Minor football teams sweep weekend play
It was a perfect weekend for Niagara minor football travel teams.
The peewee Generals defeated the Peterborough Wolverines 56-22, the atom Generals blanked the Durham Dolphins 47-0 and the Niagara Raiders bantam squad recorded a 45-20 victory over the Mississauga Huskies.
PEEWEE GENERALS 56 WOLVERINES 22
The Niagara Generals advanced to the Ontario Summer Football League semifinals with a big win over Peterborough.
“What can I say? These boys are playing their hearts out and are getting hot at the right time of the season in the playoffs. Players like Austin McKinnon and Aric Boon are stepping up and filling in their roles on the team, the O-line is blocking well and the D-line is putting pressure on the QB and ball carriers,” coach Cliff Miller said. “The whole team has been working hard and us coaches are really proud. This week will be the rematch everyone is waiting for with a tough Waterloo team on the road. All I can say is get your popcorn ready folks.”
Leading the way for the Generals were: Liam Cook with 10 tackles; Layken Crawford with 97 rushing yards and a TD; Sawyer Grant with 200 yards passing and three majors; Jaxson Smith with 50 yards of offence and one TD; and, Ronin Weins with 168 all-purpose and three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.
ATOM GENERALS 47 DOLPHINS 0
The Niagara Generals atom squad opened the playoffs with a big shutout victory over Durham.
“Today’s game was a great display of what our team is capable of when everyone executes at their position. I believe if we can continue this type of play and continue to grow as players and coaches our team is capable of sustaining a winning culture,” coach Andrew Lewis said. “The Generals will be on the road next weekend to take on the Mississauga Huskies.”
The Generals started off with a first drive major scored by Matthias Aparicio which really set the tone for the game.
“Although we scored a lot of points, the defence really made that possible, stopping the Dolphins on every drive and most of the time for a loss of yards,” he said. “I was very impressed by their performance today. There truly wasn’t one player you could pick and say they lead the way. The whole defensive unit came to play and the scoreboard reflected that.”
The offence was lead by Eli McLean, Luc Vachon and Jorge Corredor Reyes, who not only recorded points but also displayed exceptional blocking throughout the entire game.
“These athletes are truly something to watch and I am so proud to watch how much they have developed over the season,” Miller said. “The way they delivered blocks today was the sole reason our offence was able to have so much success. Another notable mention is how well Christian Lewis ran the ball. He had the Dolphins defence running all over the field trying to stop him.”
Lewis finished the day with two touchdowns and over 200 rushing yards.
BANTAM RAIDERS 45 HUSKIES 20
The Niagara Raiders bantam football team remained unbeaten with a 45-20 victory over Mississauga.
“I keep saying this every week but wow this team looks great, strong and ready to play any team that comes our way,” coach Daniel Federico said. “The defence and the offence both look strong and experienced enough to take the next step.”
Rudy Sommerville connected with Adrian Ferro two times for touchdowns. Sommerville stole the show as he went 5-6 passing for 210 yards and three TD passes. He also added a 47-yard TD run. Ferro has 120 receiving yards and added 45 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ferro filled up the stat sheet with two quarterback sacks and four tackles. Isaac Hiebert also had a great game and recorded the team’s first defensive touchdown of the year with a strip and fumble recovery.
“One of the strongest performances I’ve seen the team play yet,” coach Andrew Conte said of the defence’s performance.
The Raiders have a bye this week.
