TORONTO -- The Wilson Gators' quest to be the first team to successfully defend an Ontario Regional Junior Football Championship fell short as the Nelson Lords, representing Halton Region, prevailed 25-16 in last week's championship game.

The LOSSA champion Gators, of Whitby, led 8-7 at the half thanks in part to a questionable third down gamble by the Lords in the final seconds of the first half, which led to a go-ahead 40-yard punt single by Torin Guest.

Nelson went ahead 10-8 midway through the third quarter on the strength of a 20-yard field goal by Victor Fasullo, who had accounted for all seven first half Nelson scoring points.

Andrew Smith, who had scored a touchdown in the first half, replied three minutes later with a 27-yard scoring run followed by a two-point convert to vault Wilson in front 16-10.

The Lords replied quickly with a drive that culminated in Alex Furlan carrying the ball six yards for a major with only three seconds left on the clock. Fasullo's second convert of the game moved Nelson ahead by one.

The fourth quarter saw a long drive by Wilson stopped when a third-down gamble failed. The Lords then responded with a long, time-consuming drive of their own, which resulted in a four-yard touchdown run by Addison Olah.

Now trailing by eight and with time running out, the Gators were forced to abandon the Smith run game and go to the air, but interceptions by Furlan and Fasullo ended any hopes of a Wilson comeback. The first interception led to a 40-yard punt single, the last point of the match.

With the victory, the Burlington school completed a perfect season and captured its first Ontario regional championship since 2003.

Wilson Gators going for rare repeat

Ontario junior football championship Wednesday against Nelson

TORONTO -- Fans of smash-mouth football will likely get a kick out of Wednesday's Ontario regional junior championship game at St. Michael's College School.

Whitby's Wilson Gators will be looking to go where no team has gone before and win the title for a second consecutive year.

Lined up opposite them for the 1:30 p.m. game are the Nelson Lords of Burlington.

"They're big and they're pretty much straight ahead football. They pound the ball straight ahead at you from what we've seen on film," said Wilson head coach Rob Thomson. "We're going to put a bunch of guys in the box on defence and play straight-up tough defence. They're not fancy. They definitely make no bones about it, they're just going to try to run the ball right over you."

The Lords are a perfect 10-0 this season and are coming off a 29-7 win over the Lakeshore Gators in the semifinals. Quarterback Eli Pawliw connected with receiver Victor Fasullo for three of the touchdowns and ran the other in himself.

The Gators, meanwhile, used the ground game to account for all their scoring in a 26-14 semifinal win over St. Michael's in Toronto on Saturday, with Sanjay Francis scoring twice, Andrew Smith and quarterback Jerome Gonsalves-Akers once each.

Feature backs Smith, a Grade 9 student, and Francis have been key for the Gators all season, but the team can also go to the air with Gonsalves-Akers at the helm, Thomson assured.

"Like last year, it might be the best kept secret because we can pass the ball when we need to, but as long as we can get it done on the ground, we just keep getting it done on the ground."

Last year's championship team had now-senior quarterback George Papadakos calling the snaps, but was led by running back Ryan Dixon, who had an astounding 471 yards rushing and six touchdowns in a 40-28 win over St. Mike's in the final.

Despite Dixon moving on to St. Francis high school in Athol Springs, N.Y., to pursue a scholarship, the Gators' program remains strong at both the junior and senior levels.

The senior team lost only one game all season, by a point to eventual Metro Bowl champion Holy Trinity in the LOSSA final.

"The last few years, we've been running the same kind of stuff in senior and junior, so it's starting to show through," said Thomson. "We could be the first to win back-to-back, which at junior is quite the accomplishment because usually when you win at junior you're loaded with Grade 10's, and then you have to rebuild, but we've been very fortunate two years in a row."

Holy Trinity Titans run away with Metro Bowl title

Team rushes for 303 yards in 28-3 victory at Rogers Centre

TORONTO -- In the wake of winning the Metro Bowl Wednesday night, Holy Trinity Titans coach Fred Zinkie couldn't say enough about the contributions of his veteran football players.

Specifically the likes of fifth-year returnees running back/slot receiver Earl Anderson and tight end Tyler Ganhao, who both played major roles as the Titans trumped the King City Lions 28-3 in front of a loud and boisterous crowd at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Anderson was his typical dynamic self, running the ball for the Titans. Working from the left slot and crossing with quarterback David Neal, Anderson carried the ball 21 times for 156 yards and bookended the game with a pair of touchdowns, one to open the scoring in the first quarter from three yards out, the other to close it with under two minutes remaining from five yards out.

In all, the Titans -- among Anderson, Ryan Dus, Nathaniel Allen, Stephen Thompson and Neal -- totaled over 300 yards on the ground on 41 carries.

Meanwhile, as Anderson and his backfield mates played the role of steady and reliable, it was Ganhao who took advantage of Zinkie's confidence, and, most importantly, a second chance to find the end zone, to essentially put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

On back-to-back plays from the 20-yard line, Neal lobbed two of his seven passes on the night in Ganhao's direction. The first one was dropped, the second caught for a touchdown.

Most coaches may have been reluctant to call the same play in succession, but Zinkie didn't doubt Ganhao's ability to make good on another opportunity.

"Tyler Ganhao has great hands and has caught a lot of big passes for us this year. When that first one didn't go, we kind of talked a little bit during the timeout and said 'let's go right back to him'," Zinkie said in the postgame, moments after the Titans were presented with the Metro Bowl trophy at midfield. "He dropped the pass, but we didn't think he'd drop it twice."

And he didn't, though Ganhao was quick to admit he wasn't really welcoming of the play call in the huddle as he fought with visions of dropping the ball the first time around.

"I was hoping they wouldn't throw it to me again," he said with a laugh when asked what was going through his mind. "But the coach has faith in me and I caught the ball."

Allen scored the Titans' second touchdown of the night, scampering in on a rush from 28 yards two minutes into the second quarter.

King City responded with their only points with a field goal later in the half, leaving Holy Trinity with a 14-3 lead after two quarters.

Zinkie said at that point, his club focused on getting the next score, knowing from experience that a lead in the ballpark of three touchdowns is a much tougher hill to climb than that of two.

The Titans, themselves, trailed by two majors in two different playoff games against St. Mary and Donald A. Wilson, but were able to rebound and win.

They weren't about to let the scene play out in reverse, not when they had their first Metro Bowl title within grasp.

Since establishing their program just a few years back, Zinkie and his coaching staff have worked diligently with their players to establish an identity and prove to the surrounding schools and other observers that they can compete with the best.

"We knew going into the year we had a good team but with so many good teams in the GTA, even just to get here was a dream of ours and then to play as well as we did tonight and win the game, I couldn't be more proud of those guys," he said. "I think it really helps everyone believe that we can be as good as anyone at something if we work hard at it."

Anderson, having been a part of past disappointments with the Titans, said the pain of the past was well worth the feeling of accomplishment shared by him and his teammates Wednesday night.

"Words can't even explain how happy I am right now," said Anderson, who was to fly out the next day on a delayed family vacation to Jamaica. "It's just a great feeling. Finally, the relief. The fifth year, coming back, it was worth it all."

The Titans' win marks the first time since Pickering triumphed in 2005 that the Metro Bowl championship has found a home in Durham Region.

Tier II football champions decided

Port Perry senior champ, Eastdale wins junior title

BOWMANVILLE -- Four schools hit the field in Clarington on Saturday in search of a Tier II LOSSA football championship, with Port Perry claiming the senior title over O'Neill, and Eastdale winning the junior crown against Pine Ridge.

In Tier I junior play, Pickering bowed out in the Ontario regional quarter-finals.

Despite being unable to post a scoring point until the final minute of play, the Port Perry Rebels are LOSSA football champions. The title is the first for Port Perry since 2005.

Trailing 3-0 late in the fourth quarter, the Rebels were able to take advantage of a couple of O'Neill miscues -- a fumble at midfield and a no-yards penalty following a punt -- in the final few minutes to set the stage for a game-tying 10-yard field goal by Connor Haslam with only 45 ticks left on the clock.

The Rebel defence then stopped O'Neill forcing a third-down punt as time was running out. A Port Perry player alertly punted the ball back into the end zone and it appeared that the Rebels had scored the winning point, however a no-yards call negated the play and the game was headed to overtime.

In overtime, each team was given possession at the opponent's 35-yard line. O'Neill had first possession, however their drive ended when Rebel defender Mitch Vandenberg outfought an O'Neill receiver for an interception.

Starting from the 35, the Rebels effectively moved the ball deep into the Red Hawk red zone. Nathan Scott then launched a punt into the end zone and the O'Neill defender was unable to stop the ball from bouncing out of the playing field, thereby giving the Rebels the game-winning point and the Tier Two title.

The Red Hawks, seeking their first senior title in over 40 years, had nursed an early 3-0 lead from the eight-minute mark of the opening quarter when Taylor Smith split the uprights from 10 yards out. From that point forward, the defence teams on both sides took over with neither team able to score any points until the final minute of the game.

The seven points scored were the lowest total recorded in a senior championship game since 1985 when Henry Street defeated Pickering 1-0. It was also the first time since 1986 that overtime was required to determine the senior champion.

The Eastdale Eagles captured the Tier Two junior title as they downed the previously undefeated Pine Ridge Pumas 27-6 to earn their first junior title since 2003.

The game plan for the Eagles was 'stop Meschach Green', who earlier this year tallied all 25 scoring points for Pine Ridge in a season opening win over Eastdale. Keying on Green, the Eagles came within 11 seconds of shutting out the Pumas.

Eastdale opened the scoring with 11:26 remaining in the opening quarter as Riley Palmer scampered 68 yards for a touchdown. A second quarter safety credited to Drew Moore extended the lead to eight. With 24 seconds until the half, quarterback Drew Pottle delivered a 24-yard pass and run to Palmer to give the Eagles a 14-point half-time advantage.

Pottle then connected with Matt Cox on a 46-yard passing play midway through the third quarter to up the margin to 20. In the final quarter, Konaar Bell would record the fourth Eastdale touchdown as he carried the ball 27 yards to the house. Ben Donnelly rounded out the Eagle scoring with the point after.

Green was finally able to break through the stubborn Eagle defence in the final minute as he unleashed a 65-yard touchdown run to put the Pumas on the board.

The football season for the junior Pickering Trojans has come to an end as they were eliminated from the Ontario regional junior football championship by the host team, St. Michaels College.

The Trojans found the final three minutes of the first half to be their undoing, as they saw a 6-1 lead evaporate as the Kerry Blues would tally two touchdowns, the first a four-yard run by Loughlin Kelly, the second a 17-yard pass reception by Lennox Adinkrah, which vaulted the hosts in front 15-6 at the half.

Playing three-down football in the second half (the first half was four-down football, which LOSSA plays), the Trojans were able to reduce the deficit to 18-12 with just over six minutes remaining as Jesse St. John connected with Jackson Lyder on a 51-yard pass-and-run play. A fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave the Trojans the great field position. However, the Kerry Blue defence rose to the occasion and repelled the Trojan attack as Pickering was unable to generate any more offensive points. Hayden Murphy was credited with a safety when St. Michaels did take a knee in the end zone on a third-down play with 2:39 remaining.

Matthew Boateng scored Pickering's first touchdown on a 38-yard run in the opening quarter. Anthony Iafrate with a single on a missed field goal, two converts and a 35-yard third-quarter field goal accounted for six kicking points for the hosts.

Gators charge back in junior football quarter-final

Wilson advances to Ontario semifinals with 35-7 win over Centennial

WHITBY -- As promised, the Centennial Chargers went to the air in their Ontario regional junior football quarter-final playoff game Tuesday in Whitby.

Chargers quarterback Tanner Deline tossed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Chase Peck on the game's first play from scrimmage and Peck kicked the convert to give Centennial a 7-0 lead over the host Donald A. Wilson Gators.

The Gators battled back to take a 9-7 halftime lead, then piled up 26 unanswered second-half points to claim a 35-7 victory.

Sanjay Francis, who went both ways for Wilson at running back and defensive back, played for the Gators last year when they clobbered Centennial in a similar quarter-final contest at Pat Carty Field, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter alone. He scampered in from three yards out for Wilson's first touchdown Tuesday.

"When we started against them last year, we dominated," said Francis. "But this year, they showed up. In the second half, we had to make some adjustments."

Wilson running backs Andrew Smith and Francis chewed up considerable chunks of yardage during a clock-killing third-quarter drive that resulted in a major score by Dylan Misseri on a 40-yard pass from Gator quarterback Jerome Gonsalves-Akers.

In the fourth quarter, facing a stiff wind, Centennial's passing attack was grounded and Wilson added three more touchdowns: a one-yard keeper by Gonsalves-Akers, a 26-yard interception return by Matt MacCaskill and a 23-yard reception by Misseri.

Francis was impressed with the competition the Belleville school provided, especially in the first half. A week ago, Wilson crushed Pickering 50-27 in the LOSSA final.

"Centennial was definitely better this year than they were last year. They've developed. I was surprised," said Francis. "Last year, we had a lot of very good players. This year, not as many. So we have to work extra hard."

Wilson advances to a semifinal game at noon Saturday in Toronto against St. Michael's, who defeated Pickering 18-14 in another quarter-final. The championship game is next Wednesday, also at St. Mike's.

Nov. 23, 2010

Anderson hopes to fly high before flying out

Holy Trinity football star changes travel plans for Metro Bowl

COURTICE -- A change in travel plans might end up making all the difference for the Holy Trinity Titans in their quest for a Metro Bowl senior football championship.

The Courtice school's top offensive weapon, Earl Anderson, originally had a flight planned to Jamaica for a vacation this week, but has since convinced his family, and most importantly his grandfather, who planned the trip, to re-book it for Thursday.

By then, Anderson and the rest of the Titans might be flying high regardless, if they can prevail in Wednesday night's championship game against the King City Lions at the Rogers Centre.

Fred Zinkie, Holy Trinity's head coach, admitted he -- and the rest of the school, for that matter -- was relieved when Anderson told him he'd be available.

"He's been our best player this year and the chance to play on a big stage in front of so many scouts is really key for his future, let alone it's going to be really fun for him as the last game of his high school career to play in the Rogers Centre," Zinkie said of Anderson, a fifth-year senior.

"Having him there, everything else feeds off that because if they take him away, they're going to have to put extra guys on him, and if they're going to do that, then that's going to open things up somewhere else," said Zinkie. "If we didn't have him, then they could play a more balanced defence against us."

The Titans have proven to be quite versatile in their impressive playoff run so far.

Against three-time defending LOSSA champion Wilson in the regional final, Anderson was contained in the second half, but the Titans still found a way to come back for a 33-32 victory, led by a pair of touchdown strikes from quarterback David Neal.

It was pretty much all Anderson in the Metro Bowl semifinal, though, as he ran for more than 200 yards and two long touchdowns in a 25-16 win over the Upper Canada College Blues Nov. 18 at Esther Shiner Stadium.

After that game, Zinkie stayed put to scout the other semifinal and was impressed with the King City Lions, who continued a late-season roll with a 56-23 victory over the Richview Saints.

"They're a good team. They're powerful and they combine it with a pretty good passing game," said Zinkie. "They're quite balanced on offence and their defence rarely missed a tackle when I watched them on Thursday. I think they're really a defence that makes you earn everything you're going to get, so it's going to be a pretty good challenge for us."

The first order of business for the Titans' defence will be to limit receiver Nick Shortill, who hauled in three of the four touchdown passes thrown by quarterback Josh Baird last week. Zinkie expects that task to fall to Dan Murphy, his best man-to-man defender.

Zinkie anticipates a close game that, as is so often the case, will likely go to the team that does a better job hanging on to the ball.

"I think turnovers are going to be big," he said. "If we lose the turnover battle by anything more than one, we'll be in a lot of trouble. I think this game might hinge on special teams and turnovers."

The game is the final of five OFSAA Bills Toronto Series football bowls being played at Rogers Centre Wednesday. Kickoff is 8 p.m.

Nov. 18, 2010

Holy Trinity Titans off to Metro Bowl

Courtice school defeats Upper Canada College in semifinals

NORTH YORK -- When in doubt, hand the ball off to Earl Anderson.

The Holy Trinity Titans used that strategy in abundance Thursday and rode the powerful legs of their star running back to a 25-16 win over Toronto’s Upper Canada College Blues at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York.

With it the Courtice school is off to its first Metro Bowl senior football championship game next Wednesday at the Rogers Centre.

“We just keep running him, he’s so electric,” said Holy Trinity head coach Fred Zinkie amidst the celebration. “We just keep going with him and he’ll make the plays eventually. That’s what we find.”

Anderson broke free for a 73-yard run to score the first touchdown of Thursday’s semifinal, giving Holy Trinity a 10-0 lead late in the first half.

With the game tied 10-10 early in the fourth quarter, Anderson again found a hole, this time scoring from 27 yards out.

It turned out the 17-10 lead was enough, but just for good measure, Anderson also keyed a late drive that ended in a two-yard score by Nathaniel Allen to put the game away.

“It was great,” said Anderson, who credited those who blocked for him, Allen chief among them. “We picked it up hard. All the blocking from Nate, the O-line, everyone played great.”

The Blues kept the game interesting, thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Seamus Power, the first to his brother, Patrick, on the final play of the first half to narrow the gap to 10-7.

Power also connected on a 15-yard strike to Pelle Jorgen with 6:23 remaining in the game, but a missed extra point kept the Titans ahead 17-16.

After the game, Blues coach Dave Shaw admitted Anderson made all the difference.

“Everybody in the whole stadium knows what’s going to happen and we still can’t stop him,” Shaw said of Anderson’s heavy workload. “He’s a very good player. And, you know what, credit to their offensive line. He had some pretty big holes too.”

Although perhaps less noticeable than Anderson and his 200-plus yards of offence, there were a number of other key plays contributing to victory.

For example, Dustin Harris made a spectacular tackle in the end zone on a booming punt from Tyler Ganhao, giving the Titans a rouge and a nine-point lead that was pretty much insurmountable with 1:34 remaining.

