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'Laid-back' coach Andy Bowers has St. Peter's courting success

'It was the first OFSAA medal we ever had in a team sport at the school, so it was really nice to be a part of that and be recognized for it,' coach says of bronze-medal finish

Andy Bowers loves being a high school coach.

The St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School teacher beams with pride when he talks about the students on his boys volleyball team. Watching them grow this school year, on and off the court, has been tremendously gratifying.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it," said Bowers, who has been teaching and coaching at the school since 1999. "We've got a large percentage of the staff that are missing out and they don't understand how rewarding it can be."

Bowers candidly admits he went into teaching because of sports.

"The most influential people in my life were high school teachers," he explained. "It was definitely something I wanted to do. In Ontario, it's part of the job. I know elsewhere they pay coaches, but for me it was just a way of giving back. I, for sure, wouldn't be in this line of work if people hadn't given up their time for me.

"I like that expression about sending the elevator back down and doing that for others."

It's been quite the ride for Bowers and his Panthers this season. The volleyball team captured a bronze medal at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Boys' 'AAA' Volleyball Championships held in late November in Toronto and were recently honoured for their efforts at Barrie City Hall earlier this month.

"That was a really nice honour," said Bowers, who has also coached tennis at the school. "I mentioned it at the ceremony that it was the first OFSAA medal we ever had in a team sport at the school, so it was really nice to be a part of that and be recognized for it."

After losing their semifinal match to Oakridge Secondary School of London three games to one (25-17, 17-25, 25-23, 25-20), the south-end Barrie high school roared back to defeat Mississauga Secondary School three games to one to take home a bronze medal.

"They always say you lose the silver and win the bronze," Bowers said. "It was really nice to go out on a wining note. I really believe we were the second best team in the province. That's just the way the draw goes."

Oakridge would go on to defeat Hamilton's Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School three games to one in the gold-medal game.

"It's one of those games that might end up only coming around once in a lifetime as a coach," Bowers said of the close loss to Oakridge. "It was really nice to be involved with that and to progress as the year went along."

Bowers has taken the Panthers on quite the run, taking the senior team to four provincial championships in the last six years. They knew they had a shot at going deep into this year's OFSAA tournament after losing to the eventual champions in last year's quarter-finals.

"That really opened our eyes to how good they really could be," said Bowers, who noted because of their medal win the Georgian Bay Secondary Schools Association (GBSSA) will get a second entry into the provincial tournament. "We had a vast majority of the team coming back and they sensed an opportunity.

"I've got to say as a coach, of all the years this was as good a squad as I've ever had and I probably ever will have."

For Bowers, what especially set this team apart from others was their talent and skill.

"As competitive as you are, if you don't have the tools it's not going to help you too, too much," he said. "The team was blessed with a lot of players that played at a very high level. One of the players (Cameron Chadwick) has been chosen to play on the provincial under-19 team. I know he's off to Poland on March Break, so having someone like that sure helps as well."

As it does having a captain like Dean Battaglia.

"He's just a phenomenal leader," Bowers said of the graduating student. "One of the nicest young men I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, coaching and just a winner. All four of his years, his team has won the GBSSA's.

"That group, the graduating Grade 12s, just never lost... it was just a wonderful group and Dean was instrumental in motivating the bunch. His play was exemplary as well, so I was really lucky and I'm really going to miss him."

That Bowers put faith in him to lead the team meant a lot to Battaglia. The student and his teammates leaned heavily on the experience of Bowers and the rest of the coaching staff.

"He's a real laid-back guy, which is great for the team we have because we have a lot of big personalities," Battaglia said of Bowers. "He lets us do our thing, he guides us to where we need to go to achieve what we want to achieve and he's just a great mentor to the whole team."

Bowers admits there have been times during his 20 years of coaching at high school that he would wonder why he was doing it because the commitment wasn't always there. Not with this group, though. They were a determined bunch and appreciative of the time Bowers and his coaches took to help them on and off the court.

"For years and years, I coached junior volleyball because it kind of drove me crazy that the senior kids were at jobs and they wouldn't be as dedicated, but this is a group that we had phenomenal attendance all season long at our practices and obviously games, too," he said. "They were a motivated bunch.

"We practiced on Wednesday nights and we'd come in at 7:30 p.m. at the school and practice for a couple of hours. You get a group like that, that's keen and wants to go places it shows."

It also helps having strong support around you, like the kind Bowers says he's received from St. Peter's co-curricular teacher Carla Morrison and assistant coaches Mark Desrochers and Kevin Belcourt.

He calls Morrison his saving grace.

"She does everything and I'm not just saying that," Bower said. "She's far and away our school MVP. She puts in tireless hours."

Belcourt, a teacher at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School, has been instrumental in the success the Panthers volleyball program has had.

"He's a legend," Bowers said of Belcourt. "He has the winningest coaching resume I've ever heard of. They win their county's year after year and we get those kids."

Bowers believes despite losing some players this season, the team will be strong once again next year. One thing is certain though, that their bronze medal finish and the all the experiences they went through on the court won't be soon forgotten.

"I'll be really surprised to find any kids who won't know where that OFSAA medal is in 10 years," he said. "It's something they'll cherish and looking fondly back on."


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Gene Pereira

About the Author: Gene Pereira

An award-winning journalist, Gene is former sports editor of the Barrie Examiner and his byline has appeared in several newspapers. He is also the longtime colour analyst of the OHL Barrie Colts on Rogers TV
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