CFCFPC Ottawa (RECAP): East Varsity ran all over QMFL All-Stars

Like the unrelenting rain that hounded the Ottawa Fox 40 Prospect Challenge weekend, Team East Varsity never let up for a moment in a dogging 30-6 win over the QMFL All-Stars at MNP Park.

It seemed that the first quarter would end without a score, but Team East had other ideas. With 3:41 left before the second quarter began, running back Burke Derbyshire forced his way over the goal line on a five-yard run to score the game’s first touchdown. With a successful point after attempt, Team East went up 7-0 against their Quebec rivals.

Set to receive the ball off the kickoff, the QMFL All-Stars ended up coughing it up. East’s defensive back Kerwin Guiste recovered the ball, placing his team on Quebec’s 29-yard line. It didn’t take long for Quebec to regain possession, however. After pressure on East’s quarterback, defensive lineman Evan Gingera recovered the fumble inside Quebec’s own red zone.

Unable to capitalize on their possession, East got the ball back and scored a single off a missed field goal with 3:13 left in the half. After a quick four-and-out, East stormed back down into the QMFL All-Stars’ zone. East would secure another major with 1:38 left after quarterback Liam Paquette’s pass connected with receiver Jamal Mavinga.

It didn’t get any easier for Quebec. Before the first half concluded, Rhoan Shaw Campbell intercepted a Quebec pass, giving East the ball back once again. The score wouldn’t budge from 15-0, however, as the first half came to a close.

In the initial kickoff to Team East at the start of the third, Mavinga would roast Quebec again. This time, he returned the kick from his own end zone to Quebec’s 35-yard line. His one-man drive put East in prime position to score again. Running back CFC100 Jean-Paul Cimankinda took matters into his own hands, adding another touchdown off a draw play. East would add the point after to make the score 22-0 with 9:57 left in the third.

East’s ballhawks were in full force throughout the game. Defensive back Grant Harrison got his turn to pick off a pass after Quebec’s quarterback, Jared Gallant, was flushed out of the pocket late in the third. Receiver Darius Simmonds would add another touchdown for the East with 2:24 left in the third, making the score 30-0.

The woes continued for Quebec in the fourth when defensive lineman Sheldon Maleek Desir blocked a Quebec punt. East would take possession on the QMFL All-Stars’ 40-yard line with 7:40 left in the game. East’s scoring would stop at 30 points, however. In the dying seconds of the fourth, Quebec would break the shutout on a pass from Gallant to make it 30-6 East.

Blaine Scatcherd, the head coach of Team East, was overall impressed with how his team handled the game. “I thought that we won the battle of the trenches. Our O-line is very strong. We moved some people around. Our backs are strong and our d-line set the tempo. We played pretty well overall to be honest with you on all three facets of our game,” he said.

Despite being on the losing end of the game, Gerry McGrath, the head coach of the QMFL All-Stars, knew his team gave it their all. “It was tough out there, but I appreciate that our kids hung in there. They played hard to the end. They didn’t quit. They played with pride and at the end of the day, that’s what it is all about,” he said.

“We only had the one practice, so we knew it was going to be rough. They are a good team. They are well coached and they had some really good players. For us, little bit difficult. Some of our better guys, (we) couldn’t get them the ball very much. Our o-line couldn’t hold up. It made it difficult. It was a long day. But then again, I was proud of our guys who stuck together and played as hard as they could.”