Tier 1 and 2 football playoffs set
Biceps muscled the Eden Flyers into the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 2 senior football playoffs Friday afternoon at Eden.
Nicknamed Biceps for the size of his arms honed by working out at a nearby gym on his spare — he benches 265 pounds, deadlifts 405 pounds and squats 330 pounds — Stephen Karanfilis was a one-man wrecking crew helping the Flyers (2-3) clinch the last playoff spot with a 21-7 win over the the improving Stamford Hornets (1-4).
The Grade 12 student’s play in the first half allowed the Flyers to go into the half tied 7-7 before they pulled out the win with a pair of touchdowns. The 16-year-old had a fumble recovery and countless tackles in a dominating half for Eden.
“Stephen kept us in the game with some very good, open field, solo tackles out there. He showed a lot of desire to play and he really came through for us,” Eden head coach Bob Krzeczkowski said. “A lot of the kids saw that going on and realized that they had to start doing something to. He is a tenacious player and he works extremely hard in the game. He’s a gamer.”
Karanfilis was not to be denied Friday.
“I was thinking that it was either us or them. It was them going to the playoffs or us going to the playoffs and that’s all I was thinking about. I couldn’t let this be my last game playing football so I had to put 100 per cent effort in.
The Grade 12 student wrestled and played rugby at Eden before his friends urged him to come out and play football for the first time in Grade 11.
“It’s a fun game and very similar to rugby so I thought I would give it a try,” he said. “I hadn’t even watched any football. The day after I joined the team in Grade 11 I was looking up a bunch of O line stuff because they originally wanted to put me on the O line. Harry (Harrison Krause) told them that I played rugby and could tackle so they decided to put me as linebacker.”
It was a wise choice.
Krzeczkowski eventually likęd how his team played Friday.
“We started really slowly and in the second half, some players decided to step up and play. We came off three tough losses in a row so we were little down for the first part of the game but then we seemed to find a rhythm as the second half progressed.”
The Flyers will now play unbeaten Governor Simcoe in next week’s semifinals.
“What we have been trying to do throughout the whole season is get as many kids involved as possible. We are really hoping by the end of the year we could see it pay off,” Krzeczkowski said. “We’re trying to play a lot of kids here, hopefully we will have a good week of practice and you never know what is going to happen.”
STATS PACK
Flyers 21 Hornets 7
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Eden linebacker Stephen Karanfilis with a great game on defence.
For the Eden Flyers: 15-yard TD run by Brody Payne; 41-yard TD pass from Graham Reid to Cole Julian; six-yard TD pass from Reid to Payne; fumble recovery by Trevor Boothman; fumble recovery by Tanner Loranger; and, sack by Brenden Edwards.
For the Stamford Hornets: 80-yard TD run by Yousef Hamarsheh; two sacks by Dominic Hunter; and, a sack, strip and fumble recovery by Tayshawn Johnson.
Game stats: First downs: Eden 9, Stamford 6. Net offensive yards: Eden 250, Stamford 164. Turnovers: Eden 3, Stamford 5. Penalties: Eden 8 for 75 yards, Stamford 5 for 45 yards.
REDCOATS 29 SAINTS 0
The visiting Governor Simcoe Redcoats (5-0) showed off their depth Friday afternoon and recorded a 29-0 victory over the St. Catharines Collegiate Saints (0-5).
Contributing to the win for the Redcoats were: Gibson Howes with a 10-yard TD run; Ewan Henderson with a 65-yard TD run; Calum Moore with a one-yard TD run; Jayden Witherspoon with a 14-yard TD run; and, Mike Eller with a sack.
“It was great for us to get a lot of players in. When these kids get the opportunity, it’s amazing to see some kids embrace it. Some kids who haven’t got a lot of playing time were able to prove that we have even more depth which is fantastic,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said.
Simcoe will now meet Eden in the semifinals.
“I am super excited and I’m hoping to have Carter Small back which would make a huge difference. He is a vital part of our team,” he said. “It will be a great game and we are looking forward to it. They are a great team.”
For Collegiate, the season was about overcoming challenges.
“Whenever you have a roster of 21 players, you have to get the most out of them. They also have to be willing to understand that we don’t 12 people on offence, 12 people on defence and 12 people on special teams and we really have to get everyone in the mindset that we have to outwork everybody else on every play. They had to have the mindset that there are no breaks,” Collegiate coach Arty Martin said.
That isn’t easy.
“It is super challenging for these kids. They don’t necessarily have the confidence always to get it done so you have to be in their corner championing for them but also driving that wheel of production to make things work and get them excited.”
That excitement is key to the process.
“It is not always about the Xs and Os. It’s a lot about asking how life is and we saw the results on the football field,” Martin said. “We were one of the most penalized teams in the league last year and this year we had zero objectionable conduct penalties and three URs (unnecessary roughness penalties).”
Martin and the rest of the coaching staff are hoping they can continue to build the program.
“It’s about creating that excitement and momentum. Football teaches a lot about people. It takes a lot of dedication and it isn’t a sport where you can have a practice and a game. It’s four or five practices, then the game and you have to be willing to outwork the other team for four quarters. We really want to make sure we are building excitement in the program so that when they come back they are getting the best opportunity to try and succeed.”