“He’s one of the best two-way players I’ve ever coached,” Zinkie raved of Harris, who plays receiver and safety. “Really hard-hitting player on both sides.”

Joe Mastromarco continued his consistent kicking as well, booting a 30-yard field goal to open the scoring in the first quarter and converting all three touchdowns.

The Titans will now face the King City Lions, who romped to a 55-23 win over Richview in yesterday’s other semifinal. The final of five OFSAA festival games being played at Rogers Centre Wednesday, the Metro Bowl kicks off at 8 p.m.

“We’ve played four or five weeks in a row now really good teams in our own region, and then Upper Canada is a well-coached, hard-hitting football team,” Zinkie pointed out. “We’ll scout these guys, maybe clean up a couple of mistakes we made, and I think we’ll have a good shot.”

The last Durham team to reach the Metro Bowl was Wilson in 2008 and the last to win it was Pickering in 2005.

Nov. 18, 2010

Tier Two football finals set

O'Neill and Port Perry in the junior game, Pine Ridge and Eastdale in the senior

DURHAM -- Two of the oldest high schools within LOSSA will meet in the Tier Two finals on Nov. 20 at 1:30 p.m. as the O'Neill Red Hawks will meet the Port Perry Rebels.

Both schools fielded excellent football teams through the 1960s and 1970s and both schools discontinued their football programs for many years before returning in 2005 and 2008 respectively. The Rebels captured the Tier Two championship in 2005 while the Red Hawks will be trying to capture their first senior title since 1968.

The Rebels are undefeated in eight games including two playoff wins while the Red Hawks have reeled off six consecutive wins, including two single-point road victories in the playoffs, after starting the season with back-to-back losses. The two teams did not meet during the regular season. The junior championship game will follow the senior game on Saturday with start time set for 4 p.m. Pine Ridge, which has yet to taste defeat in eight games, will line up opposite the Eastdale Eagles, who carry a 7-1 record to the championship. The Eagles, winners of their past seven games, suffered their only loss (25-20) playing the Pumas during the opening week. The game will feature two standouts. Meschach Green, who, in addition to handling the place kicking, has recorded 19 touchdowns this year, while Drew Pottle, who like Green is a league MVP finalist, will be lining up behind the centre and calling the plays for the Eagles.

O'Neill 15 Pine Ridge 14
For the second consecutive game, the Red Hawks came from behind in the fourth quarter to record playoff victory. With O'Neill trailing 14-1 after three quarters, Taylor Zak and then Jordan Stone with a minute remaining in the game recorded touchdowns to advance their team to the championship game for the second consecutive year.
O'Neill: Taylor Zak TD; Jordan Stone TD; Taylor Smith 2C; Jeremy Alexander S
Pine Ridge: Cordel Clarke TD; Randall Inniss TD; Duncan Mitchell 2C

Port Perry 38 Uxbridge 1
Led by Mitch Vandenberg with two interceptions, including one for a touchdown, the Rebels defence held their northern neighbours to only one scoring point. Nathan Scott, Mitch Tones, Ryan Bullock and Dylan Barkwell also contributed majors as the Rebels advanced to the Tier Two senior championship for the first time since 2005.
Port Perry: Connor Haslam FG, 4C; Nathan Scott TD, S; Mitch Tones TD; Mitch Vandenberg TD; Ryan Bullock TD; Dylan Barkwell TD
Uxbridge: Dylan Smith S

Eastdale 41 Uxbridge 6
Paced by the two touchdown efforts of Konaar Bell, Riley Palmer and Matt Cox, the Eagles advanced to the Tier Two junior finals with a convincing 41-6 victory over Uxbridge. Eastdale last captured the junior title in 2003 (Tier Two).
Eastdale: Konaar Bell 2TD; Riley Palmer 2TD; Matt Cox 2TD; Ben Donnelly 5C
Uxbridge: Mitchell Winkel, TD

Pine Ridge 44 Dunbarton 0The Junior Pumas booked their ticket to the championship with a three-touchdown outburst in the opening quarter including an 86-yard run by Chris Hawke. The Pumas, who captured back-to-back junior titles in 1992 and 1993, will be trying to capture their third junior championship.Pine Ridge: Meschach Green 4TD; 5C, FG; Chris Hawke TD; Alex Kaziev TD.

Nov. 16, 2010

Titans take down Gators for first LOSSA football title

Holy Trinity off to Metro Bowl semifinal Thursday in North York

CLARINGTON -- The Holy Trinity Titans senior football team sure has a flair for the dramatic.

Just four days after fighting back for a 29-28 semifinal win over the St. Mary Monarchs, the Courtice school secured its first LOSSA tier 1 title in equally exciting fashion, dethroning the three-time defending champion Wilson Gators of Whitby 33-32 Saturday at Clarington Fields.

Stephen Thompson's three-yard touchdown run with 47.8 seconds remaining capped off a remarkable comeback in a game the Titans never led until the final seconds. They trailed by as much as 31-20 early in the fourth quarter.

The Gators still had some fight left and drove the ball down to the Titans' 31-yard line, but Chivon Gallagher's field goal attempt with 5.5 seconds remaining was wide left and resulted in a single point.

Quarterback David Neal took a knee on the next play, bringing a large and enthusiastic throng of Holy Trinity supporters spilling onto the field to join in the long-anticipated celebration.

"It was like the biggest relief that I've ever had in my life to finally know that we had won LOSSA," said Neal, who led the Titans back with a pair of second-half touchdown strikes. "This is what we've been working for, for four years of football, and it hasn't hit me yet, but I'm so excited about this."

The result helped take the sting away from last year's LOSSA semifinal, when the Gators completed a 109-yard pass-and-run play late to steal a 20-15 decision. The Gators also prevailed in the final regular season match-up this year, 25-21, to secure first place.

"Awesome. Long, long road," said Holy Trinity head coach Fred Zinkie amongst the celebration. "A lot of disappointments along the way. It was nice to finally come through and especially the way we did, coming back in the second half."

Both football programs have come a long way in a relatively short period of time, as both schools opened in 2004, and fielded senior teams for the first time in 2005.

Wilson head coach Adam Papadakos, more accustomed to giving the celebration speech, was nevertheless pleased with his team's effort and proud of the way his players fought to the end.

"There were a number of turning points, whether it's a turnover, whether it's a third down call, whether it's questionable calls on the field, it just could have gone either way," he said. "It was a hell of a football game. It was championship football."

The game featured several big plays, including an 83-yard run by Wilson's Omar Williams to open the scoring after Holy Trinity's first drive stalled deep in the Gators' zone. Williams later scored on a one-yard plunge as well.

Greg Morris had the other three majors for the Gators, on runs of 37 and 90 yards, and also of 85 yards on a kickoff return.

But six turnovers, including four interceptions by quarterback George Papadakos, and an inability to convert extra points proved to be the Gators' undoing.

The Titans never gave up and chipped away all game, getting a 63-yard touchdown run from Earl Anderson, Neal's two TD strikes and a pair of field goals from Joe Mastromarco to help set up Thompson's winning score.

Neal connected with Ryan Dus on a 45-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter and Tyler Ganhao for an 18-yard major that narrowed the Wilson lead to 31-26 with 8:34 remaining.

The Titans now advance to a Metro Bowl semifinal game with Upper Canada College, 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York. The winner will advance to the championship game Nov. 24 at the Rogers Centre.

"We're going to enjoy this for now, but Monday we'll be right back on the field getting ready to win that game," Zinkie said Saturday. "Now we're one win from the Rogers Centre. That's been our dream of a lot of these guys since we started."

Nov. 16, 2010

Semifinals set in Tier II football playoffs
High school teams move one step closer to final

Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/166012

DURHAM -- There was plenty of exciting quarterfinal playoff action in the Tier II high school football leagues last week, as those advancing move one step closer to a coveted spot in the finals.

Tier Two Senior
Uxbridge 7 Sinclair 0
The sixth-seeded Uxbridge Tigers posted their second shutout over Sinclair this year as they eliminated the third-seeded Celtics 7-0. Dylan Smith, who recorded nine scoring points in the Tigers' regular season 21-0 victory, accounted for all seven points with a touchdown on an interception return and a punt single.
Uxbridge: Dylan Smith TD, C

Port Perry 35 St. Stephen 6
The undefeated Rebels, led by Nick Corsi's two-touchdown effort, disposed of the St. Stephen Royals 35-6. Single touchdowns were recorded by Logan Evans, Nathan Scott and Neil Roberts while Cameron Gilmore replied for the Royals. The Rebels will now host Uxbridge, whom they defeated by one point in a 7-6 opening-week win.
Port Perry: Nick Corsi 2TD; Logan Evans TD; Nathan Scott TD; Neil Roberts TD; Connor Haslam 5C
St. Stephen: Cameron Gilmore TD

O'Neill 8 Eastdale 7
The fifth-seeded O'Neill Red Hawks overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit as Jeremy Alexander's 31-yard punt single with four minutes remaining provided the winning margin. Taylor Upshaw's 17-yard pass reception had staked the Eagles to a first-quarter lead which held until the final minute of the third quarter when Jason Bento was able to recover an O'Neill fumbled ball in the end zone for the equalizer.
O'Neill: Jason Bento TD; Taylor Smith C; Jeremy Alexander S
Eastdale: Taylor Upshaw TD, Brandon J Murphy C

Pine Ridge 28 Notre Dame 12
Led by Andrew Brownlee, who recorded three touchdowns, the second-seeded Pumas punched their ticket to the semifinals prevailing 28-12 over Notre Dame. Dylan Roder also scored a touchdown for Pine Ridge while Duncan Mitchell was perfect on all four point after attempts. Cougar touchdowns were credited to Hayden Plourde and Jordan Urquhart. Pine Ridge will now host O'Neill in semifinal play. The two schools did not play each other during the regular season.
Pine Ridge: Andrew Brownlee 3TD; Dylan Roder TD; Duncan Mitchell 4C
Notre Dame: Hayden Plourde TD; Jordan Urquhart TD

Tier Two Junior

Uxbridge 42, O'Neill 19
Andrew and Matt Edwards combined for five touchdowns as the third-seeded Tigers eliminated O'Neill. The Tigers will now play Eastdale in semifinal play. Eastdale won the regular-season game 30-27.
Uxbridge: Andrew Edwards 3TD; Matt Edwards 2TD; Alex Heythorn TD; Braeden Whitehead 6C
O'Neil:: Tre Campbell TD; Spencer Evans TD; Brenden Costello TD; Tre Campbell C

Dunbarton 27 St. Stephen 6
Dunbarton has advanced to the semifinals where they will meet Pine Ridge following a 27-6 win over St. Stephen. Pine Ridge turned back the Spartans 34-7 during regular-season play.
Scoring details not available at press time.

Nov. 16, 2010

Pickering falls to Wilson in junior football final
Bad third quarter leads to 50-27 loss

http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/166004

CLARINGTON -- The Wilson Gators captured their second consecutive LOSSA junior football championship and fourth in six years as they exploded for three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to defeat Pickering 50-27.

The Trojans were seeking their 10th junior title.

Grade 9 sensation Andrew Smith led the Gator attack, recording four touchdowns via runs of 35, 42, 15 and 45 yards. Smith's initial touchdown had staked the Gators to a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

Pickering, however, responded with three second-quarter scoring plays to take a 15-7 lead as a safety by Kyle Forde was sandwiched with touchdowns by Jesse St. John (one-yard keeper) and Nevell Provo (26-yard run converted by Dakota Parsons). The Gators were able to level the score with just over a minute left until half time when Jerome Gonsalves-Akers called his own number on a two-yard keeper and Dylan Misseri added a two-point convert.

The three-touchdown onslaught in the third quarter was aided by numerous Trojan objectionable conduct penalties, the first two of which advanced the ball from the 30-yard line to the one where Sanjay Francis easily scored. Smith then scored his second touchdown and then Francis picked up his second on a three-yard carry to extend the lead to 36-15.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans mounted a comeback with St. John scoring his second short yardage touchdown of the game and Jackson Lyder hauling in a 15-yard pass from St. John to narrow the margin to nine points with just over eight minutes remaining. An ensuing onside kick gave the Trojans the ball back and suddenly the once-comfortable Gator lead did not seem insurmountable.

However, once the Gators got the ball back, Smith went to work recording his third and fourth touchdowns in the final four minutes to seal the deal. Malcolm Branton was a perfect six for six in point after attempts for the Gators.

The loss was the first of the season for Pickering which had won the regular season contest over Wilson 24-22. Raekwon Grant, the league MVP, did not play for Pickering in the playoffs after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the final regular season game.

Both the junior champion Wilson Gators and finalist Pickering Trojans will be participating in the Ontario junior regional football championship. Pickering will travel to St. Michaels College on Friday afternoon with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The host team won the independent division championship. The Gators will host the COSSA champion Belleville Centennial on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 1 p.m. The winners of these two quarterfinal games will advance to the semifinals.

Nov. 11, 2010

Gators and Titans clash in LOSSA senior football final
Wilson also in junior final against Pickering

DURHAM -- The top two teams from the regular season are the final two left standing in LOSSA boys' senior football.

And after Saturday's final, between Whitby's Donald A. Wilson Gators and Courtice's Holy Trinity Titans, it'll be down to one.

Wilson, which finished first in the regular season standings at 6-0 and knocked off Pickering in the semifinals, will take on the Titans, who finished second at 5-1 and slipped past St. Mary in the other semi.

Saturday's final will kick off at 3 p.m. at Clarington Fields. The final, in years past, has been played at Oshawa's Civic Fields, but construction made the venue unavailable.

Regardless of the venue, though, both teams know they'll be in tough as they attempt to emerge as LOSSA champions.

"Holy Trinity has an outstanding back in Earl Anderson, who runs some really neat things. Their quarterback (David Neal) is a good player. We just have to do some great film work and have some real good practices leading up to Saturday," said Wilson coach Adam Papadakos of the preparation he needed to see out of his team this week.

On the other side, Holy Trinity is not content being a bridesmaid to the three-time defending champion Gators and fully understands the importance of capitalizing on their opportunities in order to ensure their season continues beyond Saturday.

"Wilson is an outstanding football team, really well coached and great talent," said Holy Trinity coach Fred Zinkie. "I think the two teams are similarly matched. In the last few years, we've gone out to Wilson and they've been able to make big plays when it mattered late in games and we haven't done that against them."

On the junior loop, Wilson has a chance for a championship there, too, as they knocked off St. Mary 48-20 on Tuesday to reach the final. George Gonsalves-Akers, Sanjay Francis and Dylan Misseri each had two touchdowns.

Pickering will serve as the opposition after they scooted past Holy Trinity 17-16. Matthew Boetang and Jesse St. John each scored touchdowns in that one.

Wilson Gators power their way into LOSSA final
Whitby school blanks Pickering High in semis

WHITBY -- Two big plays on offence in the first half and a stalwart defensive effort helped lift the Wilson Gators into yet another LOSSA football final.

The Gators received two touchdowns from Greg Morris, one in the air and one on the ground, in Tuesday's semifinal and rode that wave of momentum to a 15-0 victory on home field against the Pickering Trojans.

Morris's first major came off a 65-yard reception on a pass over the middle from quarterback George Papadakos, while the other came later in the half when he took the hand off inside his own 20 and scampered down the sidelines for the score.

While the two touchdowns were highlight reel type plays, Morris said afterward he was most impressed with a late fourth quarter interception he registered that virtually eliminated any chance of a Trojans comeback.

"The big I-N-T at the end," he said, when asked what his highlight was. "I believe the game isn't really over until the end and we really needed that."

The pick came with about 2:30 to go as Pickering quarterback Mike Stobbart lobbed the ball down field into double coverage, only to have it fall into Morris's welcoming hands.

While Wilson's defence came through in the clutch, the Trojans did their best to keep themselves in the game Tuesday, intercepting three Wilson passes, including one by Devon Lessy-Searles in the end zone. Taylor Eskins had the other two interceptions for Pickering.

"Our defence is the heart and soul of our Pickering High School football program," said head coach Cam Lee afterwards. "The offence struggled, but that's been the story all year unfortunately.

"I'm proud of the guys. They played hard and gave it their all. This was a hard fought game. They worked right to the end. They didn't give up. We just unfortunately couldn't score."

Looking ahead, Pickering loses some 15 players off this year's roster, while Wilson has a LOSSA championship game, Saturday at Clarington Fields against Holy Trinity, to focus on.

The key for the Gators, looking for their fourth straight LOSSA title, will be their ability to hang onto the ball.

"This time of year you can't turn the football over. And all the little things count if you want to have success," said Wilson coach Adam Papadakos.

Late comeback lifts Holy Trinity over St. Mary
Titans prevail 29-28 over Monarchs

Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/165692

By: Brad Kelly

COURTICE -- Not one, but two, good ol' Canadian rouges in the final three minutes of Tuesday's LOSSA semifinal have propelled the Holy Trinity Titans into the championship game.

Perseverance best describes the effort of the Holy Trinity senior boys' football team, which battled back from 14 points down in the third quarter to the St. Mary Monarchs, prevailing 29-28 on a rouge by punter Tyler Ganhao with just 3.9 seconds remaining in the game providing the margin of victory.

It ended a frantic final three minutes of play, as Holy Trinity battled back with a couple of late possessions to secure the win. Down 28-21, Holy Trinity converted on a couple of third downs, and then punched it in on third and goal from the two, as Nathaniel Allen scored the touchdown, but the point after was blocked by St. Mary, leaving them up 28-27 with 3:01 to go.

Holy Trinity got the ball back after a change of possession, marching down to the St. Mary 23-yard line, where Ganhao punted a ball into the end zone that couldn't be run out, resulting in a single point to tie the game with 1:09 to go.

After St. Mary again failed to move the ball, Holy Trinity regained possession at midfield with 36 seconds left. They moved down to the St. Mary 30-yard line, where Ganhao booted the ball clear out of the end zone for another single with 3.9 seconds left.

"You won't see that very often," said Holy Trinity head coach Fred Zinkie of the finish. "We always tell the guys the game can change on any play."

