Marauders capture SOSSA Bowl
The A.N. Myer senior football team provided the latest example of it requiring an entire team to win a championship.
With contributions from numerous players on both sides of the ball on a cold and rainy November afternoon, the Marauders defeated the Westmount Wildcats 12-0 to win the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association Bowl at Notre Dame.
“It was a massive team win,” Myer head coach Dave Buchanan said. “We had contributions from everybody.”
Among Buchanan’s highlights were: younger kids stepping up for injured players on defence; an injured Evan Goforth catching a long TD pass and successfully defending against a receiver 10 inches taller than him; an incredible TD pass thrown by backup quarterback Noah Walters; a grinding effort by starting quarterback Thomas Somerville, including a late TD run that sealed the victory; and, a banged up Mitch Casucci running hard at the end of the game.
Buchanan feels it is grit that makes this year’s version of the Marauders special.
“It’s off-season work and all that but we can play football a number of different ways which is probably a major difference from in the past,” he said. “In the past on a day like this it would be ‘Myer’s in trouble.’ But we showed we could run the ball, we could grind it out and our defence is special. At the end of the day, every team we have won with has had a great defence.”
That defence is led by coordinator Josh Lisi, a former player, and the offensive coordinator is Dan Pepe.
A key part of Tuesday’s win and the team’s success all season was Myer’s line play. The defensive line was fantastic and the offensive line made key blocks, especially on the final drive which went for 80 yards and ate up a good chunk of the fourth quarter.
“That team over there is a great program and we didn’t run the ball well initially but slowly and surely, when it counted most our line stepped up and we had a really good drive,” Buchanan said.
That line play has taken a step forward for Myer in the past few years.
“We have a bigger group and we do what we can with what we have. This group has been working since they came in in Grade 9 and line coach Bryce Ivanchuk has done an amazing job at developing these young men over the last four years,” he said.
A key player on that line is 5-foot-11, 280-pounder Thomas Alexander.
“He is a gritty, passionate kid who is under-sized as far as height and is kind of overlooked a little bit from a recruiting standpoint but he has been a phenomenal lineman all year and he made some huge blocks at the end,” Buchanan said.
The 17-year-old has a number of reasons for the improved line play.
“We have been keeping up the intensity and working harder. Myer is used to having one or two big guys and we might not be the tallest but we have a lot of heart, we have a lot of power and we train in the off-season really hard,” the Grade 12 student said.
That off-season regimen includes training with Steve Lidstone at Brock five days a week.
“In this past year, it has really put us a step ahead and has made us stronger which has been a weak link in the past,” Alexander said.
The motivation for the hard work came from losing its OFSAA Bowl game in 2022.
“It’s heart-breaking when you lose like that and we don’t want to feel that way again. We wanted to fight back.”
There was one particular thing about the loss that stung the most.
“Their running back ran for 250-270 yards on us and it was so hard to lose that way. It was sad,” Alexander said.
Myer’s offensive line took a lot of pride in the Marauder’s final drive Tuesday.
“It’s great to know we have the team on our back and it pushes us to the next level. It’s ‘Run behind us and we will get you there.’ It was awesome.”
Myer now advances to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ Central Bowl Nov. 28 in Windsor.
“We have to keep doing the same thing. Our defence has been killing it and as we went through the game our offence kept getting better and better,” Alexander said. “We have to keep the same energy and intensity up.”
Westmount head coach Tom Pain described the SOSSA Bowl as a hard-fought game.
“Both teams battled. They were horrible conditions but both teams put up with it and they made a couple more plays than we did when they needed to” he said. “They are an excellent team and we are an excellent football team and it is a tough way to go out.”
Pain’s squad, which went into Tuesday’s game unbeaten, has become a mainstay in the SOSSA Bowl playdowns.
“You have to learn from it and take away what we can from it. A lot of great kids played their last game for us and hats off to Myer.”
There has been no secret to Westmount’s run of success.
“It starts with the kids. They want to work hard and be a part of something,” Pain said. “They are surrounded by some excellent adults who put in the time and we all try to be better. It’s not the winning, it’s the process. The results generally take care of themselves if you do all the little things to get there.”
STATS PACK
Marauders 12 Wildcats 0
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Myer’s Evan Goforth with a 77-yard TD catch and a great day at defensive back with several knocked down passes.
For the A.N. Myer Marauders: Goforth, TD catch from Noah Walters; Thomas Somerville, 20-yard TD run; Holness D’Angelo, blocked field goal and sack; and, defence which forced four turnovers.
For the Westmount Wildcats: interception by Ryder Covello; strong running by Matthew Frketich.
Up next: A.N. Myer advances to the OFSAA Central Bowl Nov. 28 in Windsor against the South Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association champion.
