'Dynasty is Destiny'! Laval Liberty reaches finals of Juvenile AA high school football

Ruggi, who makes no attempt at camouflaging his pride in the achievements of everyone in his school, is somewhat partial to the fortunes of the football Panthers, although he would never admit it.

Understandably, the pride comes from the impact the Panthers have had on the life of the school community Mr. Ruggi has administered since the turn of the century, coming to Laval in 2000 to take the helm of what was then Western Laval High School, an institution whose potential for excellence lay dormant, to say the least.

To hear Mr. Ruggi recount his seven-year experience is to bask in the glow of a person whose leadership light shines 360 degrees.

"We took a good hard look at what was possible, and it wasn't very long before we decided that we needed to give the school a different mission, and so with the help of many dedicated individuals and the backing of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, we went to work to create a community of commitment to excellence, both academic and athletic," Mr. Ruggi explained to Courrier Laval Weekly News.

On the field, the soccer Panthers have just won their third consecutive Sports Laval Juvenile Championship and the football Panthers are on the verge of making more history, having reached the finals of the Juvenile AA competition, racking up nine straight wins and suffering no losses.

In the classroom, according to the latest Fraser Institute Report Card on the performance of high schools across Quebec (for 2006), Laval Liberty ranked 4th out of the 14 schools on Laval island, French and English, a substantial gain from the school's 7th ranking during the 2002-2005 period. The gain in the school's provincial ranking was an impressive 35 places, from 220 for 2002-2005 to 185 for 2006.

Significantly, the only Laval schools ahead of Laval Liberty in 2006 were Collège Laval, Collège Letendre (both private schools) and the Commission scolaire de Laval's International School (an institution which operates like a private school).

"We have no doubt that our improved academic performance is in part linked to our concentration programs," Mr. Ruggi told Courrier Laval Weekly News. "The more we succeed in music, art, theatre, and sports, the greater is the motivational impact for students, both in those programs and in the school at large," Mr. Ruggi stated.

But while the final score left no doubt as to the supremacy of coach Steve Alexandre's team, the game started on the same sour note as the previous week when the Panthers fell behind 18-0 before winning 35-18. This time, though, the boys rallied sooner and replied with 27 unanswered points before allowing Letendre to score again. The Panthers led 27-7 at the half. The four touchdowns came from Nicholas Claing D'Andrea, Jimmy Mouhteros, Demar Grant and James Colley.

Following Letendre's second touchdown, making the score a respectable 27-14, majors by Theo Bekelis and Stanislas Marino and a two-point conversion by Clang D'Andrea raised the mark to 42-14, propelling the Panthers into this past Friday's final against Les Aigles de l'école secondaire Amitié, a team Liberty beat 55-34 the last time the two schools met.

"We learned some valuable lessons from the previous game when we fell behind 18-0. We matured, led 27-7 at the half and continued to play at peak level the rest of the way. Our offense was spectacular but our defense held the fort, playing a great game. Our success came from our consistency throughout the game."

The Panther coaches drew outstanding defensive efforts from half back Johnny Zavvos (two interceptions), and linemen Shahzad Ijaz and Theo Bekelis, the latter doing double duty on offense at running back. Electrifying runs by Stanislas Marino and a steady effort from quarterback Demar Grant, with the help of an outstanding offensive line, all contributed to the win.

Signaled out for outstanding play on the offensive line was Erika Ikonomopoulos, at offensive tackle. Yes, Erika is a girl but also a fine football player.

The two Letendre touchdowns were scored by Paul Tavatian and Joel Goden. "We were in a rebuilding year and suffered far too many injuries," disappointed Letendre coach Marc Allaire told Courrier Laval Weekly News. Our only two losses came at the hands of the Panthers, so we're quite encouraged for the coming year," coach Allaire explained, adding that he wished Laval Liberty well for their match against Les Aigles in the league final.