Earl Anderson had a pair of touchdowns for Holy Trinity, while Ryan Dus had the other. St. Mary got three majors from Dillon Campbell, and another from quarterback Keith Cyrus.

St. Mary head coach Enzo Antonucci said special teams play was the difference in the second half comeback by Holy Trinity, and added he felt some of the calls didn't go his team's way.

"We knew (Holy Trinity) could come back. Things didn't click, things happened and big mistakes were made and we lost."

Zinkie felt his defence stepped up in the second half, turning the momentum of the game around.

"(St. Mary) came out with a great offensive game plan and really got on us. I felt like after half time we started defending the run better and that gave our offence more of a fighting chance."

Holy Trinity faces Donald A. Wilson in Saturday's LOSSA final at Clarington Fields. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m.

Playoff time nearing for LOSSA senior boys' football
Tier one action gets underway next Tuesday

Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/165205

By: Shawn Cayley

With the turn of the calendar into November, there are always a few things that come hand-in-hand with that change.

One being the race to a LOSSA boys' football championship heats up and another being the Donald A. Wilson Gators find themselves right in the thick of the race.

The Gators completed another undefeated regular season earlier this week, closing out the schedule with a 25-21 win over the previously perfect Holy Trinity Titans. The win left them at the top of the tier one division at 6-0.

Greg Morris paced the Gators offence with a pair of touchdowns and will be counted on in the same manner in next week's semifinal affair against the Pickering Trojans. That game will go Tuesday at noon at Wilson.

In their previous meeting this season, Wilson won by scores of 19-14 way back in Week 2 on the strength of two Omar Williams touchdowns and one from Morris.

Any way you slice it, the fourth-place Trojans (3-3) will be in tough as they try to end Wilson's three-year reign at the top of the LOSSA heap.

The other semifinal will also be a hotly contested match with the Titans playing host to the St. Mary Monarchs.

When the two clashed back in Week 3 of the season in Pickering, the Titans erased a 9-1 deficit early and posted a 22-16 victory.

From there, Holy Trinity rolled seamlessly into the final week of the schedule before hitting the Wilson speed bump. Along the way, their offence was overwhelming, averaging nearly 40 points a game. The defence was almost as impressive.

But St. Mary is no slouch either.

They finished third in the division at 4-2, and have as good a chance as anyone to shut down the vaunted Titans' offence, considering they feature the stingiest defence in the league, having only allowed 48 points in six games.

Their semifinal will take place Tuesday as well, at noon, in Courtice.

Regardless of the outcome of either game, the stage appears to be set for quite a LOSSA finals tilt next Saturday at Clarington Fields. From there, the winner heads off to the Metro Bowl semifinals.

Will it be the defending champs from Wilson emerging? Or the perennially tough Trojans?

Or how about the powerful Titans? Or stingy Monarchs?

Regardless of who emerges, one thing is for certain. The race is on and it'll be a good one.

Week six LOSSA football results
Wilson, Dwyer and Holy Trinity earn wins

The Wilson Gators exploded for three majors, two by Greg Morris after Omar Williams opened the scoring, in the first eight-and-a-half minutes en route to a 21-0 victory over the Ajax Rams, who have been shutout three times this season. Chivon Gallagher was a perfect three for three in point after attempts for Wilson.

The Paul Dwyer Saints, in their final game of the regular season, put a stop to their four-game losing streak, defeating the Richardson Storm 31-21. Garrett Brown, Gabe Burnside and Jake Radford led the Saint offence by recording touchdowns.

Earl Anderson's 72-yard punt return early in the second quarter proved to be all the points the Holy Trinity Titans required in an eventual 29-0 win over Pickering. Ryan Dus with runs of seven and nine yards scored twice, while Nathanial Allen would close out the scoring with a 45-yard fourth-quarter run.

Receiver Chad Menzenburg scored touchdowns on pass receptions of 20 and 30 yards to lead the Uxbridge Tigers to a 21-0 win over the Sinclair Celtics. Dylan Smith chipped in with nine scoring points as he returned a punt 50 yards to end the second quarter of play and contributed three singles.

Leading 10-0 at half time, the O'Neill Red Hawks dumped Denis O'Connor 25-6. Jordan Stone had three touchdowns in a winning effort. Taylor Smith nailed two converts, while Nicholas Doner and Taylor Zak each recorded a safety.

For the first time since 1973, the Port Perry Rebels have posted an undefeated season in LOSSA football as they defeated the Notre Dame Cougars 28-12. Nick Corsi with two, Nathan Scott and Arthur Strahl each recorded touchdowns.

In a game played under the lights at Clarington Fields, the Eagles recorded six first-half touchdowns as they galloped past the Bowmanville Talons 50-0. Garrett Williams led the offence with a pair of majors and Brandon J. Murphy was good on all seven converts.

With a depleted line up, the Dunbarton Spartans were left with no choice but to default their final regular season game to St. Stephen's.

The Junior Gators posted a 28-7 victory over the Junior Rams as Andrew Smith found the house three times and Sanjay Francis had one. Delmar Brown had the touchdown for Ajax.

John Baron recorded two of the seven Saints touchdowns as Paul Dwyer defeated Richardson 48-21. Other majors came from Shayne Nelson, Paul Legacy, Jordan Duncan, Brody Naulls and Greg Vazquez.

Andy Collison had three touchdowns, including a 105-yard return on the opening kick as Pickering rolled over Holy Trinity. Raekwon Grant with two and Tashaun Brady with one had the other majors.

Griffin Palmer and Kane Carter each posted two touchdown efforts for Dunbarton as they knocked off Port Perry.

Ben Donnelly scored a touchdown, a field goal and two converts in the Eastdale win. Other major scores went to Drew Pottle and Josh Cousins.

Meschach Green, with three touchdowns and four converts, helped the Pumas clinch first place within the division. James Anderson and Alexander Kaziev also scored touchdowns.

Donald. A Wilson and Holy Trinity remain undefeated

DURHAM -- After falling behind early, the Wilson Gators bounced back in a big way during week five LOSSA senior boys' football action.

Down 7-0 to the Paul Dwyer Saints, Chivon Gallagher unleashed a 63 yard touchdown run then added the convert to knot the game at seven. A Greg Morris 40 yard run with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter put the Gators ahead to stay en route to a resounding 53-21 win over the Saints.

Gallagher had another touchdown, while Morris totaled three and Omar Williams a pair.

Elsewhere, the Holy Trinity Titans continue to overwhelm the opposition, with their most recent victory coming by a 55-3 count over the Ajax Rams.

All that offence came despite the absence of leading scorer Ryan Dus, who missed the game due to illness. Leading the way though were Nathaniel Allen, Earl Anderson and Svend Tamburro with two touchdowns each and Alex Scott and Will Hepburn with one each.

Holy Trinity and Wilson remain tied atop the standings with perfect 4-0 records.

While those two teams continue to roll, the St. Mary Monarchs, after two consecutive losses, appear to be back on track following a 37-7 triumph over J. Clarke Richardson.

Running back Dillon Campbell and quarterback Keith Cyrus each recorded two touchdowns for St. Mary, with the other coming from Carmen Scala.

In the tier two loop, a low-scoring affair saw the Port Perry Rebels sneak past the Sinclair Celtics 6-3. Connor Haslam accounted for five of Port Perry's points with a field goal and two singles.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Pine Ridge Pumas laid a thrashing on the Bowmanville Talons 49-0, getting three touchdowns each from Randall Innis and Alex Wang and another from Andrew Brownlee.

For the O'Neill Red Hawks, after a slow start, they have reeled off three consecutive wins, their most recent coming by an 18-6 score over the Notre Dame Cougars.

In the north, the Uxbridge Tigers won their second of the year with a 27-6 decision over the Dunbarton Spartans. Dylan Smith with a touchdown and three converts led the Tiger scoring while Lucas Gilham, Nate Mills and Chris Gladney each contributed one major.

The final game of the week saw the Eastdale Eagles triumph 35-14 over the Denis O'Connor Chargers.

Eastdale's five touchdowns came from Cody Enman and Garrett Williams with two each and Andrew Valks with one.

In tier one junior play, Wilson downed Dwyer 36-0 with Andrew Smith's three touchdown effort leading the way.

For Holy Trinity, three major's from Brandon Joachim helped them to a 29-12 victory over Ajax, while in the west, St. Mary received two touchdowns from each of Matthe Bojjos and Karlo Cvetkovic with a pair of touchdowns each.

On the tier two circuit, St. Stephen's posted a 36-29 victory over O'Neill, paced by a three touchdown effort from Mitch Reece. Isiah Wilson had three touchdowns in a losing effort for O'Neill.

Meanwhile, touchdowns from Jason Boake, Matt Edwards and Alex Haythorn led Uxbridge to a 19-6 win over Dunbarton.

In a blowout, Eastdale on the strength of two majors each from Matt Cox, Tyler Simpson and Konaar Bell downed Port Perry 50-0.

The final score to report was Pine Ridge beating St. Stephen's 40-13. Kahleel Bartley had two touchdowns to lead the Pumas attack.

Titans batter Rams in football doubleheader

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity junior football team clinched a tier one playoff spot on Friday and they did it in a familiar way -- using the speedy legs of Brandon Joachim.

Joachim, a multi-sport star who also excels as a soccer player during the summer, has emerged over the last two years as a dominant player in the LOSSA football league. Against Ajax High School, Joachim scored three touchdowns in a 29-12 win over the Rams. He also played defence and is the team's kicker.

The Titans' combination of Joachim speeding to the outside and Blair Winner pounding defences up the middle has made the offence tough to stop.

The Titans now stand at 3-1 on the season. Their defence has improved greatly over the past month but they will face their toughest test of the season this Friday against Pickering High School and their star running back Raekwon Grant.

The Senior Titans also won on Friday, continuing a perfect 4-0 season. The Titans played their best first quarter of the season, getting early touchdowns from Earl Anderson and Nathaniel Allen on way to a 55-3 win over Ajax.

The Titans continued to roll in the second quarter, getting two touchdowns from Svend Tamburro and one from Will Hepburn. After a quiet third quarter the Titans came back to life in the final frame, as Anderson and Allen found the end zone again and Alex Scott added a touchdown of his own.

The Senior Titans play their biggest game so far this season on Friday at 1 p.m. at home against Pickering High School. The Titans scored a narrow 10-7 win over the Trojans last season on a last minute touchdown and Pickering will be highly motivated for revenge.

Donald A. Wilson remains undefeated in LOSSA senior football
Pickering, Holy Trinity on a roll, too

A four-yard touchdown reception by Greg Morris with 3:55 remaining to go in the first half broke up a 7-7 tie as the Gators knocked off the St. Mary Monarchs 16-7 in LOSSA senior boys' football action.

Keldyn Ahlstedt opened the scoring, hauling in a seven-yard touchdown pass. However, the first-quarter Gator lead was short-lived as Dillon Campbell returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to pull the Monarchs even. The loss dropped St. Mary to 2-2.

The Pickering Trojans were back in the win column following a 24-0 victory over the Ajax Rams. Pickering posted three first-half touchdowns by Tristan Clough, Spencer Stewart and Shane Lock, while their defence was outstanding, intercepting four Ajax passes.

In a high-scoring affair, the Holy Trinity Titans dumped the Paul Dwyer Saints 49-21, reeling off their third win a row. The seven-touchdown effort was led by Ryan Dus, Earl Anderson and Nathaniel Allen, each with two. Alex Scott had the other.

Trent Fawley had two majors for Dwyer, which has a long road to climb to reach the playoffs as only the top four teams advance.

In the tier two senior loop, Port Perry upped their record to 4-0 with a 35-12 victory over Bowmanville. All of their points came in the first half, with Logan Evans notching two touchdowns. Arthur Strahl, Sean Demmer and Nathan Scott had the others.

Kyle Woodburne and Nikolas Isovski both found the house for Bowmanville in the second half.

Eastdale, meanwhile, won a 27-0 decision over Uxbridge, improving to 2-0. Garrett Williams had three touchdowns and Tyler Ogg one. Williams now has seven majors on the year.

In one Ajax/Pickering battle, Dunbarton came out on top with a 35-6 win over Denis O'Connor. Scoring details for that game were not available.

Pine Ridge walked away with a 22-8 victory over Notre Dame. Scoring details for the winners wasn't available, while Jordan Urquhart recorded the Notre Dame score.

The lowest-scoring game of the week saw O'Neill slip past St. Stephen's 7-5. Jeremy Alexander had a touchdown for the winners, while Conner Vale booted a field goal and two singles in a losing cause.

In addition to success at the senior level, Wilson's juniors also won, shutting out St. Mary 14-0 on touchdowns from Andrew Smith and Jerome Gonsalves-Akers.

Pickering, too, posted a shutout, demolishing Ajax 56-0. Raekwon Grant had three touchdowns, Nevell Provo two and Andy Collison, Tashaun Brady and Burke Tyree had one each.

For Holy Trinity, they were led by three touchdowns by Blair Winner in a 22-13 triumph over Dwyer.

O'Neill, at the tier two junior level, chalked up a 28-6 win over Port Perry, led by two touchdowns from Tre Campbell and one each from Spencer Arnott and Isiah Wilson.

In a tight game, Eastdale emerged by three over Uxbridge, posting a 30-27 victory. Konaar Bell recorded two touchdowns for Eastdale, while Cody Moss and Riley Palmer scored one each.

Pine Ridge and St. Stephen's didn't play their game due to a lighting issue at Clarington Fields.

Oct 19, 2010

Titans stay perfect with win over Saints
Holy Trinity downs Dwyer 49-21 to improve to 3-0 in senior football

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity Titans stayed undefeated with a 49-21 win over Oshawa's Paul Dwyer Saints in LOSSA senior football play last Friday.

Ryan Dus started off the scoring with a punt return touchdown and then followed with another first-quarter score for the Titans. Dus now has seven touchdowns in the first three games of the regular season. Dwyer also put a score on the board in the opening quarter, which ended 14-7.

In the second and third quarters, Earl Anderson took over at the other receiver position, scoring two touchdowns of his own and providing several highlight reel runs. The Titans were also able to run the ball up the middle of the field with running backs Svend Tamburro and Nathaniel Allen. Allen found the end zone twice during the game and Alex Scott rounded out the Titans scoring with a fourth-quarter score.

Dwyer quarterback Eric Kimmerly was outstanding in a losing effort. He tossed three touchdown passes, including two very long strikes in the fourth quarter. Kimmerly gave the Titans' defence trouble all game with his running and passing.

The Titans now sit at 3-0 on the season, tied for first place with the Wilson Gators.

The Junior Titans kept themselves in a playoff spot with a 22-13 win over the Saints in the second half of Friday's doubleheader in Courtice.

The Titans started the game with a 10-minute long offensive drive that ended in a Blair Winner touchdown run. By the end of the first half, the Titans had a 22-7 lead and Winner had three touchdowns. Winner's combination of size and speed is proving to be a difficult challenge for opposing defences and it took Dwyer more than half the game to adjust their defence to stop him.

Brandon Joachim was also a big threat for the Titans. He scored a pair of two-point conversions in the game and also excelled on defence.

Both Holy Trinity teams will be in action at home again this week, against Ajax High School. The seniors play on Friday at 1 p.m. with the junior game to follow at 3 p.m.

High School Male Athlete of the Week

Source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/highschool/athleteoftheweek/article/877362--high-school-male-athlete-of-the-week

Scored five TDs and rushed for 250 yards in a 43-18 win over Paul Dwyer. Added three majors in a 56-0 rout of Ajax.

Junior football player of the year in Grade 9 at Pickering, finishing that season with 25 touchdowns.

Rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 10 TDs for the Ajax/Pickering juniors in the Ontario Varsity Football League.

Member of the midget-age 4x100-metre relay team that won a provincial gold medal last June.

Has a 75 per cent academic average and wants to study computer engineering at McMaster, Western or in the U.S.

DURHAM -- The Pickering Trojans were one of the teams to rebound during the third week of LOSSA football action.

After starting 0-2, the Trojans prevailed 29-7 over the Paul Dwyer Saints in tier one senior boys' play to earn their first victory of the season on the strength of Marley Patterson's second consecutive two-touchdown effort.

Mike Stobbart and Tristan Clough accounted for the other Pickering majors, while Garrett Browne had the lone touchdown for Dwyer.

With the win, Pickering moved into a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff position with both the Saints and the J. Clarke Richardson Storm, all at 1-2.

Richardson, meanwhile, earned their first win by slipping past the Ajax Rams 8-6. The Storm had been shutout in their previous two games to start the season.

Leigh Philip of Richardson and Ajax's Quincy James exchanged touchdowns, with the scoring difference being Philip's convert and a single by Jason Harrison.

In the other week three game, Holy Trinity rolled to a 22-16 victory over the St. Mary Monarchs.

The Monarchs led 9-1 at the half, but the Titans picked things up from there and moved to 2-0 with the victory. Donald A. Wilson, who had the bye, is also 2-0.

At the tier two senior boys' level, Sinclair remained perfect through three games after a 14-1 victory over Eastdale.

It was a close game all the way through until with five seconds remaining, Akeem Daley recovered his own punt in the Eastdale end zone to record the major score. Scott Burford had the other touchdown.

Elsewhere, a strong second quarter lifted the Port Perry Rebels to a 41-14 victory over St. Stephen's.

The Rebels, who scored 28 points in that second quarter, received touchdowns from Nick Loyst, Nick Corsi, Wolfe Roberts, Arthur Strahl and Ryan Bullock.

For Pine Ridge, a two touchdown game from Andrew Brownlee paced the Pumas in a 24-6 win over Dunbarton. Cordel Clarke had the other major, while Marco Mertsis accounted for Dunbarton's only score.

Meanwhile, for Notre Dame, a three-touchdown game courtesy of Jordan Urqhart was more then enough in a 27-0 victory over Bowmanville.

As impressive as Urqhart was, the Notre Dame defence is deserving of some accolades considering they have yet to allow a point this season.

Taylor Smith and Nic Gray scored touchdowns for O'Neill, while Dylan Smith posted the Uxbridge major.

