Cops, Cats and Caring Students kicked off the community program’s ninth season earlier this week with a press conference featuring representatives from Hamilton Police, McMaster Children’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health care as well as Ron Foxcroft, Ticats general manger Bob O’Billovich, and a pair of Ticats players, Marwan Hage and Sandy Beveridge.
While Hage admittedly doesn’t see himself making much of an impact on the court over the next couple of months, he made an immediate contribution this week with a donation to the program via his Hage’s Heroes initiative.
The games began on Wednesday at Highland Secondary School, with the Cops and Cats picking up where they left off from their undefeated season in 2008. Thanks to strong contributions from the Hamilton Police contingent and the Ticats players (Darrell Adams, J.P. Bekasiak, Ray Mariuz and Chad Rempel) taking part, the Cops and Cats put their first notch in the win column with a dominating 50-point victory.
This season’s second game took place on Friday at Sir John A. MacDonald Secondary School. The Cops and Cats were guided by the scoring touch of Sandy Beveridge and the inside presence of Darrell Adams en route to a close 10-point win. Friday’s game also saw offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski make his Cops and Cats debut. Dyakowski’s game resembled that of fellow LSU alum Shaquille O’Neil; strong in the paint but less-than-stellar from the free throw line.
More important than the action on the hardwood was the great turnout by students at both schools, which helped raise funds for McMaster Children’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Next week, the Cops and Cats basketball team heads to Sherwood on Tuesday, March 10 for their third matchup with students and teachers.
