Spears' rally comes up short | BP Sports Niagara

Niagara Spears varsity head coach Brian Duguay remains optimistic and undeterred, even after his team lost its third game in four starts this season Saturday night at Kiwanis Field.

The Spears dropped a 20-19 decision to the undefeated Hamilton Jr. TiCats to fall to 1-3 in Ontario Summer Football League U18 action, but Duguay is confident the team is headed the right direction.

“I love the progression,” Duguay said. “I told these guys after Week 2 this team reminds me of the team that we went to the championship with. We lost our first game and then we came back and ran the table and went to the championship and this team reminds me of that.

“They just have to dig in harder. We have to win all three aspects of the game. We just can’t win the offence or defence. Special teams is important.”

Indeed, the Spears messed up two punts formations Saturday which directly resulted in a pair of quick scores for the TiCats. Toss in a missed extra point and the special teams did not have a memorable night.

“At the end of the game when you lose by one point it comes back and beats you,” Duguay said.

The other side of the coin saw the Spears’ defence, led by Nick Jubenville, Noah Kugler and Ryan Broome, more than hold up their end.

“Our defence all year . . . we have given up 57 points in four games,” Duguay said. “The offence has to put the ball in the end zone to help the defence and that’s what the kids did today. The offence kept the defence off the field for a long time but when we needed the defence to come on the field and stop the plays and get the turnovers, they did a great job.”

The Spears moved the ball effectively, particularly in the second half.

Quarterback Matt Murray was 11-22 for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 43-yard pass to Joe Martinelli.

“He’s young and he’s done really well,” Duguay said of Martinelli. “He’s got some nice hands and some nice speed. Him and Angel (Diaz) play well together. They run nice routes and have nice hands for the quarterback.”

Martinelli, a 16-year-old, Grade 11 student at Holy Cross, was back in action after missing the last two weeks with a concussion.

“It was hard,” Martinelli said. “I was on the sidelines as much as I can and we have other guys who can fill in. We have a good receiving corps. We just have to execute.”

Martinelli suffered the injury when he was kneed in the head on a jump ball.

“I was definitely worried, especially my parents. It’s scary,” he said. “My eyes were blurring. I couldn’t even tell where I was.”

Martinelli saw a doctor and spent a couple of weeks just “eating, sleeping and resting.”

The Spears fell behind 17-0 early and were down 17-2 at the half before narrowing the gap to 20-9 after three and then scoring another major in the fourth quarter. The Ti-Cats purposely gave up three safeties in the game.

“We came back strong, especially against a team where we were the underdogs. It’s heartbreaking. A one-point loss,” Martinelli said.

Duguay had no complaints with the effort.

“You can’t blame the kids. They fought hard the whole game. We played a good game.”

STATS PACK

TiCats 20 Spears 19

BPSN Player of the Game: Niagara’s Nick Jubenville with seven solo tackles and two assist tackles.

For the Niagara Spears: Matt Murray, 11-22 for 125 yards and a pair of TD passes; Wesley Weins, 40-yard reception; Ethan Krick, four receptions for 20 yards; Elijah Jama, one-yard TD run; Sam Kramar, convert; Jubenville, seven solo tackles, two assist tackles; Noah Kugler, three solo tackles, two assist tackles; Ryan Broome, two solo tackles, one sack; three safeties by defence.

For the Hamilton Jr. TiCats: Taylor Hudson TD; Mathew Frketich TD: Fran Romano, two field goals, two converts.

Up next: The Spears are at Brampton Saturday, June 15 and Cambridge Saturday, June 22 before returning home to host Oakville Saturday, June 29.

Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,000 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.