At the junior level, St. Mary managed a 16-12 victory over Holy Trinity. Scoring wasn't available for St. Mary, while Blair Winner and Brandon Joachim had the Titans touchdowns.

For Pickering, Raekwon Grant scored five touchdowns for the undefeated Trojans including runs of 29, 56 and 65 yards in a 43-18 win over Dwyer. He also returned both a punt (75 yards) and a kickoff (85 yards) for scores.

Jesse St. John had Pickering's other major. John Baron, Brody Naulls and Jordan Duncan scored touchdowns for Dwyer.

The Ajax Rams' offence broke out in a 51-13 win over Richardson, getting touchdowns from Morgan Humes (3), Stephen Heldsinger (2), Delmar Brown and Matthew Williams. Richardson scores came from Trevor McGarrity and Justin McFarlane.

Tier two scores were as follows: St. Stephen's beat Port Perry 23-8 with touchdowns from Keinan Doucet, Idahossa Yorke and Donovan Del Grande; Uxbridge downed O'Neill 21-6 thanks to majors from Alex Haythorn (2) and Bradley Cole; Pine Ridge upended Dunbarton 34-7 with two touchdowns each from Meschach Green and James Anderson.

Holy Trinity Titans hand Monarchs first defeat|
Courtice school improves to 2-0 in senior football

PICKERING -- The Holy Trinity Titans senior football team faced their first test of the LOSSA high school season when they travelled to St. Mary to meet the unbeaten Monarchs.

On the strength of three fourth-quarter touchdowns, the Titans prevailed 22-16, joining Whitby's Wilson Gators atop the tier one standings at 2-0, while dropping St. Mary to 2-1.

The Titans were very sloppy in the first quarter, turning the ball over three times and missing several tackles on defence. They were fortunate to get to halftime trailing only 9-1, according to head coach Fred Zinkie.

The poor first half left the Titans searching for answers during the break in an effort to turn the game around. The third quarter saw both teams held off the scoreboard as they battled for field position.

Then, in the fourth quarter, everything changed. The Titans started putting together impressive runs and drove near the Monarchs' goal line. Ryan Dus scored a five-yard touchdown and then added a two-point conversion to tie the game.

The Titans continued to press the Monarchs, quickly getting the ball back and then seeing Dus speed in for another touchdown, this one from 50 yards out.

Just minutes after that, Earl Anderson scored the team's third fourth-quarter touchdown with a 40-yard run.

The Titans led 22-7 with two minutes remaining, but a poor punt snap gave the Monarchs new life, as it was recovered in the end zone by St. Mary. The final minute of the game was tense, but Holy Trinity hung on for a 22-16 win.

Zinkie was impressed by his team's ability to control St. Mary's impressive offensive, which is led by quarterback Keith Cyrus and running back Dillon Campbell. Also, he noted the continued improvements by Dus, who led the team's offence on this day and scored three touchdowns the week before. Dus is playing his first full season of football after battling injuries in previous years.

The junior game was another nail-biter but in this one the Monarchs came out on top.

St. Mary led by a score of 10-6 with a minute left to play when the Titans struck to take a 12-10 lead. Dawson Buske connected with Brandon Joachim on a deep pass and Joachim's legs did the rest for an 80-yard touchdown.

But, with less than a minute to play, the Monarchs put together several long runs in a row and eventually ran in for a short touchdown with no time remaining on the clock to win the game 16-12.

Head coach Mike Lyons was disappointed with the Titans' inability to hold the Monarchs back late in the game but he was happy with his team's overall ability to battle with a large St. Mary squad.

Both Holy Trinity football teams are at home Friday against Paul Dwyer. The senior game begins at 1 p.m. with the junior match to follow at 3 p.m.

Monarchs spoil Saints' celebration
Pickering's St. Mary downs Oshawa's Dwyer in Week 2 of LOSSA football

DURHAM -- The St. Mary Monarchs spoiled the Paul Dwyer Saints alumni festivities, tallying a 36-0 victory in a rare Saturday LOSSA boys' football game.

The Monarchs offence was spread around with five different players, Dillon Campbell, Keith Cyrus, Trystan Calaire, Daniel Tomei and Cameron Scala scoring touchdowns. The Monarchs remain undefeated after two games while the Saints fell to 1-1.

Elsewhere around the league, the Wilson Gators received two touchdowns from Omar Williams and one from Greg Morris in a 19-14 victory over the Pickering Trojans.

Williams's second major of the game came with 4:35 remaining and provided the go-ahead points as the Gators improved to 2-0. Marley Patterson scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 57 and 66 yards for Pickering, who have now lost two games in a row for the first time since the 2001 season.

Holy Trinity, playing against a shorthanded J. Clarke Richardson squad, rode a three-touchdown effort from Ryan Dus and two others from Alex Scott to a 63-0 victory. Other major scores were added by Steven Courtney, Earl Anderson, Svend Tamburro and Matt Johnson, while Joe Mastromarco had nine converts.

At the tier two senior level, the Sinclair Celtics made a second-half, single-point score by Akeem Daley stand as they knocked off the O'Neill Redhawks 1-0. With the win, last year's loop champions improve to 2-0, while O'Neill remains winless.

At Pine Ridge, the Pumas were set back by the Port Perry Rebels 22-14. The Rebels offence was spread out as Dylan Buisman, Nathan Scott and Connor Haslam each scored touchdowns. Pine Ridge's two scores came courtesy Randall Inniss.

For Eastdale, Garret Williams scored two majors in a 34-7 victory over Dunbarton. Tyler Ogg, Travis King and Tevon Lawrence also found the end zone. The only Spartan score came on a Roynelle Meredith touchdown.

The only shutout in the second week of tier two action was posted by Denis O'Connor, who knocked off Bowmanville 20-0. The Talons were playing in their first game of the season after a week one bye. Scoring touchdowns for the Chargers were Kevin Iyamu, Brandon MacPherson and James O'Brien.

Another Bowmanville-based team suffered a loss as the St. Stephen's Royals were knocked off by the Uxbridge Tigers 28-14. Dylan Smith picked up 10 points for Uxbridge with a touchdown, convert and field goal, while Conner Vale picked up all 14 for the Royals with a pair of touchdowns and a two point convert. Chris Gladney, Chad Menzenburg and Jon Pigozzo added the other Tiger touchdowns.

The following is a list of scores and standout performances from the tier one junior ranks: St. Mary defeated Paul Dwyer 15-14, led by a touchdown a single convert and a two-point convert from Tacoma Anderson; Holy Trinity dumped Richardson 37-0 thanks in large part to three touchdowns from Blair Winner and two from Brandon Joachim; Pickering slipped past Wilson 24-22 on a strength of touchdowns from four different players.

On the tier two circuit, Uxbridge scooted past St. Stephen's 28-22 on the power of two Timothy Evans touchdowns; Pine Ridge pounded Port Perry 45-2 behind a huge game from Meschach Green, who had two touchdowns, a field goal and six converts; Eastdale piled up the points in a 49-6 win over Dunbarton, with Josh Cousins scoring three majors and Riley Palmer two.

Titans silence Storm in football blowout
Dus scores three times as Holy Trinity opens LOSSA season with 63-0 win

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity senior football team showed no signs of rust from having to sit out Week 1 of the LOSSA high school season.

Following a bye week, the Titans opened their season with great enthusiasm, pounding Ajax's J. Clarke Richardson Storm 63-0 on Friday. The Titans jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead on their home field and never looked back.

The offence was led by Ryan Dus, who scored three touchdowns in his first senior football regular season game.

Earl Anderson, who is expected to be the team's biggest offensive threat this season, scored a first-half touchdown before coming out of the game early.

Late in the game, the team recorded a couple of firsts: Matt Johnson scored his first career TD and Steven Courtney threw his first high school touchdown pass.

The Titans now move on to a big Week 3 match-up in Pickering against the at St. Mary Monarchs, Thursday at 1 p.m.

The Junior Titans followed the senior lead with a win of their own over Richardson, by a score of 37-0.

Blair Winner has emerged as a dominant offensive player for the junior team. With great size and solid speed, Winner scored three rushing touchdowns in the game.

Brandon Joachim, who was one of the team's leading scorers as a Grade 9 student last year, scored two touchdowns and also kicked three extra points and a two-point conversion.

Jake Lansimaki showed himself to be one of the team's best two-way players with several tackles on defence and quality running on offence.

The Junior Titans will also travel to Pickering to face St. Mary on Thursday at 3 p.m., after the senior game.

DURHAM -- The Donald A. Wilson Gators, it appears, hardly had to break a sweat in their LOSSA senior boys' football opener last week.

The defending champion Gators, led by a four-touchdown effort from Omar Williams. posted a 48-0 victory over the J. Clarke Richardson Storm in week one of tier one action.

Chivon Gallagher also had a big game, accounting for a pair of major scores and added six converts. Greg Morris also had a touchdown.

Elsewhere, the St. Mary Monarchs started out strong, downing the Pickering Trojans 16-3, in a rematch of last year's semifinal.

Keith Cyrus tossed opening quarter touchdowns to Daniel Tomei and Karl Mueller, 31 and 61 yards, respectively.

Sandwiched between the touchdowns, was a 21 yard field goal by Pickering's Mike Stobbart. The only other scoring was a safety that the Trojans conceded.

In Oshawa, Paul Dwyer Saints quarterback Erik Kimmerly tallied a pair of touchdowns, while Trent Frawley and Albert Spena added others in a 26-0 shutout of the Ajax Rams.

In the tier two senior loop, a Nathan Scott single point proved to be the difference for the Port Perry Rebels in a 7-6 victory over the Uxbridge Tigers. Logan Evans scored the Rebels touchdown, while Dylan Smith accounted for the Uxbridge major.

In other action, despite a pair of touchdowns from Garrett Wiliams, the Eastdale Eagles fell in their opener, 19-14 to Pickering's Pine Ridge Pumas.

The Pumas had three different players, Randall Inniss, Andrew Brownlee and Cordel Clarke, score touchdowns.

Winless in 2009, the Dubarton Spartans picked up a huge week one win, downing the O'Neill Redhawks 14-8. Ronnie Clark was on the receiving end of a 23 yard pass to put the Spartans within two with just over three minutes left in the third. In the fourth, Roynelle Meredith scored the go ahead touchdown on a five yard quarterback keeper.

Taylor Zak with a touchdown and Taylor Smith a convert, accounted for O'Neill's points.

Notre Dame was impressive in their opener, posting a 22-2 victory over Denis O'Connor.

Kurlan Cadel accounted for three touchdowns and a two point conversion, while Hollister Joseph had two single converts. Ryan Chafe posted Denis O'Connor's points with a safety.

Sinclair, meanwhile, the defending tier two champions, built an 11 point halftime lead and carried that to a 26-8 victory over St. Stephens.

Scott Burford had a pair of touchdowns, with others going to Kyle Parker and Ellis Xavier.

The following is a list of scores and standout performances from tier one junior:

Wilson downed Richardson 54-15 thanks in part to three touchdowns from Andrew Smith; Raekwon Grant scored four times in Pickering's 38-14 victory over St. Mary; Paul Dwyer downed Ajax 14-8 with a touchdown each from Shayne Nelsonand Reshaan Davis.

In tier two junior, Jason Boake had two touchdowns in Uxbridge's 36-16 win over Port Perry; Pine Ridge defeated Eastdale 25-20 with four touchdowns from Meschach Green; Five different players scored touchdowns in Dunbarton's 33-7 victory over O'Neill.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/highschool/article/868229--high-school-gta-football-top-ten

Skinny: Three touchdowns by Casey Cooke in a 56-14 league win over St. Michael’s.

Skinny: Keyon Slowly each scored two touchdowns in a 28-12 league win over West Hill. Thump Laurier 44-22.

Skinny: Travis Jennings scored three touchdowns and added four converts in a 36-0 exhibition win over Father Henry Carr. In a 27-0 win over Weston, Jennings had two touchdowns.

Skinny: Three touchdowns from Troy McCusker in a 27-0 league win over the defending Metro Bowl champs from Markham District.

Skinny: Horace Finnikin scored two touchdowns in a 37-25 league win over St. Augustine.

Honorable mention: Trinity, Notre Dame (Burlington); King City, Corpus Christi, Holy Trinity (Oakville), Mount Carmel.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/highschool/article/865124--high-school-senior-football-top-ten

Skinny: Three touchdowns from Yannick Harou in a 24-7 opening league game win over Villanova.

Skinny: Travis Jennings scored two touchdowns, kicked two singles and two converts in an 18-0 win over Brock from Cannington in a pre-season game.

Honorable mention: Notre Dame (Burlington); Corpus Christi, Markham, Northern, Lorne Park.

Selections are made based on performance during the previous seven-day period. Rankings of teams for Week 1 are determined in consultation with high school, university and club coaches, game officials and players.

Holy Trinity senior football team visits Hall of Fame with trip to Ohio

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity Titans senior football team has a bye for the first week of the LOSSA regular season, but that doesn't mean the players won't be game-ready next week.

For the second year in a row, the team travelled south of the border prior to the season, this time facing the Upper Arlington Golden Bears in Ohio.

On the way, the team stopped in Canton, where the players visited to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. It was an educational experience to learn more about the history of the sport the players have spent so much time training for in recent years.

The Titans were also fortunate to receive a motivational speech from former Ohio State head coach John Cooper before their game. Coach Cooper stressed the importance of staying positive, working hard and relying on the strength of family and teammates to achieve goals.

Finally, the team toured Ohio State University. A school of 56,000, Ohio State was buzzing about the football game against the University of Miami that was to be played on their campus the next day.

Taking on Upper Arlington was another big challenge for the team. They are one of the better teams in Ohio's highest high school football division. The Golden Bears played with a lot more speed and power than the Courtice team was used to seeing in Canada.

Also, changing to follow U.S. football rules presented an additional challenge.

The Titans were a little overwhelmed by the 5,000 fans and the Upper Arlington attack and fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. However, once they started to get more comfortable, their talents started to show. An 11-play, 75-yard drive in the middle of the third quarter narrowed the score to 24-7.

The Titans were flying high at that point, hoping to get the next score and really get back into the game. But in the end they couldn't make it happen and eventually fell by a score of 38-7.

Earl Anderson scored the Titans' touchdown and rushed for over 100 yards in the game. After the game the Upper Arlington coaches commented that Anderson had the ability to move into their starting lineup right away.

Svend Tamburro and Nathaniel Allen also keyed the Holy Trinity rushing attack, as both teams chose to run the ball for most of the night. The Titans were pleased with their overall level of play during the game but definitely see areas that need to be improved before they start their LOSSA season.

With seven teams in the Senior Tier 1 division of LOSSA this year, one team gets a bye each week. The Titans are up first, leaving their opener for Friday, Oct. 1 at home against J. Clarke Richardson. It's part of a senior/junior doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.

LOSSA football season gets underway Wednesday

This year, the league will operate two tiers in both senior and junior, with 18 schools fielding senior teams and 15 running junior teams.

Seven schools play tier one senior, six of them attempting to end the three-year reign by Donald A. Wilson. Those teams are Ajax, Holy Trinity, J. Clarke Richardson, Paul Dwyer, Pickering and St. Mary. The same seven will competing at junior, where three different schools (Donald A. Wilson, Pickering and St. Mary) have captured league honours over the past three seasons.

Eleven teams will compete within the tier two senior loop. Dunbarton, Eastdale, Port Perry, Pine Ridge and Uxbridge each elected to move to the tier two level from tier one. They will join returning teams from Bowmanville, Notre Dame, O'Neill, St. Stephen's and Sinclair.

Denis O'Connor will also field a team within the division this year, replacing Courtice who will not be fielding a team.

The tier two junior league will be comprised of seven schools in Dunbarton, Eastdale, O'Neill, Port Perry, Pine Ridge, St. Stephen's and Uxbridge.

St. Stephen's will look to defend their title, while Clarington Central has withdrawn and O'Neill returns to junior after a 13 year absence.

Conveners for 2010 are: John Kaspar of Donald A. Wilson (tier one senior), Rob Thomson of Donald A. Wilson (tier one junior), Chuck Smith of O'Neill (tier two senior) and Ethan Markham of O'Neill (tier two junior).

Over the course of the season, news, standings and scheduling information will be posted on the league web site: www.durhamregionfootball.ca.

The tier one championship games will be played at Clarington Fields this year as the Oshawa Civic Fields are undergoing major renovations. These finals are scheduled for Nov. 13, while the tier two finals will be held Nov. 20 at the same venue.

TORONTO -- The Donald A. Wilson Gators have won their first Metro Bowl football championship.

Not with the likes of Ryan Dixon plying his trade at the Whitby school for as many as three more years.

Dixon turned in a performance for the ages Wednesday at St. Michael's College School in Toronto, rushing for 471 yards and all six touchdowns as the Gators defeated the Kerry Blues on their own field, 40-28 in the Ontario Regional Junior Football Championship.

The 5-foot-9, 195-pound back powered his way to touchdown runs of three, five, two, 15, 40 and two yards.

"I've had enough football for now, but I'm real happy -- and exhausted," the 15-year-old told The Toronto Star after the game. "It's an amazing feeling ... The plan was to run the football and they kept calling my name."

With the rules switching from three downs in the first half, as per LOSSA league play, to four for the second half (St. Mike's league's rules), Dixon was even more dominant in the latter part of the game. He ran the ball on all but four of Wilson's offensive plays in the second half, racking up 286 yards on 25 carries.

In its second trip to the championship game, known as the Junior Metro Bowl, Wilson not only claimed its first title, but knocked off a St. Mike's team that had won three times since 2002, including last year.

With Dixon and a number of other players from this squad moving up to a senior team that has already won three straight LOSSA championships, it may be only a matter of time before more Metro Bowls follow.

Rob Thomson, head coach of the junior team, certainly feels that will be the case, as he sends a strong group of players on to senior coach, Adam Papadakos.

The senior Gators reached the Metro Bowl final two years ago, but were soundly defeated by St. Mike's.

Thomson expects the senior team to be ready as early as next year to take a run at the Metro Bowl, considering the graduating juniors and a solid core of Grade 11 players on this year's senior team.

