Redcoats roll in Tier 2 opener
The Governor Simcoe Redcoats started the Tier 2 Niagara Region High School Athletic Association senior football season Thursday the same way they ended it in 2023.
Simcoe went undefeated against Tier 2 opposition last year before knocking off Tier 1 Westlane 32-6 in the Tier 2 semifinals and falling 22-1 to Tier 1 West Niagara in the final.
Playing the Westlane Spartans, who have dropped down to Tier 2, on their home field, the visiting Redcoats rolled to an impressive 28-0 victory. Leading 7-0 at the half, Simcoe put the game away with three unanswered majors in the second half.
“It was great. We have a lot of returning players but we have a lot of new kids as well so it is just trying to get them all to jell,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said. “We are super excited with the numbers that we have this year which is fantastic. We came out and stuttered a little bit at the beginning but picking it up in the second half was fantastic.”
Simcoe has 65 players on its roster and the squad has high expectations for the season.
“We didn’t lose to any Tier 2 teams last year and we played tough all season,” he said. “With the small schools you never know what you are going to get. Schools can get kids in and turn their program around and we have been very lucky with ours. We are looking towards the playoffs and taking it game by game from there.”
Staying healthy will be key to the team’s success.
“That’s the big thing. We have got great leadership with our senior players and they are setting the tone. They are great kids on and off the field,” Brophy said.
Key players on the Redcoats this season will be: quarterback Noah Budgell; wide receiver/safety Carter Small; linebacker/fullback Ed Palumbo; linemen Joey Moore and Lucas Landry; running back/corner Cole Harpwood; and, halfback/lineman Carter Yates.
“We have a lot of really good kids and I am probably missing some of the other ones, but a lot of kids will contribute.”
Westlane head coach Dean Mazzone was disappointed in his team’s performance Thursday.
“We did not execute and they executed. They are a very good team and we have a lot of work to do. Our conditioning was poor and we will get better at that,” he said. “We expected a good game from them and we got that but we made more mistakes that they did. We have to eliminate those mistakes.”
The Redcoats are a great measuring stick for any Tier 2 team hoping to make noise late in the season.
“We played them last year and there was nothing different that they did.”
The Spartans felt it was wise to return to the Tier 2 level last season after struggling in Tier 1 in 2023.
“It is where we are right now with our players and our whole program. We had to reset and going down to D2 is resetting,” Mazzone said. “Hopefully we can be back in D1 soon.”
Key players for Westlane this season will be: receiver Cam Parlee; running back/linebacker Jacob Ranger; linebacker Owen Lemoine; quarterback Kian Gregory; linebacker Ryan Dionne; receiver Ethan Callender; corner Spencer Kennedy; Kohen Majid; and linemen Shaan Patel, Alex Bouck and Abdu Muhmmad.
STATS PACK
Redcoats 28 Spartans 0
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Simcoe’s Carter Small with TD catches of 31 and 82 yards from Noah Budgell, an interception and a 70-yard punt return.
For the Governor Simcoe Redcoats: two TD passes from Budgell to Small; five-yard TD run by Cameron Coleman; 25-yard TD run by Chad Behrmuler; interceptions by Small, Carter Yates and Cole Harpwood; and, Joey Moore with a sack, batted ball and a tackle to create a turnover on downs.
For the Westlane Spartans: sack by Ryan Dionne and a fumble recovery by Owen Lemoine.
