Irish, Phoenix, Myer remain unbeaten; Simcoe/Thorold game halted
Myer beat Churchill 42-7 in senior football action last week. Photos by PETER METHNER.
The defending champion A.N. Myer Marauders senior football team clinched first place in Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 1 play Thursday with a 42-7 road victory over the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs.
Leading the way for the Marauders (3-0) were: Noah Walters with TD passes to Deniz Duzgun, Jonny Colcuc and Thomas Somerville; TD runs by Walters and Marco Angelini; solid runs by Aaron Falconer; the offensive line with a dominant game; a Pick 6 by Duzgun; Luca Valvo with two interceptions; single interceptions by Liam Armstrong, Preston Murrell, Ben Parker and Treyvon Mcneil; and, six extra points by Alessio Pingue.
“I think the first half was our best half of football from an execution and discipline standpoint. We still have to get better but I think it was a solid team performance,” Myer head coach Dave Buchanan said. “Hats off to Sir Winston for coming out fighting in the second half and playing hard which shows a lot about the staff and players.”
Scoring for the Bulldogs (2-1) was John Engel, who had a sack and fumble recovery major.
“They ran away with the game early,” Churchill coach Donnie Marshall said. “We turned the ball over too many times and weren’t able to sustain any drives to keep our defence off the field. Noah (Walters) is a heck of a quarterback who can make plays with his arm and legs, making it very difficult to defend him.”
In junior action, Myer defeated Churchill 45-0.
Contributing to the win for the Marauders were: Brett Wall with a punt return major: TD passes from Cole Stayzer to Hudson Grant, Lemuel Sraku Antwi and Benji Kolodziejczak; TD pass from Ezra Ivory to Luis Corredor; long TD run by Tyson Louis-Charles; solid running by Gabe Diaz; field goal and extra points by Sean Lawson; solid special teams coverage and smothering defence; fumble recoveries by Adam Monaghan, John Bailey and Alexander Ralston; and, an interception by Gabe Murray.
“I thought we played well in all phases. It’s a pretty talented group that needs to stay focused and work hard every week at getting better,” Buchanan said. “We seemed more disciplined this week as well.”
IRISH 52 THUNDER 0
The defending champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish senior football team improved to 3-0 in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association play Thursday with a 52-0 victory over the Blessed Trinity Thunder (1-2).
Performing well for the Irish were: Ben Tsanoff with TD runs of 12 and 30 yards and a three-yard TD pass to Trent Groulx; Everett Hemauer with a three-yard TD run; Oliver Kuebeck with an 80-yard punt return TD; Groulx with a 50-yard punt return TD; Benric Lanzar with a 40-yard TD run; and, Brodie Bevacqua with a 34-yard field goal and seven converts.
“I thought we executed well offensively but we are still making some mental mistakes. We have to cut down on the mistakes as we move toward the playoffs. Ben Tsanoff has elevated his play this year and Everett Hemauer has been very strong running the ball,” Irish head coach Tim Bisci said. “The defence has been playing strong but we just need to be a bit more clear on all our schemes. Our linebackers, Breton Pearcey, Cole Stewart, Quinten Hemauer, Dylan Correia and Liam Leterneau, have been the backbone of our defence and they continue to slow down opposition offences.”
Gritty performances were turned in by Thunder players Jake Portolesi, Anthony Faustini, Jack Szarko, Corbin Wong and Tyson Wong.
“We were completely out played by a superior team, despite keeping it close for the first quarter,” BT head coach Sean Jones said.
PHOENIX 29 PATRIOTS 7
The Saint Francis Phoenix (3-0) remained unbeaten in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association play with a 29-7 victory Wednesday over the Saint Paul Patriots (1-3).
“We continue to have a strong defence and offence with successful long passes from Cameron Mepham,” Saint Francis head coach Joe Lentini said. “Our eyes are set on defeating Notre Dame next Thursday.”
Scoring majors for the Phoenix were: Sadiekie Hayden on a 25-yard run; Keishaun Johnston on a 50-yard catch from Mepham; and, Trent Dobson and Mitchel Flook wth 25-yard TD runs.
Other highlights included: Dobson with a 40-yard catch; Hayden with a batted pass and sack; Michael Arewa with an interception; Gavin Paxton with a 50-yard run; Carter Dmytrow with a sack; Mepham with a 40-yard run; Jeffrey Kooch with a fumble recovery; Jariel Abraham with a rouge; and, Jimmy Harb and Michael Arewa with sacks.
Scoring for Saint Paul (1-3) was Calob Hardman on a 20-yard run. The extra point was kicked by Luke Berezowski.
“We struggled both offensively and defensively. Many of our drives stalled after a few first downs with our QB seeing a lot of pressure for most of the game. The Saint Paul running attack was not consistent, however, our running backs ran as well as they could,” Saint Paul had coach Rick Oreskovich said. “Defensively, we played much better in the second half, holding Saint Francis to one offensive touchdown and intercepting two of their passes. We hope to improve over our bye week in preparation for Notre Dame which is a very strong team.”
REDCOATS 17 GOLDEN EAGLES 11 (suspended)
A battle of 3-0 teams in NRHSAA Tier 2 play was halted Thursday with 7:21 left in the fourth quarter because of an injury.
The Governor Simcoe Redcoats were leading the Thorold Golden Eagles 17-11 at the time when the game was suspended.
