Redcoats clinch first; Thorold eyes second
The road to the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 2 football championship will go through the home field of Governor Simcoe Redcoats.
Simcoe clinched first place and a first-round bye last week with a 31-7 victory over the Eden Flyers (3-2).
“Home field advantage is huge for us,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said. “We have had great support at our games and looking forward to finishing the season by getting some younger and inexperienced players some valuable game time.”
The Redcoats will conclude their regular season next Monday with a home game versus Stamford.
Contributing to the win for Simcoe were: Cole Harpwood with a two-yard TD run: Sam Wilson with 20-yard and five-yard rushing majors; Noah Budgell with a quarterback sneak for a score; the defence recorded a safety; and, there was a rouge kicked by Aidan Mitchell.
“The team played well on both sides of the ball,” Brophy said. “Offensively we moved the ball with a number of different players which made it tough for Eden to focus on anyone specific. The defence made key tackles throughout the game and forced turnovers.”
For Eden: Wes Wiens scored on a two-yard run; Benn Enns passed for 110 yards, including completions to Brody Payne, Wiens, Carter Bartel and Luke Gruszewski; defensive standouts were Steven Karanfilis, Quinn Snoei, Charles Krzeczkowski, Jackson Denney, Cole Julian, Calvin Schouten, Sean Kelly and Trevor Boothman; and, Graham Reid, Tim Euchler, Mika Volmer, Yianni Korois, Dylan Sripraset stepped up to fill holes caused by injuries.
“We passed the ball well but we were really hurt by a short bench and a couple of early injuries. We got off to a very slow start but managed to get back in the game by the half (16-7),” Eden head coach Bob Krzeczkowski said. “Simcoe is a very good team and the guys that filled in showed a lot of grit and character, but we got to the point where we just couldn’t matchup anymore. Despite the loss we still celebrated at the end of the game and sang happy birthday to two of our guys, Nathan Lambert and Stephan Karanfilis.”
GOLDEN EAGLES 50 SAINTS 7
The Thorold Golden Eagles improved to 3-2 in NRHSAA Tier 2 action with a 50-7 victory over the St. Catharines Collegiate Saints (0-5).
“I’m very pleased with the result. We were able to take care of business with lots of playing time for all,” Thorold head coach Duane Kemp said. “We will refocus on Monday for rematch with Eden on Wednesday.”
The winner of Wednesday’s game will clinch second place and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Leading the way for the Golden Eagles were: Garet MacPherson with TD runs of 90 and 30 yards and four converts; Lucas Smith with a 95-yard return for TD; Braiden Genest and Tyrese Gibson with rushing majors; Owen Haywood with a TD reception from Kaleb Locatelli; and, Tyrel Walter with a 45-yard TD reception from Blake Sider.
For Collegiate: Jacob Gough had 14 runs for 87 yards and a TD; and, Austin Wojciechowski had two booming punts and a convert.
“A lack of grit is holding us back. I asked our team to make an honest assessment of each player’s effort level. We do not have the horses to just cruise through games. We need all 12 players on the field to give maximum effort,” Collegiate head coach Nathan Greene said. “A first-time running back Jacob Gough ran his heart out. That’s a good place to start. Next week’s game versus Stamford will decide who goes on to the playoffs. My hope is that playing for our football lives will bring a new level of toughness.”
TIER 1 FINAL
The defending champion A.N. Myer Marauders will host the Centennial Cougars Friday at 12:30 p.m. in the NRHSAA Tier 1 championship game.
The winner advances to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association semifinals on Nov. 15 where it will play the second entry from the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association.
NCAA SEMIFINALS
The NCAA semifinals will be played Thursday.
Notre Dame will host Saint Paul at 2 p.m. and Blessed Trinity and Saint Michael will play at 2:30 p.m. at Kiwanis Field.
The winners of both semifinals will advance to the finals and earn a spot in the SOSSA semifinals Nov. 15.
