ONT (Seaway – Cornwall) Week 5: Red Rams thump Raiders, Saints earn shutout

Friday’s game at Commonwealth Field saw the Brockville Red rams down the Cornwall Collegiate Raiders 37-0 to remain undefeated in EOFC Tier II play this season.

In Friday’s game, the Red Rams got a clutch performance from an offence that has now scored 137 points combined in just four regular season games. Slot back Cam Pilla Was the team’s best performer reaching the end zone a total of 3 times.

The team also got another shut-out performance from a defence that includes many of the same players playing on offence.

“We constantly juggle and try to maximize our talent,” said Red Rams head coach Pete Atkinson.

The coach said having players who buy into the system and work hard on both sides of the ball has been key.

“They step up, which is great,” added Atkinson.

Coach Atkinson was also proud of his strong crop of junior aged players including starting quarterback Jack Wilson, who is currently in 9^th grade.

The Raiders didn’t have much positive to look back on after this game. They’ll now get ready for the regular season finale this week hoping for a better game from the offense.

The St. Lawrence Saints were also held scoreless in their home matchup against the North Grenville Knights, losing 36-0.

“We were overpowered,” said Saints’ coach Shawn Lauzon. “They have a veteran team and they were just a little too much for our young guys.”

Panthers miss postseason, Falcons move on

Despite heading into the week with a record of 1-3, the St. Joseph’s Panthers came into their final Eastern Ontario Football Conference regular season game still with an opportunity to make the senior division playoffs.

Things started strong when the Panthers’ outstanding receiver and defensive back, Chris Millward, took the opening kickoff back 80 yards for a score.

The pirates got a stellar performance of their own, running back Ryan Lefebrve rushed for three touchdowns in the 21-15 victory for TISS. A fifth-year player but first-year starting running back, he had two TD runs in the third quarter, one on a 75-yard scamper, and the other from a yard out.  This was a much better performance for the TISS halfback as the week prior in the Brockville Bowl, Lefebvre fumbled twice in a TISS narrow victory over the Red Rams.

“This was his redemption game, it was Ryan’s best game ever, by far,” Pirates head coach Rick Miles said.

The Pirates also benefitted from strong blocking from fullback Ben Bertrand, and a controversial call with St. Joe’s driving early in the fourth period. In inadvertent whistle blew a play dead when a ball during a Panthers’ pass attempt popped into the air, a bit before it was intercepted by the Pirates near their own goal line.

The Pirates were awarded the interception, snuffing out the drive.

“I thought we were done (when Millward opened the scoring),” Lefebvre said candidly just after the game had ended. “They (the Panthers) looked like they were going to be fast, and strong . . . they were. But our defence was able to shut them down, and our blocking was great, they pushed hard.”

The Pirates are far from done and In fact grabbed third place in the six-team Tier 1 with the win. They will play at Gananoque in one of two semi-final games late next week. The other semi-final pits Cornwall’s Holy Trinity playing in Brockville, against first-place St. Mary’s.

The rebuilding Panthers on the other hand finish with a record of 1-4, their 2013 campaign already over.

“The fact that we’re a young team showed today,” Panthers head coach Sylvain Girard said.” Millward is one of our few veterans. , he had one of his best games ever, he had countless big plays.”

Needing to beat TISS by 17 points to secure a playoff spot and oust the Pirates, Millward got the game started in dramatic fashion for St. Joe’s, and much later on, with just over seven minutes left in the contest, he had another huge punt return. This one went for 78 yards and was returned to the TISS two-yard line. That set up a carry up the middle on the very next play by quarterback Jett Hagen, giving the panthers a 15-13 edge. Jett Hagen with a carry up the middle on the next play gave the Panthers a 15-13 lead.

However, on the Pirates next possession, Lefevbvre got his third touchdown. After the benefit of a roughing penalty at the end of a long dash, he then plunged in from three yards out a few plays later with 4:50 to go to put TISS back in front 19-15. Quarterback Gunner Stevenson than ran the ball in for the two-point conversion making it a 21-15 lead.

The Panthers drove the ball down the field through the air as Millward came up with a huge catch that resulted in the Panthers being on the TISS 9-yard line with 2:30 left throwing deep to an amazingly wide-open Millward, who carried the ball to the nine-yard line. The drive was then stalled by the TISS defense as they put up a strong goal line stand forcing St. Joes to turn the ball over sealing the game with just less under minutes left.

“It was one of the strangest games I’ve ever seen, Full of big plays and mistakes” Girard said.

The Holy Trinity Falcons clinched the fourth playoff spot in tier 1 with a 34-0 romp on Friday a

t St. Thomas Aquinas in Russell. They finished with a 2-3 record and will play St. Mary’s October 25^th at 12:00pm