October 31, 2017
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High school roundup (ON – SIMCOE [7]: Tritons and Knights run the table, Nighthawks get in win column, playoff picture emerges

The regular season in Simcoe County came to a close last week with a full slate of matchups, highlighted by our Game of the Week between the  two undefeated teams in the SCAA: CFC50 Nantyr Shores, and Eastview. Bear Creek also played host to Barrie North, while Banting travelled to Innisdale and Orillia hosted Collingwood.

On the CSASC side of the ledger, St. Joseph’s hosted Patrick Fogarty to kick off the week on Wednesday, while Joan of Arc and Thomas Aquinas did battle at Georgian College on Thursday, and St. Peter’s welcomed in St. Theresa’s on Friday.

SCAA

Barrie North Vikings (4-1) @ Bear Creek Kodiaks (3-1-1) – Wednesday, October 25

The Barrie North Vikings and Bear Creek Kodiaks faced off Wednesday in a game that, had it not been for the Nantyr-Eastview matchup, likely would have been our Game of the Week. And it lived up to its hype.

The Vikings were dominant through the first three quarters. Quarterback Zach Pattfield threw a pair of touchdowns and ran for another, and the defence was locked in, allowing just a late first-half touchdown to the Kodiaks. Then came the fourth quarter.

With under 9 minutes to go, the Kodiaks scored their second touchdown and got things rolling from there. They exploited a number of defensive breakdowns and busted coverages. They were also helped out by a couple of questionable calls from the officials, including a pass interference call on what would have been a game-winning interception. That play was overruled, giving the Kodiaks back possession, and they made their way down to the 1-yard line, and ran in the game winning touchdown with just seconds to go.

The Vikings played great for 39 minutes, but came out on the short end of the score. That said, they may have actually lucked out with the loss in terms of playoff matchups. They now draw the Innisdale Invaders rather than the Banting Marauders, who finished tied for 5th with identical 2-4 records. By virtue of the tiebreak, the Invaders earn the fifth spot and a matchup with the Vikings, even though Banting would probably be considered the better team.

The Kodiaks, with the win, earn their fourth straight victory after starting the season with two losses, including one in overtime. They slot into the 3rd spot and will host the Banting Marauders in Round 1.

CFC GAME OF THE WEEK: Nantyr Shores Tritons (5-0) @ Eastview Wildcats (5-0) – Wednesday, October 25

When looking at the schedule, it’s pretty safe to assume this would be the matchup of the season, but it was – a game between two undefeated teams, with one’s perfect season to come to an end.

Despite both team’s perfect records, however, Nantyr had to be considered the favourite going in because of how easily they were able to take care of business, winning their games by an average of more than 30 points. But it was the Wildcats who would get on the board first. They drove the ball down the field nicely and QB Braidon Foster was able to run it in from about twelve yards out for the first points of the game. Will McCulloch’s point after made it 7-0 Wildcats

The Tritons would respond with two straight touchdowns, both set up by big returns from Steven Noble. First, he took the ball down to the 20 right off the Eastview score, and Gavin Coffin would take a handoff on a 3rd down gamble from the 13 and take it to the house to tie it after Dylan Beattie’s PAT. Then, off an Eastview punt, Noble returned it all the way down to the 1, and, on the next play, QB Spencer Cropper found Broderick Black in the end zone to make it 14-7 Nantyr.

Later in the quarter, the Tritons drove all the way down to the the 7 yard line, where Cropper had a pass picked off by Carter Drury, who ran it all the way back 109 yards for a pick six to tie it back up at 14. The Tritons would respond before the half was out. With under three to play. Cropper threw a deep ball in the direction of Eric Armstrong, who made a near-impossible catch in the end zone, making it 21-14 Tritons, a lead the would carry into halftime.

The defences would then take over in the second half. The Tritons didn’t allow Eastview to get anything going offensively, and held them off the scoreboard the entire final 24 minutes. The Tritons didn’t do much with the ball in the 3rd and 4th, but they did enough, adding a pair of scores to take the game 35-14, in a game where the final score wasn’t overly indicative of how the game was played.

Although the Tritons finished undefeated, they are focussed on bigger and better things.