If some of the key players stick around for an extra year, as they often do, the team could be downright scary over the next few years.

Gators run away with junior football title

Dixon scores six TDs, piles up 471 yards as Donald Wilson claims first provincial crown

Sweat dripping from his forehead, Ryan Dixon looked as if he had just completed a marathon.

It certainly felt like it for the running back with Whitby's Donald A. Wilson Gators after he'd rushed for six touchdowns and piled up 471 yards on 44 carries in a 40-28 win over Toronto's St. Michael's Kerry Blues in Wednesday's Ontario regional junior championship.

"I've had enough football for now, but I'm real happy – and exhausted," said the 15-year-old after helping his Durham Region team win its first provincial title.

"It's an amazing feeling," said the 5-foot-9, 195-pound power runner, who had runs of 44 yards in the opening quarter, 39 yards in the third and 71 with eight minutes left in the game.

Playing on their home field, the Kerry Blues scored first on a 31-yard field goal by Anthony Iafrate in a game that had a strange combination of rules: three downs in the first half, and four, what the Gators play in their league, in the final two quarters.

Gators rookie defensive coach Steve Howlett, also known for his five winless seasons at the University of Toronto where the Blues established a national university record 49-game winless streak, now is on the flipside.

"Dixon is amazing – there's a player with huge talent and what a joy it's been working with these young kids and the other coaches," said Howlett, whose team finished 12-0.

"St. Mike's traditionally has a great program, and while I don't think they had as much talent as we did in this game, they kept coming back every time we thought we had the game in control," said Howlett.

St. Mike's coach Frank Ribarich, unhappy with his team's numerous mistakes and inability to score three times from inside the Donald Wilson 25-yard line, couldn't help but concede Dixon's dominance.

"They just put the football in his hands and challenged us to stop him – and we couldn't," said Ribarich, whose team had won two of the last four Ontario titles.

St. Mike's quarterback Esteban Cardenas had four touchdowns passes, two to Rowan Comish with the others to Christian Barker and Joe French.

French's score came three plays after an 84-yard kickoff return by Michael Flannery.

Nov 25, 2009

Whitby's Gators chomp Chargers

Posted By PAUL SVOBODA THE INTELLIGENCER

Whitby's Donald A. Wilson Gators lived up to their advance billing at a Metro Bowl junior football quarter-final playoff game Tuesday afternoon at Pat Carty Field at Centennial Secondary School, dominating play from start to finish and leaving town after a 43-0 romp over the host Chargers.

Led by the three-touchdown performance of LOSSA all-star running back Ryan Dixon (he now has 16 majors in his last five games), the defending Metro Bowl champions now advance to the semi-final round in Toronto where they'll meet the Upper Canada College Patriots, 29-0 winners over the Quinte Saints in their quarter-final last week at UCC.

"We knew their running back (Dixon) was good but they beat us at the line of scrimmage," said Centennial coach Joe Dicresce. "Their blocking was better and they gang-tackled on defence. In hindsight, I might've called some things differently -- more of a power offence to have more ball possession -- but I really believe we got beat by a better football team."

Despite rolling into Belleville as heavy favourites, Wilson coach Rob Thomson said Gators took nothing for granted. For one thing, they haven't had a true home game all season since their field is undergoing renovations.

"We prepared all week for this game," said Thomson. "We were going into hostile territory."

Wilson scored early and often, commanding a 29-0 lead at the intermission. Still, Thomson said he didn't expect his team to put the game out of reach so early.

"No, we were surprised," he said. "It's a 90-minute bus ride from Whitby and I thought we might come out flat. But we put the guys through a really intense warmup."

Dixon scampered 25 yards on the game's first carry and Wilson never looked back. Dixon scored first-half touchdowns on runs of 60 and 30 yards while backfield mate Sanjay Francis rambled in for major scores from seven and five yards away.

All the Gator TDs were converted by kicker Jordan Prendergast who also added a single on a missed 25-yard field goal attempt.

Centennial never recovered. The Charger offence threatened briefly in the second quarter, inspired by a couple of solid runs up the gut by burly ballcarrier Dan London, but the momentum was lost when London left the game with a concussion.

"I thought we outplayed them for a bit in the second quarter," said Dicresce. "I'm really proud of my guys. We had a great season and just lost to a better team today."

Wilson quarterback George Papadakos, on a sneak, and Dixon added second-half TDs -- both converted by Prendergast.

Centennial had one more brief sniff of the opposition end zone in the fourth period, reaching the Wilson five-yard line on a halfback option pass from Devin McCann to QB Josh Decker. But the Wilson defence, by now staffed with second-stringers, forced two incomplete passes and the game was over.

Francis, who proved equally dangerous on both sides of the ball, finished with two touchdowns and two interceptions and won game MVP honours for Wilson. Centennial centre Matt Mullins was game MVP for the Chargers.

"We heard Centennial were champions so we were prepared for anything," said Francis. "We've had tougher games but their team has a lot of good people and hopefully we'll see them again next year."

"It was awesome to see how classy they were," he said. "I wish them luck. I hope they win (the Metro Bowl). They'll be tough to beat."

As for his own Bay of Quinte and COSSA championship team, Dicresce praised his players' commitment this season.

"The character of our kids is unbelievable," said Dicresce. "We have 58 kids on our team and rarely did any of them miss a practice. About 27 of our kids move up to senior next season and we'll get about 30 back. We'll be a formidable team again."

Fullback Brady Mantifel, a Charger co-captain, tipped his helmet to Wilson and his own team's effort.

"They're a really good team -- well put-together -- and they were ready to play and were tough," said Mantifel. "We played pretty good."

"Everybody was out to practice every night," he said. "We worked hard and we played with pride and class. With this team, I learned that in football you run hard, play with class and always try your best."

GAME NOTES ... Centennial defensive back JARED BAUER had an interception while linebacker SHELDON HAWLEY recorded a quarterback sack ... Chargers finish the season with an overall record of 11-and-1. Wilson is now 10-and-0.

NIAGARA -- The football season has come to an end for the Pickering Trojans junior team.

They lost in the Ontario regional junior quarterfinal, 7-0 to Lakeshore Catholic, the Niagara Region champions in a game played in Port Colbourne.

The only scoring play of the game occurred in the final minute of the opening quarter as Morgan Lavoie, on a half back option, connected with Trey Gervais for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Devan Richardson added the point after.

On the ensuing kick off, it appeared that the Trojans had replied with a major of their own, when Raekwon Grant returned the ball 80 yards to the Gator end zone, but the play was called back following a clipping penalty administered to the Trojans.

The opening half was played under LOSSA four-down football rules and Lakeshore dominated early play using a variety of passing plays. The Trojan defence, under the guidance of long-time coach John Martini, adapted to the passing attack and for the final three quarters neither team was able to sustain a long drive or post points.

Dondre Wright was sensational on the Trojan defence as the inside linebacker appeared to be in on almost every tackle Pickering made. His efforts earned him game MVP honours for the Trojans, while the MVP for Lakeshore was quarterback/linebacker Denis Creighton.

Also notable on the field was Jake Ireland, who donned the stripes for this quarterfinal match. Ireland no longer officiates in the CFL as he has retired, however, during his tenure in the CFL, he officiated over 500 games including fifteen Grey Cup games.

Wilson Metro Bowl plans intercepted by Markham

ETOBICOKE -- Considering this was thought to be a down year for the Donald A. Wilson senior football team, it was an impressive feat for the Whitby school simply to reach yesterday's Metro Bowl semifinal.

But, the fact of the matter is it could easily have been the Gators who advanced to next week's championship game at the Roger Centre.

On the strength of two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, the Markham Marauders rallied from an early deficit for a 16-7 win over the Gators.

And, while it would have been easy to point a finger at quarterback Stefan Edwards, Wilson coach Adam Papadakos refused to do so after the game, which was played at Etobicoke's Centennial Stadium.

"That's not really it," Papadakos said, when asked if the picks were the difference in the game. "We lost the field position game today. We were hardly on their side of the field. In games like this field position is huge."

The Gators couldn't have asked for a better start, recovering a fumble on Markham's first offensive play, and capitalizing when Edwards found Austin Giuntoli for a seven-yard touchdown just 2:03 into the game.

But that proved to be the only offensive touchdown by either team, as interception returns of 42 yards by Connor Pritty in the second quarter and 35 yards by Scott Lyall late in the game led the Marauders to victory.

Markham punter Brendan Gaunce added two key rouges, including from 45 yards out on the final play of the third quarter that broke a 7-7 tie.

Gallagher's heart pumps up Wilson Gators

OSHAWA -- If there was a way of measuring the size of an athlete's heart, chances are Chivon Gallagher's would be well out of proportion with his 5-foot-5, 150-pound frame.

How else to explain what Gallagher has done for Whitby's Donald A. Wilson senior football team over the past couple of weeks?

Gallagher, a Grade 11 student who transferred from O'Neill Collegiate in Oshawa this year, left the field in an ambulance Nov. 5 when he was knocked unconscious in Wilson's 47-8 quarterfinal win over Port Perry.

In a matter of eight days after suffering the injury, Gallagher, sporting a more protective silver helmet that didn't match the Gator orange, was a spark plug in two more wins, including Saturday's 21-14 win over St. Mary that gave Wilson its third straight LOSSA senior championship at Oshawa's Civic Fields.

The stat sheet would show Gallagher scoring the first touchdown on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Stefan Edwards 4:32 into Saturday's game, which in part explained his being named the offensive player of the game for Wilson.

But he contributed in so many other ways, on defence and special teams, and, in fact, left the field only once the entire game, to fix a strap that came unbuckled.

On more than one occasion, Gallagher punted the ball away and scooted down the field quickly enough to make the tackle himself.

"It's about playing with heart, especially this time of year, and Chivon's a kid with an outstanding heart, an outstanding talent," said Wilson coach Adam Papadakos after the game. "We have a great core of Grade 11 kids that have come up, first-year seniors, getting a lot of quality playing time. These kids have played with tons of heart and determination and you saw it again today."

Gallagher, not the least bit winded after, credited the team's training regimen for allowing him to perform at such a high level for the entire game.

"My knees hurt, but that's it. It's a great feeling right now," he said with a wide grin. "I can't even explain it. This is the first time I've played (high school) football and the first time I've won a championship. It's just a great feeling."

The Gators played a near-perfect game deep into the fourth quarter, going ahead 14-0 on a six-yard run by Omar Williams in the second quarter and 21-0 when quarterback Edwards ran one in himself with just 4:40 remaining.

St. Mary quarterback Keith Cyrus, off the mark for much of the contest, found his range late, hitting Dan Tomei for a score with 2:48 remaining and Dexter Damboise for another with 1:03 left.

But, despite getting the ball back with 29 seconds left on the clock, the Monarchs could muster no more magic.

Although proud of the late rally, St. Mary coach Enzo Antonucci was disappointed with the lack of discipline his team showed throughout the game, as several key penalties kept the momentum in Wilson's favour.

"We probably had over 100 yards in penalties, so that was a killer," he said. "We just couldn't find our wide receivers early in the game and it was too late when it happened at the end."

The Gators also won the Tier 1 junior final earlier on Saturday, 25-15 over Pickering High School, making Wilson the first school in 15 years to win both LOSSA titles in the same year.

The senior team now faces Markham High School in the Metro Bowl semifinals Wednesday at Etobicoke Centennial Stadium, where the winner will advance to the Nov. 25 final at the Rogers Centre.

In the Tier 2 finals Sunday, Bowmanville's St. Stephen's Royals defeated Ajax's Denis O'Connor Chargers 22-7 in junior while Whitby's Sinclair Celtics defeated Oshawa's O'Neill Red Hawks 16-13 in senior.

Handing out the hardware

OSHAWA -- There were plenty of awards presented during the two-day LOSSA football extravaganza over the weekend at Oshawa's Civic Fields. They were as follows.

Championship Game MVPs

Tier 1 Senior: Wilson offensive player of the game -- Chivon Gallagher; defensive player of the game -- Jason Hatzes; St. Mary offensive player of the game -- Dillon Campbell; defensive player of the game -- Jakub Gronowski; Tier 1 Junior: Wilson offensive player of the game -- Ryan Dixon; defensive player of the game -- Nikita Starchenko; Pickering offensive player of the game -- Raekwon Grant; defensive player of the game -- Dondre Wright; Tier 2 Senior: Sinclair offensive player of the game -- Aaron Milton; defensive player of the game -- Nick van Beinum; Denis O'Connor offensive player of the game -- Josh Smallwood; defensive player of the game -- Dimitri Kostas; Tier 2 Junior: St. Stephen's offensive player of the game -- Cameron Gilmore; defensive player of the game -- Peter Leszcynski; Denis O'Connor offensive player of the game -- Brandon McPherson -- defensive player of the game: Darien Arscott.

League MVPs

Tier 1 Senior: Mazza Division -- Dillon Campbell, St. Mary; Hiron Division -- Kema Nnawuchi, Holy Trinity; Tier 1 Junior: Mazza Division -- Ryan Dixon, Wilson; Erik Kimmerly, Paul Dwyer (tie); Hiron Division -- Raekwon Grant, Pickering; Tier 2 Senior: Powers Division -- Aaron Milton, Sinclair; Tier 2 Junior: Powers Division -- Steven Benacquista, Denis O'Connor

OSHAWA -- For the first time in school history, the St. Stephen's Royals are football champions.

On Sunday afternoon at Civic Stadium in Oshawa the Bowmanville school captured a 22-7 victory over Ajax's Denis O'Connor Chargers to win the LOSSA tier II junior title.

The two teams were playing each other for the third time this year and St. Stephen's had won the first game with Denis O'Connor reversing the outcome the second time around.

In both regular season games, Denis O'Connor had opened the scoring and it appeared that this trend might continue as they lined up for a 14-yard chip shot field goal in the first quarter. The attempt however was blocked by the Royals and the game remained scoreless heading into the second.

Then, just four minutes into the second quarter, Mitch Whealey posted the first points of the game as he carried the ball across the goal line from seven yards out for the first of three Royals majors. Cameron Gilmore and Kyle Rideout added rushing touchdowns from 18 and five yards respectively to increase the Royals lead.

Matt Peters converted the first major, however his point after on the third score was blocked. Dylan Hewitt added a two point convert after the second touchdown. The Royals would add a last minute single on a 45-yard punt by Matt Peters to close out the scoring.

The Chargers' score came with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on a Brandon McPherson 20-yard run. Steven Benacquista followed with a convert.

For the Royals, perhaps the most impressive aspect of their championship win comes in the fact they are only in their third year of football existence and two years ago they were held without a victory.

Elsewhere the Donald A. Wilson Gators captured the tier I junior title with a 26-15 victory over Pickering. With the senior Gators capturing their championship on Saturday, the win by the junior marked the first time in 15 years (Pickering in 1994) that the same school had won both LOSSA titles in the same season.

School wins junior and senior LOSSA championships in Oshawa
By Brian McNair
Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/140070

OSHAWA – Whitby’s Donald A. Wilson Secondary School has established quite a football dynasty since opening in 2004.

In fact, several players on the senior team can now say they have won five straight LOSSA championships after the Gators defeated the St. Mary Monarchs of Pickering 21-14 Saturday afternoon at Civic Fields in Oshawa.

“These kids, our fifth year guys, this is their fifth title in five years,” said proud coach Adam Papadakos, referring to the school’s junior championships in 2005 and 2006, and senior titles the past three years. “That’s a pretty tremendous accomplishment.”

What’s more, this year’s junior team also won another championship, defeating Pickering High School 25-15 in an earlier game Saturday.

“Our kids just play with a lot of heart and we’re so proud of them and our whole program today because we swept a LOSSA doubleheader and we’re thrilled,” Papadakos said afterward.

The Gators jumped out to an early lead in the senior final when quarterback Stefan Edwards found Chivon Gallagher for a 24-yard touchdown strike 4:32 into the game.

Wilson built the lead to 14-0 on a six-yard run by Omar Williams in the second quarter and then 21-0 when Edwards ran one in with just 4:40 remaining in the game.

St. Mary quarterback Keith Cyrus, off the mark for much of the contest, found his range late, hitting Dan Tomei for a score with 2:48 remaining and Dexter Damboise for another with 1:03 left.

But, despite getting the ball back with 29 seconds left on the clock, the Monarchs could muster no more magic.

Although proud of the late rally, St. Mary coach Enzo Antonucci was disappointed with the lack of discipline his team showed throughout the game.

“We probably had over 100 yards in penalties, so that was a killer,” he said. “We just couldn’t find our wide receivers early in the game and it was too late when it happened at the end.”

The Gators now advance to the Metro Bowl semifinals, 11 a.m. Wednesday at Etobicoke Centennial Stadium.

A win there would send them back to the Metro Bowl, which is being held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Nov. 25.

LOSSA championships continue on Sunday with Tier 2 finals at Civic Fields. Denis O'Connor will meet St. Stephen's at noon in junior, while O'Neill and Sinclair will square off at 2:30 p.m. in senior.

St. Mary Monarchs back in LOSSA final
Pickering school to meet Donald A. Wilson
By Brad Kelly
Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139968

PICKERING -- The St. Mary Monarchs senior boys' football team is a classic case of a program that had to go through some tough times to appreciate the position they are in today.

After failing to register a single win in LOSSA league play just two seasons ago, St. Mary has made the long climb back to respectability. Saturday afternoon at Civic Fields in Oshawa, they will be playing for a LOSSA league title against the two-time defending champion Donald A. Wilson Gators from Whitby.

"I had to," laughs St. Mary coach Enzo Antonucci at the suggestion he turned the program around in a hurry. "There is only one way to go after an oh and eight season."

Antonucci took over in 2004, inheriting a program that had won five consecutive league championships at the senior level. But that streak came to an end that year with a loss to Pickering in the LOSSA final.

Without a junior program in place to help stock the seniors, St. Mary went through some growing pains in the years that followed. Having players start their high school football career in Grades 11 and 12 made it difficult for the school to be competitive.

"By not having a junior team, we had nothing to feed our seniors, so I started a junior program and we had really good success," says Antonucci.

