Irish capture SOSSA Bowl
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish senior football team won its second SOSSA Bowl in the past three years thanks to a 28-13 victory over the Westmount Wildcats Tuesday. Photo by PETER METHNER.
For the second straight year, Notre Dame’s Jacob Succar was named the offensive MVP of the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior football league.
Playing the Westmount Warriors Tuesday in the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association Bowl at McMaster University, the Grade 12 player showed he is pretty good at playing defence as well. In addition to scoring a rushing touchdown, the free safety had an interception, a blocked convert and several big hits, especially one on Westmount quarterback Seth Cabezas in the fourth quarter that helped propel the Irish to a 28-13 victory.
“I know defence wins championships and I knew that it would play a big part because offensively, we couldn’t get going today,” Succar said. “Defensively we were able to do what we needed to do to win.”
Succar wanted to add defence to his job description this season after mostly playing offence in 2018.
“I wanted to become more of a leader and defensively we needed leaders,” he said. “When a team falls apart, you need to be able to bring it back.”
Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci was pleased with how well Succar played defensively.
“At the end of the day, it’s just guys willing themselves to play,” he said. “He’s banged up a little, but we have eight days off to our next game and guys like him have to ice up and get healthy.”
Bisci feels it’s Succar’s athleticism that makes him a special player.
“He comes in and plays and you don’t think he is that big, but he runs you over and then he puts a move on you,” he said. “He does all the little things and he has come a long way on defence.”
Bisci has been impressed with how Succar has taken to free safety.
“He’s making calls, he’s checking defences, he has figured out the game and that is helping him along the way.”
Succar’s play fits right in with the Irish’s personnel.
“We are a big, physical team and a guy like him, who doesn’t look that big, is going to bring it too and all the kids did that today.”
Bisci was a little worried about his team being able to focus on the Westmount game.
“Coming off the Myer win, that was such a high for them because it’s a big deal to win the Niagara championship,” he said. “It’s tough to get motivated five days later, but our kids did a good job to do it.
“We had to make a lot of adjustments and we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this team and they did some things we didn’t expect.”
Westmount hung tough with the Irish all game, but Notre Dame never lost its composure.
“We get frazzled a little bit, but it’s almost like our kids are aloof at times,” Bisci said. “They don’t seem to understand the pressure that they should have. And it’s worked because we are at 10 wins.”
Bisci would love to be the first senior football team in the history of Notre Dame to end the season with 11 victories.
“We have some unfinished business if you want to call it that, but we want to get to 11 wins,” he said.
Irish middle linebacker Zack Melnyk likes the sound of that goal.
“It definitely holds some water but we are just looking to win the game and win OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations bowl game),” the 12B student said.
He feels the Irish have what to takes to run the table and end the year with an 11-0 record.
“We are a tight-knit group with an extremely hard work ethic and we have a common shared goal that we are fighting for,” Melnyk said. “We have one game left to accomplish that goal.”
Westmount came into the game with a perfect 7-0 record and they gave the Irish a good fight.
“It was a physical, hard-fought battle between two good teams,” Westmount head coach Tom Pain said. “They have some good athletes and they were bigger than any team we faced, but our guys hung tough and played hard right until the end.”
The Wildcats cut the lead to 21-13 midway through the fourth quarter, but the Irish responded with a touchdown of their own and then forced Westmount to turn the ball over on downs at midfield on its next possession.
“It was 28-13 but I think it was more of a one-score game, but it is what it is,” Pain said.
Westmount managed more offence than Notre Dame but failed to convert on a couple of good chances, most notably a first and goal from Notre Dame’s 10-yard line in the fourth quarter.
“It was a tough game, but the good news is both teams get to go on to the next round which is good and I hope that everyone is coming out healthy,” Pain said.
Melnyk credited Westmount with giving Notre Dame a tough game.
“They are a hard-nosed team, they ran the ball well and they showed us some sets that we weren’t fully expecting,” he said. “But we adjusted very well and the coaches made great decisions that put us in a position to win.”
STATS PACK
Irish 28 Wildcats 13
Johnny Rocco’s/Cracker Jack’s/Mick and Angelo’s Player of the Game: Notre Dame’s Jacob Succar with a three-yard TD run, interception, convert block and several big hits on defence.
For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Succar, TD: Owen Tofano, 21-yard TD pass from Hunter Cropper and interception; Zack Melnyk, two-yard TD pass from Cropper; Jared Tessier, four-yard TD run; Cole Smith, four converts; Gerrid Holton, sack and several tackles for losses.
For the Westmount Wildcats: Two-yard QB keeper for TD by Seth Cabezas; eight-yard TD run by Kyle Nalepa.
Game stats: First downs: Irish 15, Wildcats 14. Net offence: Irish 241, Wildcats 282. Turnovers: Irish 0, Wildcats 4. Penalties: Irish 7 for 50 yards, Wildcats 9 for 68 yards.
Up next: Notre Dame will play the Chaminade Gryphons in the Metro Bowl next Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University.
