The province recognized the championships of Newmarket’s Huron Heights Secondary School football program with a visit to Queen's Park Dec. 6.
Both junior and senior teams made the trip after winning bowl games that unofficially marked them as tops in the province. Members of the provincial parliament cheered them on in the House as they were read in as visitors, followed by a tour with Premier Doug Ford.
It was an amazing trip, senior head coach Heath Weir said.
“It was a pretty cool experience,” Weir said, adding that the premier spent a couple of hours with the team talking with them. “It was not just a photo-op.”
Both the junior and senior teams were victorious in their respective provincial goal games to cap off their season. The teams are now celebrating the win and garnering recognition, with this the only time both junior and senior teams at the school have earned provincial titles in the same year.
Weir said he had a good connection with Ford’s deceased brother, Rob Ford, who was also a high school football coach and went up against the Warriors. After the younger Ford’s passing, Weir said he connected with the now-premier, who has remained a fan of the program. That connection helped lead to the visit.
Weir recounted going to his office, where a helmet from the school program is part of the display. He recounted Ford said many visitors from all around the world ask about the helmet.
The players “realize people care about the program outside of the school,” Weir said. “It’s important not just to the immediate community, it’s people at the provincial level that are taking notice of the hard work, dedication.”
Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy spoke about the warriors in the legislature. York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney also greeted the team as part of the visit.
“Proud of our Huron Heights Warriors,” Gallagher Murphy said on social media.
The celebrations are not over yet. The town will be holding a rally for the teams at the Riverwalk Commons at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Weir said the program has been able to defy the ups and downs of sport to maintain a consistent level of player over the past 20 years.
“The kids are seeing that people are recognizing their level of excellence,” Weir said.