Many of those junior players are now senior, advancing to Saturday's final after an 18-14 win on their home field Tuesday against Pickering. Tied 14-14 late into the fourth quarter, St. Mary's Mark Michalicka kicked a 23-yard field goal with under four minutes to go, and punter Conner Trepanier added a rouge with just 14 seconds remaining in the game for the win. Quarterback Keith Cyrus hooked up on touchdown passes to Dan Tomei and Dillon Campbell to account for the two majors.

Wilson beat Holy Trinity 20-15 in the other semifinal on Tuesday, completing a 109-yard pass and run with just 1:29 to go in the game.

In Week 1 of this season, St. Mary beat Wilson 21-14, but Antonucci expects both teams to make some changes.

"The one thing that we can take from there is looking at what worked for us and what didn't against their defence," he says.

The other element at play here is the short turnaround between games, with only three days to prepare between the semi and Saturday's final.

"It's hard because you can't prep for the other team in terms of watching a lot of film and breaking things down," says Antonucci. "Physically the kids get tired. We are lucky this year that we don't have too many kids playing two-way, so that will help us out."

The winner will advance to face the York champion, which is also playing its league final on Saturday, pitting Huron Heights against Markham. The winner of the Durham/York game will book a ticket to the Metro Bowl at Rogers Centre on Nov. 25.

In the LOSSA junior final Saturday, Pickering faces Wilson at noon. On Sunday, in the Tier II finals, Denis O'Connor meets St. Stephen's in the junior final at noon.

Whitby's Wilson Gators going for gridiron three-peat (Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139967)
Senior football team faces St. Mary Saturday at Oshawa's Civic Stadium

OSHAWA -- So much for this being a rebuilding year for the Wilson Gators senior football team.

Despite losing more than half their roster from a year ago, including several stars, the Whitby school remains very much in the hunt for a third straight LOSSA senior championship after pulling out a dramatic 20-15 semifinal upset over the Holy Trinity Titans Tuesday.

The St. Mary Monarchs of Pickering will line up opposite the Gators for the championship game Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Oshawa's Civic Stadium, a game that promises to be every bit as good as the two semis, both of which were tied 14-14 in the fourth quarter.

The Monarchs, looking to re-establish a dynasty that saw them win five straight titles from 1999 to 2003, defeated the Pickering Trojans 18-14 to book their spot in the final.

"I think they have arguably the two best running backs in all of LOSSA senior football, so we have to figure out a way to contain them," said Wilson head coach Adam Papadakos, referring to St. Mary's Dillon Campbell and Dexter Damboise. "They're outstanding athletes, outstanding running backs. And they have a very physical defence."

St. Mary (5-1) heads into the game as the slight favourite, having finished ahead of Wilson (4-2) in the Mazza Division standings, thanks to a 21-14 win in the first game of the regular season.

But the Gators have proven time and time again they can get the job done when it matters most, as the past two senior championships will attest.

The biggest offensive threat for Wilson is wide receiver Austin Giuntoli, who will be looking for his fifth straight championship, having also won junior titles in 2005 and 2006.

Giuntoli hauled in a pair of touchdowns passes from quarterback Stefan Edwards in the semifinal, including a miracle 109-yard scamper with 1:29 remaining to lift the Gators to victory.

"Austin Giuntoli is a Toronto city all-star and he lived up to that again this year and again in this game," Papadakos said after Tuesday's game. "With the game on the line, I put the ball in one of our top player's hands, and it worked."

Despite battling a head injury and cramps, Giuntoli was a workhorse for Wilson, and expects to be again Saturday.

"We're just going to have to play hard, obviously," Giuntoli said, still breathless after his team handed Holy Trinity its only loss of the season. "We played a little sloppy (Tuesday), so we'll tighten it up and come out hard on Saturday."

The winner of Saturday's game will face the York Region champ on Nov. 18, with the winner there advancing to the Metro Bowl Nov. 25 at the Rogers Centre. The Gators reached the Metro Bowl final last year, but lost to Toronto's St. Michael's College 42-12.

Wilson's junior team will also be playing for a LOSSA title Saturday, at noon against Pickering High School.

In the tier 2 division finals Sunday at Civic Stadium, Denis O'Connor will meet St. Stephen's at noon in junior, while O'Neill and Sinclair will square off 2:30 p.m. in senior.

Whitby's Wilson Gators do it again and find a way to win on the gridiron (Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139758)
Defending football champs still alive after thrilling win over Holy Trinity

COURTICE -- The Wilson Gators sure have a flair for the dramatic, especially when it comes to playing in the LOSSA senior football semifinals.

The Whitby school kept its hopes of winning a third straight senior title alive by knocking off the previously undefeated Holy Trinity Titans 20-15 in thrilling fashion Tuesday afternoon in Courtice.

The Titans seemed poised for the victory, leading 15-14 after a fourth-quarter rouge, but Austin Giuntoli hauled in a pass from Gators quarterback Stefan Edwards and scampered the length of the field for a 109-yard touchdown reception with 1:29 remaining.

It was the second time the two hooked up for a score in the game, and sure felt good for Giuntoli, who was battling leg cramps throughout the game.

"As soon as I got it I just didn't even think about it until I got to the end zone and then they were cramping up again, but it's great," said Giuntoli, tired and still limping afterward.

The Gators, who were 4-2 during the regular season, opened the scoring with a rouge on the opening kickoff and led 7-0 through a quarter after a touchdown from Greg Morris.

But touchdowns by quarterback Jermaine Felix, on a four-yard run, and Dan Murphy, on a 75-yard interception, gave the Titans a 14-7 lead.

Giuntoli hauled in a five-yard pass to send the game into halftime tied at 14-14, and it stayed that way until the final quarter when the Titans' Tyler Ganhao punted one through the end zone for a single point.

"We never make anything easy, that's for sure," said Wilson coach Adam Papadakos. "It was just an outstanding effort. Whether we were down or up, we just played hard through and through."

The Gators won in similar fashion a year ago, scoring on a long pass and run play with two seconds remaining to beat Pickering 22-19, then blanked Holy Trinity 23-0 in the final.

This time, the Gators will face Pickering's St. Mary Monarchs in the championship game, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Civic Stadium in Oshawa. St. Mary defeated Pickering 18-14 in the other semifinal Tuesday in Pickering.

Nov 11, 2009

St. Mary advances to LOSSA football final (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139757)|
Beat Pickering 18-14 in semi

PICKERING -- A late surge by the St. Mary Monarchs has booked them a ticket to the LOSSA senior football final.

Tied 14-14 with the Pickering Trojans late into the fourth quarter of Tuesday's semifinal, St. Mary's Mark Michalicka kicked a 23-yard field goal with under four minutes to go, and punter Conner Trepanier added a rogue with just 14 seconds remaining in the game for an 18-14 victory.

"We changed the way we came at them and they weren't ready for it," said St. Mary head coach Enzo Antonucci of the difference in the game.

"We finally had a day with no rain and a sloppy field and we were able to execute our plays. The boys really worked hard to get ready for this game."

St. Mary quarterback Keith Cyrus completed touchdown passes to Dan Tomei and Dillan Campbell in the victory.

Pickering got touchdowns from Chris Johnson on the ground and Lyndon Whittaker-Baston on a pass from quarterback Mike Stobbart.

St. Mary will now face Donald A. Wilson of Whitby in the LOSSA final on Saturday. Wilson beat Holy Trinity of Courtice 20-15 in Tuesday's other semifinal.

Webmaster note: It appears that the scoring information for Pickering is possibly incorrect. The St. Mary coach in his post game summary reported that the Pickering touchdowns were recorded by Travis Bent and Evan Joynes.

DURHAM -- The powerhouse teams within the LOSSA senior boys football loop reinforced their dominance in Week 6.

The Pickering High School Trojans, Holy Trinity Titans and Donald A. Wilson Gators all earned shutout victories to close out the regular season last week.

Pickering received two touchdowns each from Sean Seecharan and Delino Smith and pounded the J. Clarke Richardson Storm 41-0. Richardson entered the game needing a win to secure second and a home field playoff game, however, they will now have to face Pickering in the opening round of playoffs.

For Wilson, two touchdowns each from Jesse Austin, Chivon Galligher and Keldyn Ahlstedt led the charge in a 55-0 blanking of the Ajax Rams.

Wilson will open the playoffs against host Port Perry at Oshawa Civic Fields, while Ajax will travel to St. Mary for their quarterfinal game.

Holy Trinity, meanwhile, posted their first undefeated regular season following a 43-0 victory over the Pine Ridge Pumas. Kema Nnawuchi had his second consecutive two touchdown game for the Titans who have now captured back to back Hiron Division titles. The loss eliminated Pine Ridge from post season contention.

Elsewhere, the Paul Dwyer Saints were awarded a 15-0 victory over the Dunbarton Spartans, who for the second week in a row were forced to forfeit.

The Saints were eliminated from post season a week earlier and finished in a fourth-place tie with Ajax, who earned the playoff spot by virtue of their 16-13 win over Dwyer earlier in the season.

Another Oshawa school, the Eastdale Eagles, are playoff-bound though after closing the regular season out with three straight wins, the last of which came by a 28-7 score over the Uxbridge Tigers. Eastdale finished in a three-way tie for third with Richardson and Pine Ridge. With each team holding a 1-1 record in the games involving each other, point differential in those games was used to determine final placing and Eastdale opens the playoffs against Holy Trinity.

St. Mary received four touchdowns from Dexter Damboise, while Mike Michalicka booted six converts in a 42-7 win over the Port Perry Rebels. The Monarchs, who finish the season with a 5-1 record, captured their first divisional title since 2003 and will enjoy home field advantage for the first two rounds of playoffs.

In Tier Two Senior, Notre Dame prevailed 23-11 over O'Neill. The loss for O'Neill ended their hopes of an undefeated season and relegated them to third place and a spot in a quarterfinal game, while Notre Dame earned a bye. Jordan Urquhart contributed two touchdowns for the winners while Josh Smallwood accounted for all 11 points for O'Neill.

In other action, Sinclair destroyed Courtice 56-6 with Aaron Milton contributing three touchdowns, two field goals, six converts and two singles. The victory left Sinclair in a three way tie for top spot with a 5-1 record. After tie breakers, Sinclair was awarded first and they will enjoy a bye for the opening round. Courtice will play O'Neill in one of two quarterfinal games, while Bowmanville plays St. Stephen's in the other.

In Tier One Junior, Holy Trinity posted a 49-0 win over Pine Ridge, which would have earned them home field advantage for first round playoff rematch. However, Pine Ridge has since advised that they will be unable to field a team for the game.

Elsewhere, Paul Dwyer defeated Dunbarton 33-6 and finished second, drawing Ajax in the opening round. Speaking of the Rams they are coming off a 36-27 loss to Wilson. The Gators finished the season undefeated and will host St. Mary in opening round of playoffs.

Eastdale was eliminated from the postseason following a 32-14 loss to Uxbridge, while in another shutout performance Pickering defeated Richardson 36-0 to clinch first, drawing an opening round match with Uxbridge.

St. Mary ended up fourth after being awarded a 15-0 victory following a Port Perry default.

In Tier Two Junior, Denis O'Connor ended a St. Stephen's bid for an undefeated season with a 13-0 victory.

Oct 30, 2009

Disabled athlete has confidence to succeed (http://www.thestar.com/sports/highschool/article/718400--disabled-athlete-has-confidence-to-succeed)
Latrell Paris has proven that he can play football, just like his buddies.

The Grade 10 student at Holy Trinity High School in Courtice was born with no fingers on his left hand, just a partial thumb.

Paris is aware that some people might see it as a disadvantage, but the 15-year-old refuses to let his disability stand in the way of playing sports.

In a recent Durham Region junior game, the Titans' defensive back made a key interception late in the fourth quarter to salvage a 14-13 victory over St. Mary Monarch from Pickering.

"I often get curious looks from players on other teams and I can tell they're wondering how am I able to play this game," he said. "I look right back at them and say if it looks strange, then play against me in any sport and see what happens. Then, they back off."

Paris said he's not aware of what caused the birth defect.

"This is the way I am, I grew up this way and believe I can do anything," said Paris, who started playing football last month after being coaxed by coach Mike Lyons to try out for the team.

"I was upset at being cut from the soccer team in Grade 9, a team where I don't really need my hands, so rather than sit around and watch everyone else, I tried out and made the basketball team last year. Now, I'm a football player and enjoying every minute of it."

Paris also plays rep soccer and was a top scorer.

Before attending Holy Trinity, he graduated from Village Union Public School in Oshawa, where he played five sports and was named school athlete of the year.

He also plays the trumpet in the class band, has participated in several events in support of War Amps and is hoping to pursue a career in forensic sciences.

"Mr. Lyons saw me playing basketball in Grade 9 and my friends got after me as well. So, I decided to give (football) a try," he said. "I find it to be a combination of determination, patience and wanting to be like everyone else my age."

After seeing Paris on the basketball court, Lyons said he knew there would be a spot for him on the football team. "He's aggressive, very coachable and has the confidence to go out and be a success."

Lyons said Paris "is the kind of athlete that you don't want playing against you. He's very physical, a hitter and has the skills. He erases any doubts, you forget he's got a disability."

Holy Trinity hosts Pine Ridge on Friday in a meeting of 4-1 teams that could decide first place in the Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletics league.

(Webmaster note: We have since been advised that there is another athlete within Durham Region, who despite a physical challenge to his arm, is playing football within our High School League. Randy Routley is a defensive back on the Uxbridge Tigers senior team. Randy, who has played football at both the junior and senior level has never allowed his physical challenge to impact his ability to play sports with his peers.)

Holy Trinity still undefeated in LOSSA senior football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/138786)Courtice school at the top of standings through Week 5

DURHAM -- The Holy Trinity Titans remain undefeated through five weeks of LOSSA senior boys football.

In Week 5 they defeated the J. Clarke Richardson Storm 39-0 in a game expected to be much closer given that Richardson had entered with a record of 3-1. Kema Nnawuchi led the six-touchdown attack as he picked up his first two majors of the season.

The win assures Holy Trinity of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Elsewhere, at St. Mary, Dillon Campbell put on a show as he scored five touchdowns in a 48-14 victory against the Paul Dwyer Saints. He opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown and his next four majors were a 55-yard run, a 37-yard screen pass, an 85-yard kick-off return and a 90-yard run. Mark Cockerton tallied two touchdowns for the Saints, the first on a 20-yard shovel pass and the second on a 75-yard kick-off return.

In a close affair, the Port Perry Rebels edged the Ajax Rams 15-14 to extend their winning streak to three games. The win coupled with the loss by Paul Dwyer has clinched the Rebels a berth in the playoffs.

The Pickering High School Trojans demolished the Uxbridge Tigers 66-0. Punt return specialist Delino Smith handled the pivot duties and his seven-yard pass to Tristan Clough opened the scoring for the Trojans before Smith returned a punt 60 yards to extend the lead to 14-0.

At that point, Sean Seecharan posted a career-best four touchdowns on runs of five, 54, 20 and 36 yards. Taylor Eskins collected 10 points with seven converts and a field goal.

In another shutout, the Eastdale Eagles blanked the Pine Ridge Pumas 26-0. Facing mathematical elimination from the playoffs, the Eagles put together their best effort of the year to turn back the Pumas. Thad Ridsdill with two touchdowns and Shaquille Lincoln with one paced the Eagle attack.

After opening the season with three straights losses, the Eagles have now won two in a row and find themselves two points behind both Richardson and Pine Ridge, that are tied for third place. The Eagles, however, close out the season against winless Uxbridge while the Pumas and Storm meet Holy Trinity and Pickering respectively.

Meanwhile, the Donald A. Wilson Gators were credited with a 15-0 after the Dunbarton Spartans were unable to field a team.

In the tier two senior loop, O'Neill downed St. Stephen's 20-6 in a game that was closer than the score suggests. The Red Hawks scored touchdowns on the final play of the first and second halves.

In a game as one-sided as the score shows, the Notre Dame Cougars shut out the Courtice Cougars 50-0. Shawn Ford was a perfect seven for seven in convert attempts as Notre Dame prevailed in the battle of schools that share the same nickname. Ford also picked up a touchdown and a single on a kick-off to finish the game with 14 scoring points. Jordan Urquhart accounted for three majors.

The Sinclair Celtics, meanwhile, defeated the Bowmanville Talons 44-6, led by three touchdowns from Eric Milton.

In the tier one junior loop, Pine Ridge defeated Eastdale 6-0 on a Mike Wheeler major, while Ajax pounded Port Perry 35-7 in a game where Glen Reeves scored his 15th touchdown for Ajax.

Holy Trinity scored all 24 of their points in the first half of a shutout against Richardson and Pickering pounded Uxbridge 61-6 as Shakir Lewis and Raekwon Grant combined for seven majors.

Erick Kimmerly threw three first half touchdowns to help lead Dwyer of St. Mary 40-7, while Ryan Dixon had four touchdowns in a 42-6 Wilson win over Dunbarton.

In tier two junior, Clarington Central won its first game, a 20-0 shutout over Denis O'Connor.

Oct 22, 2009

DURHAM -- In the battle of the unbeaten, it was Holy Trinity that prevailed over St. Mary in week four of LOSSA senior boys' football.

At the midway mark of the fourth quarter, Shane Winner, arguably the best defensive player within LOSSA, scooped the football off the turf and bolted 77 yards to provide the Titans with a 16-point cushion in a game featuring the two division leaders. To their credit, the Monarchs fought back as workhorse Dillon Campbell capped off a long drive with a two-yard run and the ensuing two-point convert with 92 seconds remaining. The Monarch defence held the Titans and had one last chance to tie the game as it quickly found itself deep in Titan territory at the 10-yard line with first and goal. Three pass attempts failed to find the target and the Holy Trinity Titans are now the only undefeated Tier One senior team.