“We don’t know what is going to happen whether they are replaying the game or what it is going to look like,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said. “Either way, both teams are going into the last week of the season pretty excited about the playoffs. Our kids are doing really well but we just have to maintain our focus and stay away from the injuries.”
Scoring for the Redcoats were: Sawyer Cotton on a two-yard run; Carter Small on a five-yard run; and, Austin Wojciechowski who booted a 30-yard field goal. Playing well on defence were Joey Moore and Lucas Landry.
“It was a very good game and a battle back and forth,” Brophy said.
Making contributions for Thorold were: Braiden Genest with a two-yard TD run; Blake Sider with a pass to Genest for a two-point convert; Tyrese Gibson and Genest ran the ball for more than 100 combined yards; Garet MacPherson booted a 30-yard field goal; Lucas Smith had an interception off of a nice pass deflection from Jack Dolch; and, Elijah Williams and Lucas Smith had fumble recoveries.
“Today (Thursday) was a much-needed test. We came out sluggish and were pushed around by Simcoe early. We were very fortunate to only be down seven at halftime. This was the first time we really had to deal with adversity and, although, I wouldn’t say we handled it well, it was a much needed learning experience and we came out the second half a better team for it,” Thorold head coach Duane Kemp said. “We are hoping to get another shot at Simcoe in the playoffs. It would be a lot of fun.”
WOLFPACK 19 COUGARS 14
The West Niagara Wolfpack (1-3) clinched the final playoff spot in the NRHSAA Tier 1 football league Wednesday with a 19-14 victory over the Centennial Cougars (0-3).
Scoring for the Wolfpack were: Alex Suntz on a one-yard run; and, TD passes by Coby Green to Kieran McDonald (nine yards) and Ben VanMaanen (12 yards). Adam Skeldon recorded a pair of sacks and Chase Hann added a solo sack for West Niagara.
“We’re happy with the win, for sure. This allows our season to continue,” West Niagara head coach Zack Silverthorne said. “The game was extremely fast. The clock never stopped running. We had the ball five times and scored three TDs. We only ran 28 plays and the next thing we knew the game was over.”
For Centennial: Noah Wellard had 145 yards passing and two TDs; Brody Marton had 65 yards rushing, 22 yards receiving and a TD; Jesse Wagar had 65 yards receiving; Dexter Hoad scored a TD; Gabe Cunningham had a two-point conversion; and, Kane Hoad, Sawyer Samms, Tristan Cassibo, Kyle Buchanan, Riley Caron, and Marton played well on defence.
“We didn’t have the strongest start. It took until the second half to find our stride and when we were finally rolling, we just ran out of time in our comeback. But we proved to ourselves that we can compete,” Centennial head coach Brad Barter said. “So far this season, this team has lived up to the characteristics of the city of Welland. We’re tough, we work hard, and most importantly, we never give up. Every game this year, not one single player has taken a rep off. They’ve given it everything they had for the team and I can’t ask for more than that. I couldn’t be prouder of this group of athletes.”
SPARTANS 30 FLYERS 0
The Westlane Spartans improved to 3-1 in NRHSAA Tier 2 action Wednesday with a 30-0 victory over the visiting Eden Flyers (1-3).
Contributing to the win for Westlane were: Matt Bowen with three TDs and 203 rushing yards; Ethan Callender with a major; Jacob Ranger with 106 yards rushing yards, six tackles and a sack; Ethan Callender with 142 rushing yards; Kian Gregory with 78 passing yards and a TD; Brysson Slade with a sack; Eren Accari with a great game; and, Logan Carruthers with a key interception.
“The defence played exceptionally well making very few errors. Our outside linebackers kept running plays from reaching the outside,” Westlane head coach Dean Mazzone said. “On offence, Abdu Muhammad had an outstanding game as a pulling guard opening holes for our running game.”
Eden head coach Bob Krzeczkowski was pleased with how his team played through the adversity of missing its starting quarterback.
“We are sticking with the idea of getting as many players involved as possible. We’ve seen a big increase in the number of players for all teams and that’s surely because of the work of Niagara Regional Minor Football. We are looking to build here.”
HORNETS 31 SAINTS 0
The Stamford Hornets improved to 1-3 in NRHSAA play Thursday with a 31-0 blanking of the St. Catharines Collegiate Saints (0-4)
No information was available from Stamford.
For the Saints: Tyson Clavel was 3-14 passing for 53 yards and 14 yards rushing; Jacob Gough had eight carries for 23 yards and two receptions for eight yards; Roman Typer had four carries for 12 yards; Bryson Peeler had two carries for seven yards; Collin McMillan had one rush for five yards; and, Lucas Hamilton had one reception for 45 yards, two sacks and four tackles for losses.
“We hung in there most of the game. It was 10-0 at halftime with two big mental mistakes that caused scores. Our front seven matches up well with all teams but we struggle with athleticism,” Collegiate head coach Nathan Greene said. “We do not have the physical literacy that is so important in this sport. For many of our boys, this is the first organized sport they have participated in. This shows on defence. We struggle taking proper pursuit angles and plays that should be marginal gains turn into long TDs. We recreate those scenarios in practice but it does not show in game play.”
Greene is proud that the school has been able to give its student/athletes a chance to have the high school football experience.
“For many, it will be highlight of their school days and for some they will see these times as the best of their lives. The memories and friendships will endure a lifetime and that is a win in every measurable way.”
