When the Wallaceburg Intermediate Griffins lacrosse team took to the floor for their Ontario Lacrosse Association championship earlier this month, the team had an extra player – or two – on their side.
The Griffins dedicated their efforts to teammate Devin Tedford who died in July and team manager Jerry King, who died last year.
Their efforts paid off with the Ontario Intermediate C title as they went undefeated in the Aug. 5-7 tournament in Whitby.
Chatham-Kent Table 2014 from Foster Visuals on Vimeo.
Head coach Jason Fox said the loss of “Teddy” Tedford during the season was difficult.
“Teddy was a first-year player from Blenheim but he was a natural athlete and a great teammate,” he said. “He played hockey in the Blenheim minor system and he came out because he wanted to continue competitive sports.”
Where Tedford was a 21-year-old novice to the sport, Jerry King was the driving force behind the intermediate team.
“Without Jerry, there might not even be an intermediate team,” Fox said. “He did so much for lacrosse over the years that we named our facility in Glen Mickle Park ‘Kings’ Court.’”
It was King who recruited Fox as coach of the team eight years ago. At the time, Fox had just decided to end his playing career that included being a member of the Wallaceburg Red Devils Founders’ Cup Canadian Jr. B championship team of 2001.
“Our Wallaceburg team had folded and I didn’t want to travel to play, but I did want to stay in lacrosse, so Jerry recruited me. “
Fox said the intermediate level (ages 17-21) allows players to continue to play without having the commitment entailed in Jr. B.
“There are certainly players in intermediate who have the ability to play in Jr. B, but a lot of them have commitments to work and education and just can’t devote the time required at that level. It allows them to continue playing a game they love.”
Fox said each year he gets one or two players who haven’t played the game before.
“Some of them come out because they have friends who play, or, like Teddy, they want to make new ones. It’s a great atmosphere.”
The team carried mementoes from Tedford and King with them to games.
“We had Teddy’s No. 3 jersey and we had a lacrosse Teddy bear from Jerry’s wife Marie,” he said. “They players touched them on the way out of the dressing room, and we kept them near the bench. I’d see players come off the floor late in the game sucking for air and wonder if they had one more shift in them. They’d look up, see the sweater and bear and dig deeper.”
The team played its best lacrosse of the season in the tournament. The Griffins went undefeated in the round robin portion, beating Oshawa 8-4, Arthur 6-5, Sun County (based in Kingsville) 10-3, Uxbridge 5-4 and Markham 9-2.
They faced Oshawa again the in the finals and came away with a 6-3 win which Fox said wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
“After Oshawa scored the first goal, our team just settled down and played a textbook game. We controlled it completely and didn’t give them a chance to get into it. I’m so proud of how they responded.”
Fox will be back in lacrosse next year.
“There is a whole generation of people who worked hard to give me the opportunity,” he said. “As long as I’m able, I’ll pass it on.”