“At the moment in means very little,” Head Coach Clark Larmon said of his team’s perfect season. “The players from last year remember the loss in the SCAA finals, not the 6-0 record.”

For the Wildcats, better defending the pass will be critical going forward.

“Nantyr posed a lot of problems for our Defence in the passing game,” said coach Mark Welch, “so we will need to shore that up going forward in the playoffs.”

The bigger problem, though, for the Wildcats was trying to keep Noble in check, something that many teams have struggled with this season.

“Their Special Teams play was outstanding returning two punts and a kickoff deep into our end,” Welch said. Their returner, and slot receiver/punter had great performances.”

Nantyr, however, had a pretty sloppy game in terms of discipline – especially on special teams – something they worked hard on fixing this week, along with better offensive flow.

“The issue with penalty’s will be dealt with by increasing our fitness at the beginning of practice after we have broken down the specific penalties through film,” Larmon said. “This week we will reset our goals – specifically decision making by our QB, focus on zero turnovers, and making adjustments to whatever the defence is giving us rather than being set in a game plan

Adjustments the Tritons made at the half were pivotal in keeping the Wildcats at bay in the the second half after a solid first two quarters from the Eastview offence.

“Eastview was driving through the middle in the first few series,” Larmon pointed out. “We adjusted to a 50 or even 60 front to minimize the strength of their O-line, who are very good.”

The Wildcats have a good, but young, team, while the Tritons have an experienced, veteran team. Welch believes that was the difference in the game, but, considering where they came from last season, he was happy with his team’s performance all season long, including here.

“We were 1-6 last year so this season’s marked improvement is encouraging. We have a young team with many key positions held by Grade 11s so that bodes well for the future,” he said. “Nantyr has 23 returning Grade 12s which in itself sets them up to be more physical.

“I feel we played well against them – Eastview is the first team to have a lead on them all season. At 14-14 we had the chance to shock them but in the end their experience won out.”

With the win, the Tritons would draw the loser of the Collingwood-Orillia game in round one, while Eastview gets the winner.

Banting Marauders (2-3) @ Innisdale Invaders (1-4) – Wednesday, October 25

The Banting Marauders and Innisdale Invaders battled it out in a game between two teams going in a downward direction, each riding three-game losing skids entering Wednesday.

Rather surprisingly, it was the defences who won the day in this one – surprising in that both teams gave had allowed in excess of 100 points each, so to expect more of an offensive battle wouldn’t have been outlandish. Offence, though, was almost nonexistent.

We often see low-scoring games this time of year, but that usually is to do with the weather, but, that wasn’t a factor on this occasion. It was just an old-fashioned defensive battle, with only one Innisdale touchdown scored, which gave them a 7-0 win – their second victory of the year. With that ‘W,’ they earn a first-round playoff date with the Barrie North Vikings.

Collingwood Fighting Owls (0-5) @ Orillia Nighthawks (0-5) – Wednesday, October 25

The Collingwood Fighting Owls and Orillia Nighthawks concluded their regular seasons, both looking to get in the win column for the first time here in their final attempt.

The Nighthawks had not won a game, and while they hadn’t played any nail-biters, per se, they were remaining at least somewhat competitive, losing two games by 18 points and another by 23. The only game they looked severely overmatched in was a 51-6 loss to Nantyr – and, in fairness, a lot of teams have looked overmatched against them this year.

The Fighting Owls, on the other hand, weren’t as competitive, losing two games by 40+ points, another by 32, and another by 23. The only game they remained within two scores of by game’s end was their season opener vs. Innisdale.

And it was the Nighthawks who came out and asserted themselves in this one. They were able to hold a struggling Collingwood offence in check for most of the game, and their offence exploded for their highest point total of the season. Orillia was able to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs and avoid the undefeated Tritons in picking up a 36-14 win over the Owls, providing them with a first round matchup against the Eastview Wildcats.

