BurnabyNOW WEDNESDAY November 16, 2016 27
Sportsnow Junior Knights take next step STM jrs. start playoffs with strong effort Dan Olson
dolson@burnabynow.com
When one door closes, another one opens. That slim proverb proves true for the St.Thomas More football program, which didn’t have much time to enjoy a AAA senior playoff berth. While the St.Thomas More Knights were handily blanked 27-0 in the senior circuit, the game goes on for those among the junior ranks. STM launched the junior playoffs in the same note as they marked the regular season, winning 34-7 over Mount Boucherie at Burnaby Lakes last week. The jr. Knights continued their undefeated season by building up a 21-0 lead before halftime, with the lone blemish coming just before the midway mark on a blocked punt that a Mt. Boucherie player ran in for a major. Scoring in the first half for STM were quarterback Dario Ciccone, who ran in touchdowns of 15- and three yards, and Michael Simone, who pulled down a Ciccone pass for a 47-yard TD. Marc Abboud scored later in the game on an 18yard run, while Simone added his second of the night off a 53-yard punt return. Defensively, Sam Steele counted seven solo tackles while Daniel Auld sacked the Boucherie quarterback three times and forced a fumble. The Knights, who were 5-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in exhibition play, are now lined up against the Mount Douglas Rams in a game today (Wednesday) in the provincial capital. “No matter where you play or who your opponent is, you have to play your best to get where you want to go,” said Knights coach Dave Ruzycki. “We’re kind of playing with house money so far because no one thought we’d be here, undefeated. But so far they’ve proven everyone wrong.”
Sport to report? Contact Dan Olson at 604.444.3022 or dolson@BurnabyNow.com
Welcoming the world, sparring style
Burnaby teen ready to lead Canada onto the mat at world jr. taekwondo championships Dan Olson
dolson@burnabynow.com
The journey to the peak often starts at home. It’s the spot where a comfort zone is, but also where the foundation was formed. For Josipa Kafadar, the journey continues, but it has circled back to where it all began as the teenager aims to turn hometown advantage into a real asset. Kafadar, 15, is part of the Canadian contingent who this week will be competing at the World Junior Taekwondo championships, held at the Bill Copeland Sports Complex. A Burnaby native, Kafadar is eager to embrace the opportunity to step onto the international mat right in the city she has grown up. “I’m definitely going to be nervous being in front of a home crowd,” Kafadar, who’ll be competing in the girls under-52-kilogram division, said. “I’m definitely going to feel pressure but I’ll do my best to represent my country, my school and all my family.” Among the Canadian team, the only other B.C. representative is Coquitlam’s Santiago Herrera, 16. While Kafadar’s position at the worlds was locked up last May at the nationals with a decisive win, the plan had been in place for quite some time. Having spent more than a decade in the sport, the Alpha Secondary student said pushing the envelope in sparring grew from those early beginnings. “My start in taekwondo was at age four for my birthday,” she recalled. “My parents put me in to discipline me because I was a real energetic kid – they put me in hoping I’d get some energy out. It worked and they put me in sparring the next year. I just loved it and started competing.” She quickly found that the fighting side – sparring – was where her interests were strongest. “I do not do forms, I do not do patterns,” said Kafadar. “I use to but I never really like it that much because there’s always someone better than me. I found sparring better because I could actually beat up my opponent.” That physical element made the competitive arena the place where,
Ready and waiting: Burnaby’s Josipa Kafadar has prepared through long months of training and practices for this week, when the World Junior Taekwondo championships bring more than 800 athletes from 120 countries to the Bill Copeland Sports Centre. Kafadar will represent Canada in the women’s 52kg division. PHOTO DAN OLSON
despite the resistance of each opponent, the 5-foot-8 fighter gained her footing. Two weeks ago she was in Portland, Ore. for the Presidents Cup, kicking her way to a wildcard pass for next year’s nationals by topping the under-55kg division. At the Burnaby-based Metro Taekwondo Studio under Master Jason Ruiter, the teen martial artist honed her battle skills, working up to a black belt about four years ago. Ruiter says its discipline and courage which sets Kafadar apparent from many in her class. “Josipa is aggressive and not afraid of taking risks, which has always made her stand apart from most other girls in the sport,” he said. “She has grown to become more patient and intuitive in her approach to fighting.” She’s also gained knowledge from masters Daniel Thornton of Surrey and Michelle Ge of Maple Ridge,
while taking the rare losses as a key learning experience. One of those losses came against someone who is slated to be in Burnaby this week. “There is one American I fought this year that I almost beat, by one point, but she has more experience than me because she is older,” noted Kafadar. “It was a very good experience because I was leading 7-0 and then I made some not very wise decisions in that match. She does have more experience but I wouldn’t be surprised if I do go up against her and beat her this time.” The process to this point has included patience, resilience and various injuries but the Burnaby teen was not pushed from her goal. The doors along the way continued to open as Kafadar proved her mettle and applied her skills. In 2015 she won gold at both the Canada Open and national championships, as well as a berth to the Pan American championships in
Mexico.The latter experience gave her a glimpse into what this week’s tournament is all about. “It was good. I did lose my first match by one point and I was disappointed, but it was a close one so I bet I can do better at worlds.” She isn’t looking any further ahead now than her next match. Imagining the moment, with family and friends in the stands, will be an exciting moment. “I have to visualize how it’s going to be in the ring before I get into it. It can’t just be spontaneous. It’s like a game of chess but like a mental game plus a physical game.” The World Junior Taekwondo championships start today (Wednesday) and continue to Sunday, with matches beginning at 9 a.m. each day. Kafadar is scheduled to compete Friday, 1 p.m., with semifinal and finals slated between 5 and 8 p.m. For a full schedule visit burnabyjuniorchampionships.com.
Penalty kicks a disappointing end to SFU’s run
Simon Fraser University men’s soccer campaign came to a painful halt in penalty kicks on Saturday when the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos advanced at the NCAA West Regional tournament after a 110-minute battle between the two squads ended 1-0 for the California rival. Six rounds of penalty kicks were needed to determine who would advance to the regional tourney’s third round. A save by Jason Trejos sent the Broncos to the third round for the second year in a row with a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks against No. 1 Simon Fraser (14-1-3). During regulation and the two 10-minute overtime periods, neither team allowed a goal
as Trejos made five saves, while Simon Fraser’s Brandon Watson needed just one save to record his GNAC-best 31st career shutout. GNAC Player of theYear Adam Jones had a team-best three shots for the Clan and put one of those shots on goal. Watson got two saves for the Clan right out of the gate in penalty kicks, while Kyle Jones drilled a shot low to the right to give Simon Fraser a 1-0 lead in penalty kicks.Trejos saved the Clan’s second penalty kick to prevent the Broncos’s deficit from growing. Sergi Monso put CPP on the board in the third round after having scored a penalty kick
also in the first-round match on Thursday. SFU’s Mamadi Camara matched Monso with a shot to the left as Trejos dove to the right to give the Clan a 2-1 lead after three rounds. In the fourth round, both team’s traded goals with GNAC Defensive Player of theYear Magnus Kristensen scoring for the Clan to take a 3-2 lead after four rounds. Needing only a save to advance, Dante Medina kept the Broncos alive with a goal to start the fourth round before Trejos made a second save to even the score and send the penalty kicks into extra rounds. Ori Kenett scored the penalty kick that would eventually win the shootout for the Broncos.