Tier 2 football playoffs set
Remy Gavanac scored on touchdown runs of 30 and 50 yards to lead the Governor Simcoe Redcoats to a 28-7 victory over the Eden Flyers Wednesday in Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 2 football action.
Also contributing to the Simcoe win were: Mason MacEachern, 20-yard TD pass from Andrew Scott; Ricky Cuthbert, fumble recovery in end zone after blocked punt from Eric Wilson; and, Maddie Roberts, three converts.
For Eden: Will Bonner had a two-yard TD run; Charlie Edgar picked off a pass; Frank Martens recorded a sack; and, Stuart Huebert and Frank Martens combined on another sack.
Governor Simcoe finished 4-2 in regular-season play and will receive a first-round bye in the playoffs along with first-place Thorold (6-0). Next week in quarter-final action, third-place Eden (2-4) will host Grimsby (0-5 in Tier 1 play) and fourth-place St. Catharines Collegiate (0-6) will host Welland Centennial (1-4 in Tier 1 play).
The Redcoats are looking forward to their bye week.
“We have a number of kids who had some bumps and bruises, not only from this week, but last week against Thorold,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said. “It’s good to give them another week of rest. It’s also a chance to execute better in practice.”
Brophy is confident his team can compete against the Tier 1 teams if they make it through the quarter-finals.
“I haven’t seen them play unfortunately, but the kids are excited and today (Wednesday’s win over Eden) was a huge step for the program,” Brophy said. “We are still a very young team, but those young kids have done really well throughout the year and have galvanized the team and brought it all together.
“We are pretty excited about the playoffs.”
The Thorold Golden Eagles are clearly the gold standard for Tier 2 football this season.
“Thorold had a really good team and they are a very big team and the Grade 10 running back (Julian Race) has a lot of talent,” Brophy said. “But I think as this year has gone on, we are improving week by week and you never know what could happen at the end of the year.”
GOLDEN EAGLES 52 SAINTS 36
The Thorold Golden Eagles put the finishing touches on a 6-0 NRHSAA Tier 2 regular season with a 52-36 victory Thursday over the visiting St. Catharines Collegiate Saints.
Contributing to the Thorold victory were: Callum McNamara, TD runs of 27 and 61 yards; Evan Ferguson, 45-yard TD run and forced fumble; Connor Davidson, 17-yard TD reception from Yvan Canlas; Victor Garcia, 38-yard TD reception from Canlas, 7-7 on extra points and 28-yard field goal; Carter Lagerstrom, TD run of 36 yards; Brodie Gibson, 23 yard TD run; Tyler Broderick, interception; Julian Race, Blake Suntz and Bryce Kaal, forced fumbles; fumble recoveries by Michael Boisvert, Blake Suntz and Brodie Gibson; Lucas Friesen, 30 yards rushing; Dapo Babajide, 50 yards rushing; Mark Suntz played strong game at QB leading the team on four scoring drives; 7.5 tackles for Cody Seabrook; and, Nolan McNamara with five tackles.
Replying for St. Catharines Collegiate were: Joseph Waterman in his first week at quarterback had three TDs, 3-9 passing for 22 yards and 11 carries for 185 yards; Tycree Llewellyn, 12 carries for 80 yards, a touchdown and a two-point convert.; Jason Zimmerman, four rushes for 52 yards and a TD; Clinton Singh, five-yard reception for a two-point convert; Ibrahim Al-Hatim, 47-yard interception that set up a TD; and, the defence was anchored by seniors Noah Penner and Trevor Saunders.
“We focused our efforts on the players who have been coming to practice regularly,” Collegiate head coach Nathan Greene said. “This thrust two Grade 9s (offensive linemen Donovan Doucette and defensive back Cole Alshead) into starting roles. They played the entire game and handled themselves well against players much older and far more experienced.”
Greene felt the leadership of Waterman at quarterback was huge.
“Early in the game, we were down a few scores,” Greene said. “Joseph put the team on his back and single-handedly turned a broken play into a TD.
“His athleticism is obvious in his new quarterback role, but his leadership instantly makes everyone else on the team better.”
