Bulldogs’ luck runs out in SOSSA semifinals
The Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs senior football team’s season of dramatic comebacks came to an end Thursday with a 41-2 loss to the Westmount Wildcats in the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association semifinals at A.N. Myer.
The Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 1 champions were making their first-ever appearance in the SOSSA playdowns.
“We didn’t come out as well as we could have. We were lethargic today in my opinion,” Churchill head coach Peter Perron said. “There were moments where we shone, especially in the second half when we decided to make some plays and did. That was fantastic but the better team beat us today.”
The best part of Churchill’s game Thursday was the play of its defence.
“Our defence played really well and they kept us in the game as best they could. The offence was not firing on all cylinders but it was a first-time experience for us and my expectations are that next year the team will do ever better,” he said.
Getting a taste of SOSSA is important for any team looking to qualify for an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations bowl game.
“The thing is that we do try to play one game at a time and play smart but this was a good experience for us and the kids were obviously disappointed. We pulled some comebacks in the last couple weeks but this team stayed consistent against us and it teaches us a lesson. For the ones coming back and those coming up, it is an opportunity to learn,” Perron said.
The biggest lesson is perseverance.
“We have to keep working in practice at getting better and sometimes it doesn’t come easy but by hard work you get better and better. It’s learning to become a better football player by football IQ, conditioning and everything along those lines.”
Perron expects to have plenty to work with again in 2025.
“Our 11s are really strong, our Grade 10s coming up are strong and a lot of our Grade 12s are coming back. We will be as strong if not better. Anyone who has a lot of 12Bs is going to do really well.”
Westmount, who lost 12-0 to A.N. Myer in last year’s SOSSA Bowl after knocking off the Saint Michael Mustangs in the semifinals, has another strong team this season.
“I thought we did well but we had a lot of breaks go our way today in the first half which was fortunate,” Westmount head coach Tom Pain said. “It was a good team we faced and I think time off hurts high school teams and they had a huge win in their city final. They are a quality football team, they are well-coached and our guys played well. They were disciplined, focused and ready to go and we’re excited about the opportunities in front of us.”
The two biggest breaks came in the second quarter when a Churchill defensive back tipped the ball into the hands of a Westmount receiver in the end zone to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the Westmount kicker booted a line drive that bounced off a Churchill special teams player 30 yards back into the hands of a Westmount player. Four plays later, a 13-yard TD pass gave the Wildcats a 21-0 lead.
“You have to be good to be lucky and it’s nice to be lucky because we haven’t had those all year. It was unfortunate for the other team and it was the turning point,” Pain said.
Westmount’s coach also pointed to a Pick 6 by Jacob Pietrantonio in the third quarter that snuffed a promising Churchill drive and made the score 28-2.
“They had the momentum and we knew in the second half that they would come back. They came back in the semifinal and they came back in the final and we knew they weren’t going to quit,” Pain said. “That team is used to coming back, we came out flat and they had all the momentum.”
STATS PACK
Wildcats 41 Bulldogs 2
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Westmount’s quarterback Colin Denkers with four TD passes.
For the Westmount Wildcats: TD passes by Denkers to Jahkeem Irons (34 yards and 13 yards), Brock Phillipe-Daniel (18 yards) and Zach Pain (18 yards); two interceptions by Jacob Pietrantonio, including a 65-yard Pick 6; five-yard TD run by Austin Gauthier; sack by Keenan Cornelius; fumble recovery by Irons.
For the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs: punt block and several tackles by Ty Kostyniuk.
Game stats: First downs: Wildcats 17, Bulldogs 7. Net offensive yards: Wildcats 353, Bulldogs 144. Turnovers: Wildcats 1, Bulldogs 6. Penalties: Wildcats 12 for 95 yards, Bulldogs 6 for 45 yards.
Up next: Westmount advances to the SOSSA Bowl next Tuesday at 5 p.m. at A.N. Myer against Myer.
