A’s wrap up successful season with awards banquet

Nick Damude named MVP for regular season, Rylee St. Onge for playoffs

St. Catharines Jr. A Athletics general manager Jeff Chcoski said it best: “Everyone of you guys put the A’s back on the map.”

Chcoski was pointing at the players when he made the statement as the Athletics officially wrapped up their impressive 2018 campaign with an awards banquet Wednesday night at team sponsor Pizza Jerry’s in Merritton. “It’s the first time in 10 years you guys won a playoff series,” added Chcoski.

The A’s wrapped up their regular season with a 13-7 record, good for third place overall in the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League standings.

A first-round, three-game, sweep of defending Minto Cup champion Six Nations followed, before the Double Blue bowed out to Orangeville in four games in the provincial semifinals.

Eleven players were honoured Wednesday night, including five-year Athletics Jeff Wittig and Alec Tamas.

Wittig was awarded the Bob Luey Leadership Award, while Tamas took home the Ed & Helen Sawicki Award for Dedication.

The following are the award winners: Joe McCaffery Award, regular season scoring leader: Alex Simmons. Jack Gatecliff Award, most improved player: Kyler Kilgour Jim Brady Award, rookie of the year: Kealon Pilon Bob Luey Award, leadership: Jeff Wittig. Ted Howe Sr. Award, regular-season most valuable player: Nick Damude.

Ed & Helen Sawicki Award, dedication: Alec Tamas. Tom Garriock Award, top defensive player: Alex Pace, Latrell Harris. St. Catharines Old Boys Award, sportsmanship: Carter Zavitz. Gord Halliwell Award, playoff most valuable player: Rylee St. Onge. Transition Award: Brad Fannell.

The Athletics board hopes to officially name the Transition Award in the very near future, once again honouring a local or A's legend.

Athletics team president

Paul Coates was recognized for his 10 years of service to the club.

Every player was given their 2018 jerseys at the banquet, as the Athletics plan to don new swag in 2019.

A’s Acorns: Wittig, Tamas, Logan Munroe, Teddy Leggett and Trevor Stacey are the graduating players ... Defensive coach and Niagara Regional Police officer Ian Rubel was recently named assistant coach for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League ...

Rubel joins retired NRP officer and former Athletic

Paul Day, who is head coach of the Wings.

SPECIAL TO THE ST. CATHARINES STANDARD Front row, from left, Nick Damude, Alex Simmons, Latrell Harris, Carter Zavitz; back row, Alex Pace, Brad Fannell, Alec Tamas, Jeff Wittig, Rylee St. Onge and Kealon Pilon received awards as the St. Catharines Jr. A Athletics ended the season with a team banquet. Kyler Kilgour is absent from photo.