Duzgun helps Myer remain unbeaten; Eden wins

Deniz Duzgun was determined to make a successful transition to senior football from junior football with the powerful A.N. Myer Marauders program.

“He worked hard in the off-season,” Myer head coach Dave Buchanan said Thursday, after visiting Myer defeated West Niagara 31-0 in Niagara Region High School Athletics Association Tier 1 action. “We have an off-season workout program with Steve Lidstone at Brock and he bought in right from Day 1. He worked hard in the off-season and he works hard in practice.”

The 15-year-old hit the weight training with a vengeance in the off-season.

“I was consistent every day for five months straight. He was really on me about it and I couldn’t disappoint the man.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder also attacked the team’s speed training.

“At the start of the season, he told me he didn’t think I could play end because I wasn’t fast enough so I took that and said, ‘I am playing end and I am proving this guy wrong. I am going to make a difference on this team. ’ ”

The Grade 11 student has done that, including recording three sacks in the victory against West Lincoln.

“He came in from junior and he is kind of a quirky kid who has a vivacious personality but when he focuses he’s a really good player,” Buchanan said. “There’s a really big upside to him.”

He agrees it is surprising for a Grade 11 player to have a major impact on the defensive side of the ball.

“He is getting better and better and is becoming more disciplined and that’s a big part of it, learning the discipline of being at the senior level. There’s some things at junior that you don’t get away with at senior and he’s found that out at times. He has missed assignments and tried to cheat inside a little when he shouldn’t but now he is starting to learn.”

Duzgun admits getting used to senior ball was an adjustment.

“It’s a different pace and everything is different here. All the plays are more advanced and it’s tough. I came from junior where I was quite good but it was nothing like this. I instantly noticed the difference and the first game I didn’t have many tackles.”

His biggest improvement has come in his knowledge of the game.

“I understanding the plays, not going into the B gaps, holding my edges and just making more plays.”

Myer improved to 4-0 on the season with the win but Buchanan wasn’t overjoyed with his team’s performance.

“It was OK. I think we came in and we did what we had to do. We got the W but there are lots of things that we have to work on.”

He was impressed by what he saw from West Niagara.

“I do feel the same about that team as I did last year. There’s a lot of good players on that team and it is a good coaching staff. They are getting unfortunate with some things during the season where they are not winning some games which they should be winning. Part of it is just sometimes we get unlucky as teams.”

Although they didn’t score, the Wolfpack moved the ball against Myer better that any other team has this season.

“He’s a very competent quarterback, they have good receivers, I think the kid ran the ball decently and the line fought hard,” Buchanan said.

He is not overly pleased where his team is at with one game left in the regular season.

“I don’t think we are gritty enough yet. We have a good opponent next week but where that comes out is in practice. We have a short week coming up because we play Tuesday but moving forward we have to create a mindset where we are getting better in practice and working hard. Hopefully we gel at the right time because it feels like we are sputtering a bit. It will come.”

Duzgun has confidence in the Marauders.

“I honestly think we have gotten better every game and I have seen my teammates improve in every game and practice. I see everyone get more ramped up in practice and energized and we have a real OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) contender here.”

West Niagara, which had lost its previous three games by a combined seven points, fell to 0-4 on the season with the loss but head coach Zack Silverthorne had no complaints about his team’s performance.

“We moved the ball, I think Sean Northcott had a helluva game and any time they made a big play I think it was a mistake and the kid knew right away,” he said. “Our goal was to keep them in the low 30s and score and we could have scored if we kicked a field goal.”

The Wolfpack turned the ball over on downs when its QB Xavier Zatylny was knocked out of bounds at the Myer one-yard line in the third quarter.

“Overall, we are happy with our boys,” Silverthorne said. “They played their hearts out, everybody got in and it was probably our most-polished game of the season, especially defensively. We are green with one returning defender and they play like that.”

STATS PACK

Marauders 31 Wolfpack 0

Cat’s Caboose Players of the Game: Myer’s Deniz Duzgun with three sacks and West Niagara’s Sean Northcott with a strip, sack, fumble recovery and interception.

For the A.N. Myer Marauders: five-yard TD pass from Thomas Somerville to Evan Goforth; one-yard TD run by Clayton Crawford; three-yard TD run by Travis Boland; 49-yard pass from Somerville to Graham Walters; 23-yard field goal by Lucca D’Addio; Duzgun, see above.

For the West Niagara Wolfpack: Northcott, see above.

Game stats: First downs: Myer 16, WN 14. Net offence: Myer 389, WN 232. Turnovers: Myer 1, WN 3. Penalties: Myer 5 for 65 yards, WN 1 for 15 yards.

FLYERS 49 SAINTS 6

Isaac Leder scored three majors to lead the Eden Flyers senior football team to a 49-6 victory over the St. Catharines Collegiate Saints in NRHSAA Tier 2 action Thursday.

Cole Julian added a pair of touchdowns for Eden and single majors were recorded by Wesley Wiens and Brody Payne.

Eden improved to 2-1 with the win while Collegiate fell to 0-4.

For the Saints: Aerate Rehemutula had 13 carries for 63 yards; Colton Joyce had six carries for 32 yards and a TD; Clayton Mishimba had three carries for 22 yards; and, Barry Neuman had a strong game on defence.

“We have taken a step forward in protecting the ball on offence but special teams handles the ball as well. We gave up three possessions due to miscues on special teams,” coach Nathan Greene said.

He took responsibility for the mistakes.

“I tried to get touches to different players by utilizing them on kickoff and punt return but that inexperience was not fair to those I put in that position. If I did not make those coaching mistakes, 21 points come off the board.”

Collegiate’s spirits remain high.

“I was proud of squad’s effort in the last 90 seconds. We rallied in that time and put the ball in the end zone. We just need to have that mistake-free football for the rest of the game.”