BULLDOGS 24 GRYPHONS 14
The visiting Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs (3-1) senior football team rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit Thursday to record a 24-14 victory over the Greater Fort Erie Gryphons (2-2) in NRHSAA Tier 1 football play.
With the win, the Bulldogs will host GFESS in next week’s semifinals.
“Our defence played outstanding in the second half. Offensively we moved the ball well all game but shot ourselves in the foot a few times in the first half,” Churchill coach Donnie Marshall said. “They are a tough team and they always play physical but I think we played our best game so far this year. We are really proud of the guys for battling back in the second half.”
Leading the way for the Gryphons were: Liam Finley who scored on a QB sneak; Cole Lewis
who scored on the 20-yard pass from Finley; and, Corey Witter who scored on a big 40-yard run and contributed more than 100 yards of offence.
For the Gryphons, Cole Hilmayer scored on a 50-yard run and Nwayne Grant aded a major with a 45-yard run.
“Tough loss for us. Mental mistakes and unnecessary penalties really hurt us. Churchill came to play. In a tough close game, the little things matter,” GFESS head coach Dave Sauer said. “They made more big plays than us. Next week we need to improve on our assignments and execution. It should be another tough game coming down to who is going to make the big plays.”
MARAUDERS 57 COUGARS 0
The A.N. Myer Marauders senior football team (4-0) completed another unbeaten NRHSAA Tier 1 season Thursday with a 57-0 victory over the Centennial Cougars (0-4).
Noah Walters led the way for Myer with seven TD passes, including scoring strikes to Thomas Somerville (2), Jarred Cappa, Deniz Duzgun, Travis Boland, Ben Parker and Aaron Falconer. Walters added a running major for the Marauders and Alessio Pingue booted the extra points. On defence, Myer had an interception from Ben Parker and a fumble recovery by Cade Ivanchuk.
“Team effort as many players played and contributed to the win,” Myer head coach Dave Buchanan said.
For Centennial: Noah Wellard had 41 yards rushing; Brody Marton had 45 yards rushing; Jesse Wagar had three receptions; Zander Haywood had four passes defended; Kyle Buchanan had solid edge rushing play; Sawyer Samms and Tristan Cassibo played well on offence and defence all game; Lukas Biggar and Marco Reyes were solid on defence; and, Lucas Dewitt contributed excellent defensive and special teams play.
Below is Centennial head coach Brad Barter’s look back on the season:
“All season we’ve been punching above our weight class. And regardless of what the scoreboard said in any game this year, our team has never quit. We could have a player trying to tackle a guy double their size and they wouldn’t blink at it. They went and tried to make the tackle, got back up, and do it again on the very next play. We may not have the biggest players. We may not have the strongest players. But boy do we ever have the toughest players. In every facet this season, both mentally and physically, our team stepped up and proved their toughness and the never quit philosophy. We can coach players to do a lot of things. Perseverance, toughness, and respect aren’t things you can teach, that’s your upbringing, that’s your family culture, and we have that by the boatload. Our captains, Noah (Wellard), Sawyer (Samms), Brody (Martin) and Kane (Hoad) exemplified those three characteristics all season long and it motivated the rest of the team. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of four young men to captain this team. I’m proud of those guys. Heck, Zander (Haywood) had a hand injury Period 2 one day and was back at practice after school, stitches and all. That’s tough. For the team as a whole, it would be like choosing my favourite kid to name who improved the most this season. (Lukas) Biggar stepped up huge tonight. Took some big hits, got back up and got back in the fight. He demonstrated next-level toughness tonight. Brody (Martin) played with a grit that I can’t describe. He laid some hits out there, both on offence and defence, that should have gotten him noticed. I can’t say enough good things about Kyle (Buchanan). That young man is a gentleman off the field but on the field, he’s a monster. He’s really found his own this season. I really hope he gets noticed after tonight. Sawyer (Samms), same thing. Expert leadership, technique, and is an amazing teammate to everyone on the frontlines. Sawyer has experience beyond his years. That young man is a special player. And I can’t end this without talking about Noah (Wellard), he took a lot of big hits tonight. One thing he didn’t do, quit. That young man is probably the toughest player I’ve coached and I don’t think he knows the definition of quit. He’s got the football IQ, the grit, and the Welland toughness in him. He’s a helluva athlete. We don’t know what next season holds for us, but I’m excited to be a part of the group that puts us on a competitive path going forward and to work towards the success that our football program is capable of. I got a little teary when I spoke at the end of the game of how proud I was of our ability to pick each other up, dust them off, and then move on to the next play. Things might not have gone perfectly. Errors were made. Opportunities were missed. But at the end of the day, this team came together as the truest definition. They came together as a team and took on everything as one. I love this team.”
MYER JUNIORS 42 SPARTANS 6
Myer defeated Westlane 42-6 in junior action.
Contributing to the win were: Ezra Ivory with TD passes to Lemuel Staking-Antwi, Brett Wall and Gabe Murray; TD pass from Cole Stayzer to Tyson Louise-Charles; fumble recoveries recovery by Lemuel; fumble recovery for TD by Jack Buckland; and, extra points by Sean Lawson.
