Bulldogs rally past Gryphons
Ethan Velasquez came through in the clutch for the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12B student nailed an 11-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining as the Bulldogs rallied past the Greater Fort Erie Secondary School Gryphons 23-20 in a Niagara Region High School Athletic Association senior boys Tier 1 semifinal football playoff game Thursday night at Sir Winston.
The Bulldogs now advance to the Tier 1 finals next week versus the A.N. Myer Marauders.
Velasquez’ clutch kick culminated a wild, exciting final quarter which saw the Bulldogs rally from a 20-5 deficit.
“It felt amazing, I felt amazing,” Velasquez beamed. “I’m speechless.”
Velasquez said he did not permit any negative thoughts to enter his mind as he prepared for the kick.
“It was 100 per cent from the start,” he said.
Velasquez only minutes earlier was injured after kicking the game-tying extra point following a touchdown and was down on the field for a few moments before making his way to the sidelines.
“After my kick I got a little low and defender came through and kind crunched my head,” he said. “The pain wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.”
Sir Winston coach Peter Perron gave props to his kicker.
“That was fantastic,” Perron said. “We’ve been using him all year and he’s been practising all year. He comes out and there’s days when he’s working with just a tee and punting it.
“We know we can get distance out of him, but when it’s clutch, he kept his head down and put it through the uprights.”
The Bulldogs began their comeback early in the fourth when Liam Finley scored on a quarterback sneak and then added the two-point convert on an identical play to cut the deficit to 20-13.
Following a turnover, the Bulldogs tied the game at 20-20 when Finley hit Lukas Goodbrand with a 25-yard pass with 2:07 to play.
Finley was cool as a cucumber as he engineered the drive with several short passes.
“They’re so gritty,” Finley said of the Gryphons. “The boys got to finish at the end and just we’re happy we’re going on to next week.
“Honestly, I knew the boys were going to do that from the start.”
Perron with naturally thrilled with the resiliency of his charges.
“You want to know something? I’ve been preaching all week that we don’t quit,” he said. “You choose to win. You have to show character and you have to step up.
“That fourth quarter excitement is something these kids will have a memory that they’ll never forget.”
Perron was also impressed his charges didn’t self destruct after a tough start.
“Composure was our game,” he said. “I’m trying to coach composure all season long. We had a bit of a slow start and they got ahead of us, but the thing is, if you keep persevering one play at a time, you win it. And that’s what it came down to. And it came down to big plays. Yeah, they fumbled the ball, but then we’re putting pressure on them. Their composure maybe lacked a little bit, but I’m gonna tell you something, that’s one hell of a team we played today.”
Fort Erie coach Dave Sauer was naturally disappointed with the outcome, particularly after leading early.
“Football comes down to plays. That whole drive, they just kept making plays. Good teams will (make plays) and we didn’t. And then they had the momentum on us and we were really behind the eight ball.
“It was tough. At 20-5, I thought this is good, we just have to grind it out but they made plays.”
Perron is well aware the Bulldogs will be underdogs versus the powerful Marauders, but isn’t about to concede anything.
“They’re very, very, very good,” Perron said. “I’m not going to blow any steam at my guys. This is not gonna be an easy battle. If we win by a point, I’ll be happy. If we lose by a point, I’ll be happy. But we gotta play hard against these guys. And they’re a great team. They’re well coached and they’ve got the pedigree for it, but we’re gonna play them hard.”
STATS PACK
Bulldogs 23 Gryphons 20
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Sir Winston kicker Ethan Velasquez with the winning field goal late in the fourth quarter and a 30-yard field goal earlier.
Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs: Velasquez two field goals, convert; Liam Finley touchdown, two-point convert; Lukas Goodbrand touchdown; Safety conceded.
Greater Fort Erie Gryphons: Mateo Ayala 2 touchdowns; Chad Phillips touchdown; Westen Allen 2 converts.
Up next: The Bulldogs take on the A.N. Myer Marauders next week at Myer for the NRHSAA Tier 1 championship.
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