The Trojans handed the two-time defending senior champion Wilson Gators their worst defeat since the 2006 championship game as they exploded for 23 points in the final quarter, including a 100-yard pass and run from Mike Stobbart to Evan Joynes and a 45-yard fumble recovery touchdown by Travis Bent. This marked the third consecutive shutout for Pickering, which has now scored 101 consecutive points since last giving up a point.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Richardson Storm posted 24 unanswered points in the second quarter led by Dustin Kaupp, who scored via the run and via the pass. Ajax would reply with two third-quarter touchdowns to reduce the lead to 11, however that was as close as it would get as Kaupp returned a punt 55 yards early in the fourth quarter for his third major of the day (and seventh in his past three games). The Rams, which allowed only 13 points against through the first two weeks, have now given up 61 in their past two games.

The Eastdale Eagles, previously held to only one touchdown, which was scored on the last play of the game against Richardson, sustained a long opening quarter drive to take the early lead. By half time, they were ahead by 19. The Saints managed to close the margin to five in the second half, however the Eagles held firm and picked up their first win of the season.

The Pine Ridge Pumas picked up their third win in four games as they sent the Spartans reeling to their fourth straight loss. Offensive stars were Donald Marshall and Cordell Clarke (with three and two majors). Jason Cousins recorded the other touchdown for the Ridge, while Gareth Haynes successfully converted four touchdowns and earned credit for a two-point convert. Roynelle Meredith reached the house for Dunbarton with Cameron Farrell adding the point after.

The Port Perry Rebels have now recorded back-to-back victories after starting the season with two losses. The Tigers, winless in the very competitive Hiron Division, became the first Tier One senior team to be mathematically eliminated from post-season play.

Riley Johnson and Connor Vale each posted two touchdowns while Darrell Robichaud and Matthew Peters chipped in with one each, as the St. Stephen's Royals evened their record at 2-2. Bowmanville, which had failed to post a scoring point through the first two weeks, did have its second consecutive three-touchdown effort with Skyler Fines, Jamie Henderson and Connlaoi Smith each picking up six pointers.

The high octane Notre Dame offence, which had averaged 36 points plus per game through the first two games, was held to four points by the Celtics. Mike Storey, a defensive stalwart, contributed offensively with the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter. His score put the Celtics ahead by three, overcoming a 25-yard field goal by Shawn Ford. Aaron Milton would connect with Matt Beauparlant for a 67-yard pass and run major to give the Celtics a 12-3 lead at the half. Both schools traded singles on wide field-goal attempts in the second half before Jaiden McBride returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown in the final minute.

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity Titans are the lone team left in the LOSSA senior football league with a perfect record after a 22-14 win over St. Mary under the lights at Civic Stadium last week.

The Titans took on the Monarchs in Oshawa Thursday night, with both teams bringing a 3-0 record into the game.

St. Mary jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on a terrific first quarter touchdown run by Dexter Damboise. Damboise started on a run to the right and then completely reversed his field and scored in the left corner of the end zone.

The Titans responded before halftime on a one-yard touchdown run by Luke Oakes and Kema Nnawuchi scooped up a bad snap to add a two-point conversion, giving Holy Trinity an 8-6 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Titans made big plays when they needed to. On a third and goal play, Richard Bent was able to dive across the goal line for a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, the Titans made the key play of the game when Dustin Harris stripped the ball from St. Mary quarterback and Shayne Winner grabbed it and ran 80 yards for a Holy Trinity touchdown.

St. Mary didn't quit and scored a touchdown with three minutes remaining when Damboise scored his second major of the game.

St. Mary had a furious rally in the final minute of the game but the Titans held on for a stop on their own 10 yard line as time expired.

With a final score of 22-14, the Senior Titans now focus on their Week 5 game against J. Clarke Richardson.

The Junior Titans also scored a big win at the Civic. Against a formidable St. Mary team, the Titans trailed 13-1 entering the fourth quarter. An early fourth quarter touchdown pass from Alec Thompson to Holden Bennett brought the Titans closer and a short touchdown run by Michael Shepley a few minutes later gave the Titans a 14-13 lead.

St. Mary had one more drive to win the game and reached the 30-yard line before Latrell Paris intercepted a pass to seal the win for Holy Trinity.

The Junior Titans are now 3-1 and coach Mike Lyons feels that his team has improved in each game this season.

Oct 14, 2009

Huge matchups ahead in Week 4 of LOSSA football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/137653)Week 3 sees plenty of shutouts

DURHAM -- At the halfway mark of the LOSSA boys' football season, the final four from a year ago are leading the way.

And Week 4 action will see those four teams locked in some tough battles as the Holy Trinity Titans play the St. Mary Monarchs Thursday and the Donald A. Wilson Gators face the Pickering Trojans Friday, both under the lights at Oshawa's Civic Stadium. Those games start at 8 p.m.

The Trojans recorded another shutout win in a 36-0 decision over the Eastdale Eagles. Travis Bent led the charge with a pair of touchdowns, while Tristan Clough and Mike Stobbart each found the end zone. Taylor Eskins with two field goals and four converts and Shane Lock with a safety accounted for the other scoring.

Shutout was also the theme for Holy Trinity as the Titans remained perfect following a 55-0 drubbing of the Uxbridge Tigers. Earl Anderson and Alex Scott each scored two majors, while Jermaine Felix, Luke Oakes, Svend Tamburro and Oseko Ogega all scored touchdowns as well. Richard Bent added five converts and Kema Nnawuchi a two-point convert. Anderson's first touchdown came on the game's opening kickoff.

For St. Mary, touchdowns from Dillon Campbell, Karl Muelle, Keith Cyrus and Dexter Damboise along with a field goal and three converts from Mark Michalicka accounted for the scoring in a 30-0 victory over the Ajax Rams.

Wilson benefited from standout performances by Greg Morris and Austin Giuntoli as both managed to score two touchdowns in a 44-6 victory over the Paul Dwyer Saints. Jesse Austin and Omar Williams accounted for the other majors, while Jason Hatzes with five converts, Adeem Beembridge with a safety and Chivon Gallagher with a single registered the remainder of the scoring for Wilson.

A Tyler Graham touchdown accounted for the only Dwyer offence on the final play of the game.

Elsewhere in tier I senior action, the Pine Ridge Pumas rode a first quarter touchdown from Curtis Innis to a 7-1 victory over the J. Clarke Richardson Storm, whose only point came off a Lucas Sprich single.

In the only other tier I game the Port Perry Rebels managed a 16-1 victory over the Dunbarton Spartans. Steve Parr and Ryan Bullock each had touchdowns for the Rebels, while Connor Haslam with a field goal and Nathan Scott with a convert also found the scoresheet.

In the tier II senior loop, the Bowmanville Talons won the battle of Clarington over the Courtice Cougars by a 20-6 count with Travis Andrews leading with way with three interceptions, one of which was returned for a major. Jamie Henderson had two touchdowns on offence, while the scoring details for Courtice's first points of the season were not available.

After opening the season with a big win, the St. Stephen's Royals has fallen on hard times, having lost their last two with the most recent setback coming to Notre Dame, 32-6. Cougars touchdowns came from Kasey Cuffy, Jordan Urquhart, Jamail Jordan and Hollister Joseph while Shawn Ford had a field goal and five converts.

In a battle of Oshawa/Whitby Schools, the O'Neill Redhawks prevailed with a 16-7 victory over the Sinclair Celtics. Dimitri Kostas scored the lone touchdown for O'Neill before departing with injury, while Josh Smallwood added three field goals and a convert. Aaron Milton accounted for all the Sinclair scoring with a touchdown and a single.

In tier I junior action Ajax defeated St. Mary 22-0, while Holy Trinity blanked Uxbridge 40-0 for their second straight shutout. In another blanking Pickering downed Eastdale 47-0 behind another big game from Raekwon Grant who has now recorded 10 touchdowns in four games.

Wilson defeated Dwyer 28-19 while Pine Ridge defeated Richardson 44-6 behind five touchdowns from Michael Noonan.

UXBRIDGE -- The Holy Trinity Titans senior football team will head into a battle of the undefeated this week fresh off a 55-0 thrashing of the Uxbridge Tigers last Friday.

Now 3-0 this LOSSA football season, the Titans will face Pickering's St. Mary Monarchs, also 3-0 after a 30-0 win over Ajax last week, at 8 p.m. Thursday at Civic Stadium in Oshawa.

The Titans jumped on top quickly against the Tigers (0-3), when Early Anderson ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown. From that point on, it was all Holy Trinity. Anderson added another first half touchdown while Jermaine Felix and Luke Oakes also put the ball into the end zone before halftime.

In the second half, the Titans were able to give more playing time to their younger players and they showed themselves very well. The Courtice school sent almost a complete Grade 11 lineup onto the field, resurrecting last year's junior finalist team. The younger players added four touchdowns of their own, with Alex Scott leading the way with two scores.

The Junior Titans also blanked Uxbridge, winning 40-0. They were led by newcomer Brandon Joachim, who scored two touchdowns and continued to show rare speed on the field. Alvin Olay, Michael Shepley, Josh Baksh and Tyler Forrester also scored touchdowns for Holy Trinity.

Oct 07, 2009

Holy Trinity Titans remain undefeated through Week 2 (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/137136)
LOSSA football season in full swing

DURHAM -- Poor weather forced Week 2 of LOSSA football action to be wrapped up a few days late, but that didn't matter to the Holy Trinity Titans.

In a rare Monday game, the Titans upped their record to 2-0 following a 27-0 victory over the Eastdale Eagles (0-2) in a game that was supposed to occur Friday at Oshawa's Civic Stadium, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Earl Anderson had an outstanding rushing game for the Titans and scored one of their four touchdowns while Richard Bent counted one touchdown and three converts. The other Titans majors came from Jermaine Felix and Steve Tamburro.

Elsewhere Dustin Kaupp scored the first three J. Clarke Richardson touchdowns as the Storm improved their record to 2-0 with a convincing 50-6 victory over the Uxbridge Tigers (0-2). Jason Harrison with a touchdown and safety, and Jer-Ray Wilson, Joel Nurse and Toi Simon also found the end zone while Lucas Sprich booted six converts.

At Dwyer, they may have lost more than a game as star Mark Cockerton suffered an upper body injury in the opening kick of the second half of their 16-13 loss to the Ajax Rams.

The Cockerton injury seemed to turn the momentum in favour of the Rams as they scored 16 unanswered points in the second half. The game-winning score was made by Ajax's Jonathan Dube, who picked up a Dwyer fumble and returned it 50 yards for the major. Jayden Peliti with a touchdown and a Luke Todd field goal and convert accounted for the other Ajax scoring.

The St. Mary Monarchs (2-0) made quite a statement in Week 2, demolishing the 0-2 Dunbarton Spartans 70-7, led by a four-touchdown effort from Dillon Campbell. Dexter Dambroise and Keith Cyrus added two majors with one each to Jevon Bryan and Dan Tomei. Mark Michalicka, meanwhile, kicked 10 converts.

After losing in Week 1, Pickering evened up their mark at 1-1 following a 30-0 shutout over Pine Ridge (1-1). Scoring came from Mike Stobbart, Jelani Pascoe, Sean Seecharan and Evan Joynes, all with touchdowns, while Taylor Eskins added four converts and David Wilson a safety.

In other tier I action, the Donald A. Wilson Gators (1-1) trounced the now 0-2 Port Perry Rebels 50-12. No scoring details were available.

At the tier II senior level, O'Neill recorded its second straight shutout and improved to 2-0 following a 31-0 victory over Courtice (0-2). Dimitri Kostas, who sat out 2008 after transferring from Eastdale, paced the attack with three touchdowns while Jeremy Alexander scored on a 50-yard punt return.

Elsewhere, Notre Dame (1-0) posted a decisive 41-0 victory over the Bowmanville Talons. Jordan Urquhart and Kasey Coffey led the scoring parade with a pair of touchdowns each, while the Talons fell to 0-2.

Week 2 represented a step back for the St. Stephen's Royals (1-1), who a week before captured their first ever senior level win. This time, they fell by a 47-0 count to the Sinclair Celtics (1-0). Aaron Milton recorded 17 points with two touchdowns, four converts and a single. Jason Yang, who shared the junior league MVP award in 2008, tallied his first major at the senior level.

At the tier I junior level Wilson moved to 2-0 after a 33-7 victory over Port Perry (0-2), led by a pair of touchdowns from Nikita Starchencko, while Uxbridge evened their record at 1-1 with a 19-6 victory over Richardson (0-2). Brett Balkovec picks up his third touchdown of the season for the Tigers.

A 19-point effort from Kempton Clarke paced St. Mary (1-1) to a 37-6 victory over Dunbarton (0-2), while both Pickering and Pine Ridge are now 1-1 after the Trojans blanked the Pumas 38-0 with Raekwon Grant registering his second consecutive three-touchdown game.

Dwyer's Chris Carey booted a convert with just 50 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Saints (2-0) over Ajax 46-45, while for Holy Trinity, Michael Shepley ran for four touchdowns in a 33-0 win over Eastdale. Ajax is now 1-1.

In tier II junior, six different players scored touchdowns for Denis O'Connor (1-0) in a 40-0 win over Clarington Central (0-2).

Oct 01, 2009

Holy Trinity Titans moving on up (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136713)
Courtice school cracks top 10 of GTA senior football teams

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity Titans have been given due respect following their big senior football win over the Pickering Trojans last week.

In the most recent Toronto Star GTA football rankings, the Courtice school sits in sixth place, the only LOSSA team in the top 10.

The Titans, in just their sixth season of fielding a senior football team, knocked off the perennially strong Trojans 10-7 last week, on a touchdown run by Jermaine Felix with just two seconds remaining.

Head coach Fred Zinkie believes this to be the highest rating a Clarington school has achieved since the rankings were established several years ago.

Defending LOSSA champion Donald A. Wilson of Whitby dropped from No. 8 to the honourable mention list after losing its opener to Pickering St. Mary. St. Mary and Pickering High are also honourable mentions.

The Titans are back at it Friday, with a game under the lights at Civic Fields against Oshawa's Eastdale Collegiate starting at 8 p.m.

Sep 30, 2009

Ajax Rams win big in junior football opener (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136680)
Beat Dunbarton 51-20.

AJAX -- The Ajax Junior Rams settled in to Tier 1 football quite nicely with a convincing 51-20 victory over the Dunbarton Spartans in the LOSSA season opener on Friday night.

Ajax was led by the rushing efforts of Glen Reeves with three touchdowns and a two-point convert, while Marco Carinci had two passing and one rushing touchdowns. Defensively the Rams provided a solid effort and were led by Conner Cole with an interception returned for a touchdown.

The remainder of the scoring for Ajax was provided by Andrew Scott TD, Bradley Benedetto TD, Morgan Humes TD, Marko Damnjanovic convert. Dunbarton's points came from Andre Wright 2TD, Phillip Fullerton TD and two point convert.

Sep 30, 2009

Both the Donald A. Wilson Gators, of Whitby, and Ajax's Pickering High School Trojans are in an unfamiliar spot heading into Week 2 following a loss for each team in the opening week of play.

In Courtice, Holy Trinity and Pickering put on an excellent display of defensive and hard-hitting football with both teams threatening to score in the first half. The Trojans had their best drive ended by a Titans interception, while Holy Trinity was stopped on the goal line late in the half as it attempted to build on its 3-0 lead.

Then, in the third quarter, the Trojans benefited from a Titan turnover on the one-yard line, as Marley Patterson scored the game's first touchdown. The game remained 7-3 into the final seconds when Holy Trinity broke through the Trojan defence from the one-yard line for a touchdown. However, an illegal procedure call nullified the score and placed the ball five yards back.

Quarterback Jermaine Felix then took it upon himself on the next play, scampering 11 yards for the score with just two seconds remaining. The convert followed and Holy Trinity posted the 10-7 win.

The St. Mary and Wilson game was played under the lights at Oshawa's Civic Fields and Dillon Campbell returned to the lineup after missing last season due to an injury and led the Monarchs to a 21-14 victory over the defending LOSSA champion Gators.

In other tier I senior action, the Paul Dwyer Saints turned back the Perry Rebels 30-7 on the strength of two Mark Cockerton touchdowns, while the Pine Ridge Pumas beat the Uxbridge Tigers 31-6 with four different Pumas recording touchdowns.

Meanwhile, a pair of teams making the jump from tier II, the Ajax Rams and J. Clarke Richardson Storm, both won.

The Rams posted an impressive 28-0 victory over the Dunbarton Spartans with touchdowns from Kash Reddick, Jayden Peliti, Delon Hubbard and Tyrone Izzard. Mike Dancy and Nathan Cheung picked up safeties.

The Storm victory was likely the bigger surprise as the team defeated Oshawa's Eastdale Eagles 23-6.

In the tier II senior loop, the O'Neill Red Hawks posted a 45-0 victory over the Bowmanville Talons, led by the two touchdowns, six converts and single point earned by Josh Smallwood. St. Stephen's, meanwhile, earned its first ever senior victory, dismantling the Clarington Central Coyotes 45-0. Connor Vale led the attack scoring two majors and three converts, while Riley Johnson also found the end zone twice.

In tier I junior, Pickering downed Holy Trinity 26-12 with Raekwon Grant scoring three touchdowns, while Wilson overcame St. Mary in a high-scoring affair, 44-33. Sanjay Francis and George Papadakos accounted for seven touchdowns. Dwyer scored early and often in the first half of its game against Port Perry and posted a 32-0 victory, while Pine Ridge beat Uxbridge 43-20.

Seven first-half touchdowns set the pace for Ajax as it laid a 51-20 drubbing on Dunbarton, while Eastdale got past Richardson 33-6.

Two touchdowns by Darien Arscott paced Denis O'Connor to a 21-8 victory over Sinclair in tier II junior action, while St. Stephen's downed Clarington Central 43-6. Matt Peters led the way with two touchdowns, six converts and a single.

CLARINGTON -- Bowmanville's St. Stephen's Catholic Secondary School made history last week, winning its first ever senior football game.

Playing under the lights Friday night at Clarington Fields, the Royals rolled to a huge victory over the Courtice Cougars, 45-0, in the first week of LOSSA play.

On defence, Jesse Desourdy, Frasier Norton, Tanner Price and Darrell Robichaud were forces as the Royals completely shut down the Courtice attack. The Royals forced several fumbles and Connor Vale stripped a running back for a defensive touchdown.

