Wilson Challenge 2012: Nova Scotia caps off first experience in epic, dramatic fashion for victory

In the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, Team Nova Scotia was trailing 12-11.  With 48.9 seconds remaining, the team took over possession of the ball at their five yard line.  With no timeouts left and under pressure, the offensive unit was able to move the ball up to the 40 yard line.  Then at the 47 yard line, the special teams unit came out to win the game in the last second of regulation.

Kicker Greg Hutchins came out for 47 yard field goal attempt while his teammates and coaches watched on the sidelines, nervously watching while holding each other’s hands in a silent stadium.  Hutchins was successful in the attempt and propelled Team Nova Scotia to a 14-12 victory.

“It was one of the most exciting endings to a game that I have ever coached in,” reflects Valardo on the game.  “It was the ultimate comeback against all odds!”

“The commentators on the live webcast said it would take a miracle for us to win that game and all it took was 44 kids from Nova Scotia working hard together and one amazing boot from Greg Hutchins!”

Team Nova Scotia quarterback Cameron Valardo had 14 completions in 29 attempts while rushing for 30 yards in the game.  On the team’s final drive, the pivot was had an 80 percent completion rate as he had four completions in five attempts which enabled the team to get into the striking range for the field goal attempt.  Running back Nick Green had 12 rushes for 115 yards.  Receiver Cameron Davidson had four receptions for 50 yards including the key 4 and 20 with 12 seconds left on the clock.  The defensive unit of Team Nova Scotia were without the services of defensive lineman Ty Borden in the second half of the game. Borden suffered a broken wrist in the game and sought attention at the hospital.

Overall, Valardo was extremely pleased with how the offensive and defensive responded to the pressure throughout the entire game.

“We had a very successful and frustrating day with 346 yards of total offense but with turnovers really kept the game closer that it should have been but our defense also had four takeaways to keep them from scoring,” explains the Team Nova Scotia head coach.  “Our defense came up with a huge stop on our five yard line.”

“Our offense did a great job under pressure moving the ball from our five yard line to their 40 and our special teams did an amazing job to kick a 47 yard field goal into the wind with no time left on the clock for the win!”

For his heroics on the field in the last second of the game, Hutchins was named game MVP.  When he learned that he would be making the field goal attempt to win the game, the Team Nova Scotia kicker was extremely nervous.

“One person really helped me get over that and it was John Patterson,” adds Hutchins.  “Right before I stepped onto the field to kick, he gave me a motivational speech to have in my mind while I kicked.”

“I don’t quite remember the whole thing, but I just remember him saying “Greg, you got this; you got this” so a big thank you to John for that.”

Once he booted that kick up into the air, it was a sense of relief, yet a surreal moment for Hutchins.

“When I kicked that final field goal to win the game it was the best feeling ever. As soon as the ball left my foot I just knew it was good,” describes the Team Nova Scotia kicker. “It almost felt like I just lightly swung my foot, like when you hit a golf ball right on the sweet spot and it just feels like you didn’t even make contact.”

“All the pressure that was on my shoulders to make the field goal had just fallen off; it was a text book finish.”

While Hutchins may have been the hero of the game, it’s not lost on him that it was a team effort which enabled him to have the opportunity to win the game for the team.

“I want to thank Cameron Valardo, Cameron Davidson and Jared Melnyk for bringing the ball back for our own five yard line to their 40 yard line,” says Hutchins.  “I wouldn’t have been able to kick the field goal without Isaac Melanson (Long Snapper) and Spencer Wells (Holder) either.”

Hutchins says that the atmosphere before, during and after the game was comparable to an emotional roller-coaster.

“The atmosphere before the game was very up-tempo and “hyped” as the players on the team were very hungry to get a win, and we were all mentally and physically ready for the game that lay ahead,” describes the Team Nova Scotia special teams standout.
“During the game the atmosphere was intense and nerve racking and every play felt like the last play of the game.”

“After the game was the most emotional I have ever been at a football game, or any sports game for that matter and a lot of football players make comments on how kickers aren’t football players, but when the whole team and coaching staff were running out to celebrate with me it felt like I was a football player.”

The team had experienced a rough tournament; therefore, winning the final game was a great way to cap off the week in Québec. Moreover, Hutchins was happy to share this moment with his mother, Karen who was in attendance at the game.

“The final win was a really good feeling to the team because we just lost two games that we shouldn’t of really lost because were better than that,” reflects the Team Nova Scotia kicker.  “The fact that my mother was there to witness the ending was just great because it was such good feeling for me and my mom.”

“I wouldn’t be kicking that field goal if it wasn’t for my mother and father, so I thank them very much.”

There is one coach in particular Hutchins says guided and instructed him to success during the tournament, especially in the last game.

“I thank Keith Skiffington, because during that week in Montreal, “Skiff” worked with me a lot at practice,” comments Hutchins.  “That was another reason I performed well at the tournament.”

Valardo says that they faced formidable opponents throughout the entire Wilson Challenge tournament.

“The Quebec team we played was outstanding and it was a great experience for our guys to play against such a high quality team,” assesses Valardo.  “The other two games were very close and could have gone either way.”

Hutchins echoes the sentiments that the entire experience of playing at the 2012 Wilson Challenge was worthwhile.

“My experience at the Wilson Challenge was really great, there are really good football clubs in Montreal and I’m really excited to come back next year,” adds Hutchins.  “The highlight of the experience was probably when I just saw the whole team running over towards me to celebrate the win with me after the kick.”

“It was just so surreal.”

Since Team Nova Scotia had a lot of positives to draw from the overall experience of playing in this tournament, they will be making a future return to the tournament.

“In the future, we will go to the Wilson Cup but with an under-17 team,” comments Valardo. “Our focus is the under-18 Football Canada Cup team but there were a number of players we could have taken to help us had we known we were going to the Wilson Cup.”

While football is continuing to grow in Nova Scotia, this tournament has served as a measuring stick of where development is at in comparison with other programs.  While Valardo sees improvement, Nova Scotia football program needs to make further changes and improvements so that they can compete at a national level.

“Football in NS continues to grow and we have proved time and time that we can compete with the rest of Canada, but we must continue to get better to chase the top teams in Canada,” says Valardo.  “Quebec is the gold standard in Canadian football and we must continue to improve our training, our coaches, and our athletes to compete at the national level.”

“We have come a long way with our development in Nova Scotia but we must continue to push the envelope to get better every year.”

Photo 1 courtesy of Scott Brown
Photo 3 courtesy of Karen Johnson-Hutchins

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