Coach: Cas Bordignon
The school offers a boys' and girls' soccer team with practices following the March Break. Each team of up to 20 players play a 6-8 game season that runs through May. Uniforms are provided for players. Students must provide their own soccer spikes and shin pads. The regular schedule is usually supplemented by one or two tournaments. Boys and girls of all ages are invited to try out for the teams. Practices run in the gym until the weather clears for field play. Coaches will discuss the practice schedule with team members.
ULTIMATE FRISBEE
Coach: tbd
Mid-March to late May
This co-ed varsity team will consist of beginner to experienced Ultimate players from grades 9 - 12 who love to play in a unique competitive, fair and fun environment. There are plenty of new skills to learn with a disc! Practices promise to be fun and challenging. Our competitive team will consist mostly of seniors and the juniors will develop with them and might compete in some game play of their own. The league will consist of full day competitions with a number of DSBN schools. These games will prepare us for our zone tournament. Students need to wear cleats. Spirit of the Game is of utmost importance!
ROWING
End of October - March (dryland training); April - Beginning of June (on the water racing season!)
Coach: Brian Fisher (men), Owen Powell, Emma Powell (women)
Teacher Advisor: Christine Suntz
Rowing is a sport that requires hard work, dedication, the ability to work as part of a team and, most importantly, the ability to have fun.
Training for the school season begins at the end of October. Students new to the sport learn the mechanics of the rowing stroke on the ergometer and begin to build their cardiovascular base. This involves rowing on the erg, running and circuit weights. Experienced rowers begin a more advanced program to further increase their fitness base.
In April, rowers begin on the water. Practices are every day in the early evening. Regattas take place on weekends. We participate in various regattas locally in St. Catharines and Welland with the possibility of travel to other locations. The rowing season ends the first weekend of June with the CSSRA Regatta.
BADMINTON CLUB
October - December
Coaches: Coach Tom and various teachers
So many students love to play badminton! The badminton club is back by popular demand. It is a welcoming, fun environment. Students of all different levels of ability come together to build their skills, make friends and have fun competition. We will likely play one or two nights per week, depending on gym availability.
BADMINTON TEAM
February to April
Coaches: Coach Tom, Coach Gabe, Coach Heeringa, Coach Wall
The badminton team begins informal play in late February and team selections for the novice (gr.9), junior (gr.10) and senior (gr.11 & 12) teams are made in March through tournament play. Students can choose to play singles, doubles or mixed doubles. They will be practicing regularly in preparation for the DSBN zone qualifier where the top 2 teams make it on to further levels of competition.
JR./SR. BOYS BASKETBALL
Coaches: Huisman, Chiarello, Judson
November to March
Basketball is offered at the junior and senior levels and runs from mid-November to the end of February. Each team plays a 10-12 game schedule with playoffs to follow. Tournaments entered will be three to four per team and usually run on weekends. Practices are held daily and could be either before or after school. Uniforms are provided by the school. Shooting shirts will be offered to players for a fee. Students must provide their own running shoes. 10-12 players are selected for each team. Our teams have won Zone 4 championships consistently and represented our zone at SOSSA. Last year, the Senior Boys team went to Zone 4 finals.
TRACK AND FIELD
Coaches: Beuttenmiller and Mitchell
March to June
The outdoor track and field season begins in March and continues through the first week of June. Track and field offers something for everyone; events include sprints, middle distance, long distance, hurdles, steeplechase, throwing, jumping, and relays. Coaches will help you determine which events you’d like to compete in. The track and field team meets Monday-Thursday after school for practices. Our season consists of an invitational meet and then three qualifying meets starting in May: Zone, SOSSA, and OFSAA South Regionals. The OFSAA Championship is during the first week of June.
GIRLS VARSITY SOFTBALL
Coaches: McKay & Urovitz
April to June
Girls Softball is a spring sport and will begin in April! This is slow-pitch or “Lob-ball” style softball. Girls in grades 9 through 12 are welcome to try out, as we are a varsity team! We participate in 2-3 full day tournaments, rather than weekly league play. However, we still have Zone playoffs and the possibility of SOSSA. We’re looking for an energetic, committed group who love being outside and want to have a good time! Practices will run after school ~2:45-4:15 pm, off-campus at a local diamond (usually Centennial Park).
CHEERLEADING
Coaches: Mrs. Carusetta and Ms. Desmond
September to January
The WNSS Cheer Team is spirit based, game day supporters, which includes cheers, tumbling and stunting. We mainly support the football games, cheering our team on from the sideline, but are starting to expand to support some of our winter sports as well. We also represent the school at community events throughout the school year. We are an energetic group that aims to help boost school spirit wherever we go! No experience necessary but cheer, dance and/or gymnastics experience are an asset. Tryouts are held in September and everyone is welcome.
BOYS’ BASEBALL
Coaches: Mrs. Gardner
September to October and May
Boys’ baseball is a fall sport with SOSSA running in the spring. Games start the second week of school so tryouts and practices start right away. The league games and Zone finals are finished by Thanksgiving but SOSSA and OFSAA are held in the spring. Boys in grades 9 through 12 are welcome to try out, as we are a varsity team! Most of our games are played over a few days with the chance of multiple games per day as well as a tournament or two. Practices will run after school at Sherwood Hills Park at Main Street and Baker Road. We’re looking forward to a great season!
VARSITY GOLF TEAM - BOYS & GIRLS
Coach: Harshaw and Holland
September to October
The golf team invites students from grades 9 through 12 to participate in tryouts. A maximum of 5 players and 1 alternate are selected to compete at zone in the boys’ and girls’ categories. At zone the scores of the top 4 golfers are totaled and the top 3 teams advance to SOSSA. The golfers compete as a team and as individuals. Winners at SOSSA move on to compete at OFSAA.
WRESTLING
Coach: Petch and Gibson
October - March
Learn to wrestle or sharpen your skills with West Niagara’s wrestling team this year—no experience required! High school wrestling is a dynamic combat sport where two athletes compete to score points or win by pinning their opponent. The season features regular tournaments and builds toward SOSSA and OFSAA in February and March. Our boys’ team is the reigning three-time SOSSA team champion, and our girls’ team has qualified members for OFSAA every year. Join us and be part of something great!