CFCFPC Hamilton (RECAP): Sophomore East triumph in weekend showdown

The second to last contest at Tim Hortons Field saw a showdown between Sophomore East and West, a game in which the East side was able to overcome their cross provincial rivals by a score of 33-6.

The scoring festivities got off to an early start in this one with Connor MacDonald showing off his quick first step en route to a 60 yards pick-six that gave the East a 7-0 lead. It looked as though they would harness the momentum after a fumble recovery by Oliver Tetreault gave them possession once again at midfield, but the West retained the ball and were eventually able to go over the top for a beautiful touchdown connection between Brad Button and his quarterback Ethan Reid to draw within one.

The East wouldn’t stay down for long though, and just four minutes into the second quarter it was the Offensive MVP John Lubemba who showed off his improvisation skills by reversing field, and beating everyone to the pylon for a major. Those nine yards were just a small chunk of the damage Lubemba inflicted over the course of four quarters, which ended up totaling 130 yards on just 12 carries when all was said and done.

John Lubemba zigs then zags eventually ending up in the end zone and it is now 14-6 for Team East #CFCFPC pic.twitter.com/XcOXQqfXeu

— CanadaFootballChat (@chatfootball) April 29, 2017

He did receive a ton of help from his teammates along the way, including quarterback Ryan Licandro who created havoc in the airways finishing with 122 yards and completing 8 of his 14 passes. Licandro threw his lone touchdown late in the second quarter to Kyle Markell, which extended the East’s lead to 20-6, and all but put this game away before the halftime whistle blew.

One of his main weapons was the Overall MVP Kevin Victome – who has now taken home the honour in back to back CFCFPC showcases – and not only did he show off his receiving skills, but his running abilities as well. Victome made three clutch catches that covered 83 yards, but also had two rushing attempts that added another 72 yards to his final numbers, which ultimately earned him the nod as the game’s MVP.

Although he more than earned the right to brag a little bit about his back to back MVP awards, instead Victome took the time to spread love to the rest of his team,

“I think the team as a whole, I feel like everybody made plays. Not only receivers, and not only running backs, everyone from offensive linemen to running backs to quarterbacks all made plays together, which made the defence have to spread out more and not fear only one part of the team. So I feel like the fact that we all worked together made us succeed more as a group.”

His statements ring true when you review the third quarter, which saw another 65 yard pick-six by Joseph DiStefano give the East a comfortable 26-6 lead going into the final 15 minutes. Brandon Pitre would cap off the win with a five yard scamper into the end zone, and Talik Bah Dessureault added his third PAT to help the East prevail 33-6. Also contributing to the win was Zee Rana who completed two passes for 62 yards, and Dominik Ostrowski who was named Defensive MVP. After the event Ostrowski was over the moon about being recognized as one of the game’s outstanding players,

“First of all I’d like to thank my parents, my family and my girlfriend for supporting me always,and helping me achieve the Defensive MVP award.” he explains. “I feel like my performance was pretty good, but of course there’s always room for improvement. This game was a really good warmup up to help me prepare for my actual season with the Cumberland Panthers.”

It certainly wasn’t all negative for the West who still gained over 230 yards of offence, and if it wasn’t for costly turnovers, it might have been a closer game. Although he’d want a few of those mistakes back, Reid ended up throwing for 123 yards on just ten completions, and formed a noticeable chemistry with Samuel Konneth Jr. who finished with four receptions for 52 yards. In the backfield it was Patrick Murphy and Mateo Corritore who led the way with a combined 44 yards on nine carries.