Sports

ODSS senior boys soccer season concludes after loss to Bishop Macdonnell

October 29, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Chris Perrotte

On Oct. 15, the Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS) Scarlet Bears lost 6-4 in a high-scoring affair against Bishop Macdonnell Catholic High School Celtics in the quarterfinals of the Senior Boys Soccer League. The playoff game took place at the Bishop Macdonnell School in Guelph.

The ODSS Boys started the game strongly, controlling the tempo and ending the first half with a two-goal lead. However, in the second half, Bishop Mac answered back offensively, taking the lead and eventually eliminating the Bears from the playoffs. The ODSS boys were stunned by the loss.

“The players were shell-shocked. The mood on the bench was upbeat and really positive at halftime, with the boys having opened up a 3-1 lead. They were stunned at giving the lead up early in the second half and felt that they should have beaten Bishop Mac. The team went into the game not certain that they were able to play with them having lost earlier in the week 3-1, but came out of the game thinking that they let it slip through their grasp,” said Chris Broom, assistant coach of the ODSS Scarlet Bears.

The Bears ended their regular season in fifth place with a 3-4 record. With time now to reflect, assistant coach Chris Broom shares what he is most proud of about the way the team performed and developed.

“Some of our ‘non-soccer’ players became key contributors and players that we had a hard time taking off the field. Our outside fullbacks were extremely competitive and brought lots of energy, physicality and effort and really showed well in those roles,” shared Broom.

Some of the biggest challenges ODSS faced this season were injuries to their players as they came off of busy summer schedules. With a short season of just seven games, there wasn’t much time for the players to fully recover for future games.

“It became a ‘next man up’ mentality and guys were sometimes playing in spots that they don’t always slot into for the summer teams, but nobody complained and just worked as hard as they could,” said Broom.

According to Broom, the Bears’ loss to the Celtics showed that they could compete with the top teams in the league. Only one point separated ODSS from the fourth and third place positions in the standings.

“The players need to keep talking to their friends, other students, especially athletes about coming out to play soccer. This team proved that athletic individuals with drive, who are willing to train and compete, can make important contributions to a soccer team even if they don’t play the sport year round,” Broom said.

“Often, in high school sports, players take themselves out of the running for a spot on a team by not showing up to try out. ODSS doesn’t get 50-75 students trying out for every team, like some of our Guelph counterparts. Here, teachers are looking to give students a real chance to participate and play, and ODSS has some fantastic athletes that can make a big difference every season.”

After the victory over the ODSS Scarlet Bears, Bishop Mac went on to advance to the finals on Oct. 22, where they lost 2-0 to the John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute Royals.

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