Heartbreaking loss

OVFL: Varsity Lions suffer heartbreaking loss to Warriors.

This past weekend, the Cambridge Lions suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Mississauga Warriors 31-24.

This marked the second loss of the Lions season.  The team slides to a 4-2  record.

“We didn’t play our greatest, which was the worst part,” said Lions Head Coach Anthony Maggiacomo.

On offense, the Lions had a solid performance.

“Offense played very well; it was their best game of the year,” said Maggiacomo.

Leading offensively was quarterback James Roberts.  He completed 22 passes in 35 attempts for a total of 270 passing  yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

” It was his best game of the year in total,” said Maggiacomo.  “He put the ball where he needed.”

As a unit, the Lions receiving core was effective as eight different Lions recorded receptions. Moreover, Simon Beeksma led all Lions receivers with his 4 receptions for 71 yards, while both Jaedon Herron and Brayden Lane each hauled in a touchdown.

“Collectively they all played well, and made some great catches in traffic,” said Maggiacomo.  “Everyone got involved.”

Defensively, the Lions sputtered at times.  However, Riley Pilkey shined on the unit.

“He covered their number one receiver and that receiver didn’t have catch all game,” said Maggiacomo.

Pilkey registered a tackle and batted ball in the loss.  Linebacker Wyatt Hogan-Crawford, led the team with 10 combined tackles while defensive back Owen Prutton had  seven tackles and linebacker Robin Petrie had 4 tackles along with a sack.

On special teams, kicker Keiran Burnham went 3 for 3 on PAT’s and completed a 24 yard field goal while kicking 249 total yards on kickoffs – the longest being a staggering 72 yards deep.

“Keiran was great, his kickoffs were pinned them deep and our kick off cover team was very good,” noted Maggiacomo.

Overall, the Lions had solid game but made some costly errors.

“Some key mistakes and let up too many big plays on defense and you can’t do that against a top ten team like Mississauga,” explained Maggiacomo.

However, Maggiacomo remains optimistic yet  confident for the Lions chances for the remainder of the season.

“Good news is a lot of mistakes are fixable and we will go back watch film and get better,” said Maggiacomo.  “It’s better now than in August.”

This weekend, the Lions will enjoy a bye week.

“We will get back to basics this week and get healthy and ready to go,” said Maggiacomo.

After the bye, the Lions will host the Hamilton Ironmen.

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