Bantam and peewee Generals victorious
The Niagara Generals bantam football team pushed its Ontario Fall Football League record to 4-0 with a dominating 48-6 victory over the Oakville Titans at Kiwanis Field.
Sam Edwards (fumble recovery) and Ethan Lewis (interception) sparked Niagara’s defence which held Oakville to only 150 yards of offence.
On offence, the Generals gained more than 500 total yards, including three long TD runs by Luis Corredor-Reyes and two more lengthy TD bursts by Ezekial Langendoen.
Also scoring for Niagara were: quarterback Benji Kolodziejczak who connected with Luke Harker for a TD catch; and, Tyson Louis-Charles, Luke Gruszewski and Brett Wall with two-point converts.
The two teams will meet again this weekend.
PEEWEE GENERALS
The Niagara Generals peewee squad eked out a tight 16-12 victory over the visiting Hamilton Junior Tiger Cats.
Jaxson Smith had a three-yard rushing touchdown to secure the come-from-behind victory for Niagara.
Also contributing big plays in the win were: Jake Brewster with an interception, a forced fumble and a 48-yard reception which put the Generals in great scoring position; and, Layken Crawford who had 58 yards rushing and a rushing major.
“This game had the fans on the edge of their seats right until the final whistle. Hats off to the Hamilton team. They came in and competed well and tested the Generals the whole game,” Niagara coach Cliff Miller said.
Both teams went into the game unbeaten.
“I feel like my boys needed a game like this to make them experience how it is to be in a battle with a tough opponent and that not every victory will be a blowout. I think they handled the pressure pretty well with all things considered,” he said. “We had some injuries that kept some players sidelined for a decent amount of plays. My quarterback, Sawyer Grant, kept his composure in the final drive and all the boys rallied around him and made sure they executed the big plays when it mattered and it paid off.”
Niagara host Waterloo this weekend.
“I am very optimistic about this team as we approach the final two games of the season and head into the playoffs,” Miller said.
ATOM GENERALS
The Niagara Generals atom squad dropped a 31-14 decision to the Guelph Gryphons.
Niagara went into the half trailing 24-0.
“Our guys struggled to stop the run on fourth down and ultimately allowed Guelph to score on all their drives in the first half. Offensively, our guys moved the ball well but failed to convert any of the first-half drives into touchdowns,” Niagara coach Andrew Lewis said.
In the second half, Niagara scored on a great run by Luc Vachon. Following that drive, the Generals’ defence came up big and forced a fumble on Guelph’s 25-yard line. Niagara capitalized for a TD on a trick play led by Eli McLean to cut the lead to 24-14 but that is as close as the Generals would get.
“I felt like our guys were well prepared for this game. Unfortunately, we were just outplayed by a very good Gryphons team. They executed when it mattered and unfortunately we didn’t have an answer,” he said. “The coaches and I will spend some time reviewing where we fell short and ensure our guys are ready to face Waterloo next Saturday.”