Offensively, the Royals stalked the Cougars and picked apart their defence on many plays. Vale, who was the Tier 2 Junior MVP last season, led the way with two touchdowns and three converts. Riley Johnson also found the end zone twice, while Cody Lamers, Jake Roy and Eric Fegan each had one TD.

The Junior Royals also opened with a big win, defeating Clarington Central 43-6. The Royals were aggressive, disciplined and exacting on both sides of the ball. Matt Peters scored on a 65-yard punt return and a 40-yard scamper, while Cameron Gilmore and Mitch Whealey also scored on long rushes.

Bryson St. Denis and Jeremy Dostie both contributed with a touchdown on defence, off interceptions. Matt Peters kicked a perfect six converts and scored one rouge point kicking from the St. Stephen's 40-yard line.

Zach Gibson powered up the middle and for a four-yard run to account for the Coyotes' lone score.

The Royals are having a tailgate this Friday at 3:30 p.m. at St. Stephen's to prepare for their games against Sinclair. Hotdogs and hamburgers will be available for purchase.

COURTICE -- The Holy Trinity Titans proved to themselves what coach Fred Zinkie had suspected all along: they will be a force to be reckoned with in the LOSSA senior football ranks this season.

Hosting the regular season opener at the Courtice school last Thursday, the Titans faced a tough test right off the bat, against the Pickering Trojans, a team with a long winning tradition and regarded as one of the best in the GTA.

And, for the first time at the senior level, the Holy Trinity prevailed over the Ajax school, pulling out a thrilling 10-7 victory in the dying seconds.

The Titans led 3-0 at halftime after both teams squandered chances for a touchdown. The Titans were stopped on two consecutive plays on the one-yard line while Pickering ventured deep into Holy Trinity territory before turning the ball over on an interception by Dan Ciancone.

The two teams kept up the defence in the third quarter, but near the end of the frame, a Holy Trinity dropped punt gave Pickering the break they needed. The Trojans dove on the ball on the Titans' one-yard line and quickly punched the ball into the end zone, taking a 7-3 lead.

The Titans were deflated by the turnover and touchdown and tried in vain to move the ball for most of the fourth quarter. Holy Trinity finally took over with the ball around midfield with just over three minutes to play. A few short runs by Alex Drake and Jermaine Felix allowed the Titans to get deep into Pickering territory by the final minute of the game.

With the crowd screaming and the clock dwindling, the Titans finally got the ball into the end zone with 10 seconds to play, only the have the touchdown called back on a penalty. With one last chance to win the game and the ball on the 11-yard line, the Titans crossed the goalline again, as Felix ran around left end and into the corner of the endzone. An extra point gave the Titans a 10-7 lead with two seconds left on the clock and a win over the Trojans.

The Junior Titans also started their season against the Trojans, a rematch of last year's junior final. The two teams played a close first half, with Pickering taking a 14-6 lead.

In the second half, the bigger Trojans started to wear down the Titans and eventually plowed their way to a 26-12 win. The star of the game was Pickering running back Grant Raekwon, who ran for three touchdowns.

For the Titans, quarterback Alec Thompson ran for one touchdown and connected on a pass with Holden Bennett for another. Junior coach Mike Lyons was proud of the effort and the physical play in the game from his team, which is rebuilding after sending the bulk of last year's team to the senior level.

Both Holy Trinity teams take on Eastdale Friday night at the Oshawa Civic. The junior game starts at 6 p.m. and the senior game gets underway at 8 p.m.

Sep 26, 2009

Ajax and Pickering schools ready for LOSSA football season (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136436)
Juniors started yesterday, seniors today

The 2009 LOSSA senior boys' football season got underway today with a pair of the favoured teams, the Pickering High School Trojans and Holy Trinity Titans, going head-to-head in Courtice.

In addition, Oshawa's Civic Stadium will be the site for the first game of the year under the lights, tonight, as the St. Mary Monarchs of Pickering take the field against Whitby's Donald A. Wilson Gators.

"We're looking forward to it," said Monarchs coach Enzo Antonucci. "We're happy with our team right now, but you never know until you play. It should be fun."

The Monarchs will compete out of the Mazza Division and are coming off a 4-2 campaign and third-place finish in 2008.

But with the likes of Dexter Damboise and Dylan Campbell in the backfield, fifth-year player Connor Trepanier anchoring the linebackers and an infusion of talent from the 2007 junior team that won the championship, Antonucci is confident.

"We've got a lot of guys coming up and it should be a good year," said Antonucci of his Monarchs, who last won a senior tier 1 championship in 2003. "Better than last year."

Also lining up in the Mazza Division this season will be the two-time defending league champion Gators along with the Dunbarton Spartans of Pickering, a team that hopes to take advantage of its stingy defence and build on a 4-2, second-place showing last campaign.

Oshawa's Paul Dwyer Saints and the Port Perry Rebels will be looking to rebound from mediocre 2008 seasons, while the Ajax Rams, finalists in the tier 2 loop last season, have made the jump up to tier 1 and will round out the division.

"We're very excited. We've got a lot of guys playing this year and they are incredibly enthusiastic, especially with moving up to tier 1 this year," said Rams head coach Brad White. "We're looking forward to playing the perennial powerhouses this year. It's always good to look forward to."

At 5-2 last season, the Rams enjoyed their best season in four decades, which prompted the move up the ranks.

White knows the step up with provide a challenge but he believes the Rams will be competitive, led by the quarterbacking of Josh Beach, who has been under centre for the Rams since joining the junior team a few years back.

As for the league as a whole, White believes there will be a certain degree of parity across the board, which should lead to much better football played this season.

"It seems pretty balanced and I think we're going to see some pretty competitive games this year," he said. "There are some teams that are probably moving up in terms of their ability and becoming more equal so I think we'll see less blowouts and more competitive games coming down to the wire."

In the Hiron Division, the Trojans and Titans appear likely to be battling it out for top spot. Pickering is a contender year after year and will have the benefit of a solid group of juniors moving up the ranks from last year's championship team, while Holy Trinity returns all but two starters from its 5-1 team of last year.

Pickering's Pine Ridge Pumas will also be in the mix along with Oshawa's Eastdale Eagles, the Uxbridge Tigers and Ajax's J. Clarke Richardson Storm.

The Storm, like Ajax High, are moving into tier 1 this season and was the only team in 2008 to defeat the eventual champions from Brock.

The Tier I senior champion will advance to the Metro Bowl semi-finals while the junior champion will advance to the Ontario Regional Junior Football Championship.

The tier 2 loop will be made up of Oshawa's O'Neill Red Hawks, the Bowmanville Talons, Whitby's Sinclair Celtics, the Courtice Cougars, Bowmanville's St. Stephen's Royals and Pickering's Notre Dame Cougars.

Meanwhile, on the junior front, the Trojans, Storm, Monarchs, Rams, Pumas and Spartans will field junior teams in tier 1, while Denis O'Connor will join Clarington Central, Sinclair and St. Stephen's in the tier 2 junior division.

Sep 23, 2009

LOSSA football gets good early (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136122)
Favourites Pickering and Holy Trinity clash in Week 1 of senior schedule

DURHAM -- The LOSSA football season is going to get interesting right off the bat.

After four of the high school teams take to the gridiron in the junior division today, the senior schedule kicks off on three fronts tomorrow, including a marquee match-up between two of the preseason favourites in the Pickering Trojans of Ajax and the Holy Trinity Titans of Courtice. It's a 3 p.m. start at Holy Trinity.

Fred Zinkie, the Titans' head coach and also a LOSSA convener, is happy to start the season with such a strong test. His team, which reached the LOSSA final last season and has lost only two starters from that team, began the season with a trip to Ohio for a game prior to the start of the school year.

"Because of the trip to Ohio, we started early, so we feel pretty organized and well prepared for Week 1," Zinkie says. "We're happy to play Pickering early, and it will be a huge test. Pickering should be one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team. They always have such a good defence. I think it'll be a good measuring stick, whether we win the game or not, whether we're a contender to win the league."

To add to the excitement, the two-time defending LOSSA champion Wilson Gators of Whitby will also start with an interesting game tomorrow, against Pickering's St. Mary Monarchs under the lights at the Civic Stadium in Oshawa at 8 p.m.

While Wilson head coach Adam Papadakos expects it to be a rebuilding year for his club, the Monarchs should be much improved with the bulk of the 2007 junior championship team now in Grade 12.

Still, The Toronto Star includes Wilson along with Pickering and Holy Trinity as the senior teams to beat this season.

"It's hard to tell at this point in the season," says Papadakos, referring to his team's chances of a three-peat. "I think Pickering is going to be a powerhouse this year and Holy Trinity is certainly going to be very good and some other teams in the mix like Dwyer and Eastdale, so it's going to be a tough battle like LOSSA football always is."

Andy Carnevale, also a league convener and head coach at Oshawa's Eastdale Collegiate, certainly agrees with that assessment.

"Very competitive, extremely, terribly competitive, you use the adjective you want," he says. "No teams are weak and I think if any coaches underestimate their opponent on any given day, or if the kids do that, then they're going to be in for a sorrowful surprise."

The structure of the league will once again be comprised of two six-team senior divisions in tier 1 and one-six team division in tier 2, along with junior teams at tier 1 and 2 as well.

The tier 1 senior champion advances to the Metro Bowl semifinals, while the tier 1 junior champ goes to the Ontario Regional Junior Football Championship.

We thank both News Durham Region and the Toronto Star for their continued support of High School football in and around Durham. Visit their links for up to date information pertaining to local football.

Gators come up short of football repeat

Wilson junior team falls to Nelson in final

Wilson Gators going for rare repeat

Ontario junior football championship Wednesday against Nelson

Holy Trinity Titans run away with Metro Bowl title

Team rushes for 303 yards in 28-3 victory at Rogers Centre

Tier II football champions decided

Port Perry senior champ, Eastdale wins junior title

Gators charge back in junior football quarter-final

Wilson advances to Ontario semifinals with 35-7 win over Centennial

Nov. 23, 2010

Anderson hopes to fly high before flying out

Holy Trinity football star changes travel plans for Metro Bowl

Nov. 18, 2010

Holy Trinity Titans off to Metro Bowl

Courtice school defeats Upper Canada College in semifinals

Nov. 18, 2010

Tier Two football finals set

O'Neill and Port Perry in the junior game, Pine Ridge and Eastdale in the senior

Nov. 16, 2010

Titans take down Gators for first LOSSA football title

Holy Trinity off to Metro Bowl semifinal Thursday in North York

Nov. 16, 2010

Semifinals set in Tier II football playoffs High school teams move one step closer to final

Nov. 16, 2010

Pickering falls to Wilson in junior football final Bad third quarter leads to 50-27 loss

Nov. 11, 2010

Gators and Titans clash in LOSSA senior football final Wilson also in junior final against Pickering

Wilson Gators power their way into LOSSA final Whitby school blanks Pickering High in semis

Late comeback lifts Holy Trinity over St. Mary Titans prevail 29-28 over Monarchs

Playoff time nearing for LOSSA senior boys' football Tier one action gets underway next Tuesday

Week six LOSSA football results Wilson, Dwyer and Holy Trinity earn wins

Donald. A Wilson and Holy Trinity remain undefeated

Titans batter Rams in football doubleheader

Donald A. Wilson remains undefeated in LOSSA senior football Pickering, Holy Trinity on a roll, too

Oct 19, 2010

Titans stay perfect with win over SaintsHoly Trinity downs Dwyer 49-21 to improve to 3-0 in senior football

High School Male Athlete of the Week

Pickering wins first game of LOSSA boys' football season Complete results from week three action

Holy Trinity Titans hand Monarchs first defeat|Courtice school improves to 2-0 in senior football

Monarchs spoil Saints' celebrationPickering's St. Mary downs Oshawa's Dwyer in Week 2 of LOSSA football

Titans silence Storm in football blowout Dus scores three times as Holy Trinity opens LOSSA season with 63-0 win

Wilson, St. Mary and others pick up week one wins in LOSSA football

Holy Trinity senior football team visits Hall of Fame with trip to Ohio

LOSSA football season gets underway Wednesday

Dixon dazzles as Wilson Gators go the distance

Gators run away with junior football title

Dixon scores six TDs, piles up 471 yards as Donald Wilson claims first provincial crown

Nov 25, 2009

Whitby's Gators chomp Chargers

Posted By PAUL SVOBODA THE INTELLIGENCER

Pickering Trojans fall in Metro Bowl regional quarterfinal

Wilson Metro Bowl plans intercepted by Markham

Gallagher's heart pumps up Wilson Gators

Handing out the hardware

St. Stephen's Royals capture LOSSA football title Bowmanville school wins tier II junior championship Sunday Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/140092

St. Mary Monarchs back in LOSSA final Pickering school to meet Donald A. Wilson By Brad Kelly Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139968

Whitby's Wilson Gators going for gridiron three-peat (Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139967)Senior football team faces St. Mary Saturday at Oshawa's Civic Stadium

Whitby's Wilson Gators do it again and find a way to win on the gridiron (Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139758)Defending football champs still alive after thrilling win over Holy Trinity

St. Mary advances to LOSSA football final (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139757)| Beat Pickering 18-14 in semi

LOSSA senior football regular season wraps up (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/article/139361) Playoffs games on tap in Durham this week

Disabled athlete has confidence to succeed (http://www.thestar.com/sports/highschool/article/718400--disabled-athlete-has-confidence-to-succeed) Latrell Paris has proven that he can play football, just like his buddies.

Holy Trinity still undefeated in LOSSA senior football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/138786)Courtice school at the top of standings through Week 5

Oct 22, 2009

LOSSA football week 4 recap for Durham (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/138331) Holy Trinity prevails over St. Mary in battle of unbeaten

Oct 21, 2009

Holy Trinity Titans win battle of unbeaten (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/138155) Courtice school's senior football team improves to 4-0 with win over St. Mary

Oct 14, 2009

Huge matchups ahead in Week 4 of LOSSA football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/137653)Week 3 sees plenty of shutouts

Oct 13, 2009

Holy Trinity still perfect in LOSSA football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/article/137540) Titans to face St. Mary in battle of the undefeated Thursday

Oct 07, 2009

Holy Trinity Titans remain undefeated through Week 2 (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/137136) LOSSA football season in full swing

Oct 01, 2009

Holy Trinity Titans moving on up (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136713) Courtice school cracks top 10 of GTA senior football teams

Sep 30, 2009

Ajax Rams win big in junior football opener (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136680) Beat Dunbarton 51-20.

Sep 30, 2009

Surprises in Week 1 of LOSSA football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136576) Ajax's Pickering High and Donald A. Wilson of Whitby both lose

Semifinals set in Tier II football playoffs
High school teams move one step closer to final

Pickering falls to Wilson in junior football final
Bad third quarter leads to 50-27 loss

Gators and Titans clash in LOSSA senior football final
Wilson also in junior final against Pickering

Wilson Gators power their way into LOSSA final
Whitby school blanks Pickering High in semis

Late comeback lifts Holy Trinity over St. Mary
Titans prevail 29-28 over Monarchs

Playoff time nearing for LOSSA senior boys' football
Tier one action gets underway next Tuesday

Week six LOSSA football results
Wilson, Dwyer and Holy Trinity earn wins

Donald A. Wilson remains undefeated in LOSSA senior football
Pickering, Holy Trinity on a roll, too

Titans stay perfect with win over Saints
Holy Trinity downs Dwyer 49-21 to improve to 3-0 in senior football

Pickering wins first game of LOSSA boys' football season
Complete results from week three action

Holy Trinity Titans hand Monarchs first defeat|
Courtice school improves to 2-0 in senior football

Monarchs spoil Saints' celebration
Pickering's St. Mary downs Oshawa's Dwyer in Week 2 of LOSSA football

Titans silence Storm in football blowout
Dus scores three times as Holy Trinity opens LOSSA season with 63-0 win

St. Stephen's Royals capture LOSSA football title
Bowmanville school wins tier II junior championship Sunday
Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/140092

St. Mary Monarchs back in LOSSA final
Pickering school to meet Donald A. Wilson
By Brad Kelly
Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139968

Whitby's Wilson Gators going for gridiron three-peat (Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139967)
Senior football team faces St. Mary Saturday at Oshawa's Civic Stadium

Whitby's Wilson Gators do it again and find a way to win on the gridiron (Source: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139758)
Defending football champs still alive after thrilling win over Holy Trinity

St. Mary advances to LOSSA football final (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/139757)|
Beat Pickering 18-14 in semi

LOSSA senior football regular season wraps up (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/article/139361)
Playoffs games on tap in Durham this week

Disabled athlete has confidence to succeed (http://www.thestar.com/sports/highschool/article/718400--disabled-athlete-has-confidence-to-succeed)
Latrell Paris has proven that he can play football, just like his buddies.

LOSSA football week 4 recap for Durham (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/138331)
Holy Trinity prevails over St. Mary in battle of unbeaten

Holy Trinity Titans win battle of unbeaten (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/138155)
Courtice school's senior football team improves to 4-0 with win over St. Mary

Holy Trinity still perfect in LOSSA football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/article/137540)
Titans to face St. Mary in battle of the undefeated Thursday

Holy Trinity Titans remain undefeated through Week 2 (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/137136)
LOSSA football season in full swing

Holy Trinity Titans moving on up (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136713)
Courtice school cracks top 10 of GTA senior football teams

Ajax Rams win big in junior football opener (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136680)
Beat Dunbarton 51-20.

Surprises in Week 1 of LOSSA football (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136576)
Ajax's Pickering High and Donald A. Wilson of Whitby both lose

St. Stephen's scores first senior football win (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136562)
Bowmanville school blanks Courtice Cougars under the lights

Holy Trinity Titans take down mighty Trojans (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136535)
Courtice school posts first senior football win over Pickering

Ajax and Pickering schools ready for LOSSA football season (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136436)
Juniors started yesterday, seniors today

LOSSA football gets good early (http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/sports/highschool/article/136122)
Favourites Pickering and Holy Trinity clash in Week 1 of senior schedule