SCAA Round 1 Playoff Results

(8) Collimgwood Fighting Owls (0-6) @ (1) CFC50 Nantyr Shores Tritons (6-0) – Tuesday, October 31 Nantyr (1) Collingwood (0) (forfeit)
(7) Orillia Nighthawks (1-5) @ (2) Eastview Wildcats (5-1) – Tuesday, October 31 Eastview (11) Orillia (0)
(6) Banting Marauders (2-4) @ (3) Bear Creek Kodiaks (4-1-1) – Tuesday, October 31 Bear Creek (31) Banting (2)
(5) Innisdale Invaders (2-4) @ (4) Barrie North Vikings (4-2) – Tuesday, October 31 Barrie North (18) Innisdale (3)

SCAA Round 2 Playoff Schedule

(4) Barrie North Vikings (4-2) @ (1) CFC50 Nantyr Shores Tritons (6-0) – Friday, November 3 (1:00 pm)
(3) Bear Creek Kodiaks (4-1-1) @ (2) Eastview Wildcats (5-1) – Friday, November 3 (2:00 pm)

CSASC

Patrick Fogarty Flames (0-5) @ St. Joseph’s Panthers (1-4) – Wednesday, October 25

Two of the three ‘AA’ teams in the Catholic board got the final week of the CSASC regular season underway last Wednesday from St. Joseph’s in Barrie.

This was a game between two teams who have had their struggles this season – PF without a win on the year, and St. Joe’s only win coming against them earlier in the season. The Jaguars, though, looked like the far superior team in this one, with the Flames struggling to stay competitive as they wrap up a rebuilding season. The Jags scored early and often against a poor Flames’ defence, and wrapped up an easy 56-0 win over Patrick Fogarty.

These two teams will rematch on Wednesday to see who gets to face the St. Thomas Aquinas Stingers next week for the right to play in the CSASC ‘AA’ title game.

St. Thomas Aquinas Stingers (4-1) @ St. Joan of Arc Knights (5-0) – Thursday, October 26

These two teams have been the class of the Catholic board this season, with the Knights running the table through five games, and the Stingers’ only loss coming at the hands of the juggernaut Knights.

St. Joan of Arc would get off to an uncustomarily slow start, scoring only once in the first frame on a Justin-Winn-to-Jeremy-Hussey connection in the end zone, which made it 7-0 JOA. In quarter #2, off a turnover from the Stingers, Ish Sookwah ran in his fifth touchdown in the last two games, a 77-yard scamper, to put the Knights up by a pair of scores.

He wasn’t done there, though. Before the first half concluded, he would take in his second major of the day just a few plays after a huge kickoff return. That made it 21-0 in favour of the Knights. In the third, Justin Janicki the “second string” tailback, if you will, got in on the fun with a running TD of his own, and later in the third, Sookwah would make a reception on a swing pass from QB Justin Winn and take it all the way to paydirt, making it 35-0 Knights, which would be the final score.

That scoreline is also the least lopsided game in which the Knights have participated this season, with their average margin of victory in their other five games being a resounding 47 points. This sets up a bye for the Knights, who will now await the winner of the ‘AAA’ CSASC semi-final between the St. Theresa’s Thunder and St. Peter’s Panthers.

The Knights have now accumulated six straight perfect regular seasons, having not lost a regular season game since 2011 when they were still playing Public board opponents.

St. Theresa’s Thunder (3-2) @ St. Peter’s Panthers (2-3) – Friday, October 27

The final game of the CSASC regular season was held Friday at St. Peter’s in Barrie in a game that would decide home-field advantage for the playoff rematch this week.

It was a defensive affair, as is often the case when the Panthers take the field. In their two wins this season heading into Friday, they had not allowed a point to be scored against them. That trend continued in this affair. They held the Thunder to very little on offence in this game, and although they didn’t put up much in the way of points themselves, they did what they needed to do. The Panthers scored a pair of touchdowns – one converted – and that was enough to walk out with a 13-0 win, evening their record at 3-3 heading into the playoffs.

By virtue of the victory, the Panthers earn the right to host the rematch in the semi-final tomorrow afternoon. The winner of that one will move on to face the Knights in the ‘AAA’ final a week from tomorrow at Georgian College.

CSASC Round 1 Playoff Schedule

‘AA’ Semifinal – (3) Patrick Fogarty Flames (0-6) @ (2) St. Joseph’s Jaguars (2-4) – Wednesday, November 1 (2:00 pm – Georgian College
‘AAA’ Semifinal (3) St. Theresa’s Thunder (3-3) @ (2) St. Peter’s Panthers (3-3) – Wednesday, November 1 (Time not yet known)

 

 

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