CISAA: Upper Canada College Shines Under Bright Lights

Upper Canada College hosted the Villanova Knights last Friday night. Although the game was largely dominated by UCC, Villanova continued to battle back until the last whistle.
The first half went exactly as the Upper Canada Blues wanted it to go. Their running game could not be stopped as no. 33 Pelle Jorgen and quarterback Liam Power worked almost perfectly in sync with each other. Jorgen rushed for 100 yards and caught three passes for 81 yards. As the Blues dominated on the ground, they also threw the ball several times. (Villanova’s no. 1 Alex Montini [photo by Hannah McGregor]) Blues receiver no. 84 Marc-Andre Alexandre played an unbelievable game. UCC’s first score came after an interception by Alexandre in the Blues’ own end zone and ran the ball to the other end for a touchdown. UCC head coach David Shaw commented on Marc-Andre Alexandre’s performance saying, “I haven’t seen anything like it in all my years of coaching”. “It was just amazing”.
It looked like the game was going to be a blowout, until Villanova picked up the momentum right before halftime. Led by running back Alexander Montini and receiver Domenic Basttistella, the Knights began moving the ball. The Knights were able to get their first score with only five seconds left in the half. (Villanova quarterback Andrew Sarense [photo by Hannah McGregor]) Villanova started the second half with a lot of energy and forced a fumble. The Knights were able to hold onto the ball for almost the entire third quarter, but could not manage to get the ball into the end zone. Villanova was able to get one more touchdown in the fourth quarter after a great pass to a wide open receiver, but that is as close as they would get.
Upper Canada College has proven to be a strong team amidst other CISAA teams. Although penalties hurt the Blues’ field position several times, it did not affect the score this game. “It was the most fun I’ve had coaching since coming to UCC”, says Shaw.
Upper Canada College will play another Friday night game this week against St. Michael’s College. “It’s always great to play St. Michaels, they are traditionally strong and always competitive”, says Shaw. Both teams are 2-1 and in a tie for second place so it will be close scoring game. That game will take place Friday October 19^th at 6:00PM.
Villanova will have a hard time in front of them as they will take on the first place St. Andrew’s Saints on Saturday. It has been a non-stop season for the Knights as they travelled to Canton, Ohio over the Thanksgiving break to play Jackson High School in an American rules exhibition game. After playing the top ranked UCC, the Knights will have to save their energy and stay healthy to take on St. Andrew’s. This game has the potential of being close if the Knights get off to a strong start. The game will take place at St. Andrew’s this Saturday at 2:00PM.