NB (12-man): Week 5 was a pair of firsts: “First loss for Trimble, first win for Tantramar. Playoff race heats up!”

Each team only plays seven regular season games. Before week five, Ed Wasson, Head Coach of MacNaughton, set the tone that no rookies remain.

“Every team has played four games so there are no more excuses about being young or inexperienced at this level. We used the first four games to find out exactly where we are and we’re going to use the rest of the season to find out where we are going.”
Despite their offence looking good, they’ve had difficulty capitalizing on touchdowns. They were preparing to play an important game against Riverview High on Friday, as both teams were only 2-2 heading into the match. Both teams also had areas to work on if they wanted their defense to be effective the entire game, which is critical to win.
Ed added “It’s an exciting time of year because everyone has played games and everyone’s been practicing for a long time. The rookie mistakes should be things of the past for everyone. For us, that means controlling things we can control – like not fumbling the ball, not throwing interceptions, not going offside, not holding, and not taking senseless penalties.”
At this point, many would think Ed is being very harsh and that these things are much easier said than done. However, this has a lot to do with why MacNaughton’s record, regular season and playoffs combined, was 60-14-1 heading into their game last week since he took over as Head Coach at the start of the 2004 season.
QB Greg Burdett ran the opening touchdown for MacNaughton, then threw a 15 yard touchdown to Daniel MacLean. MacLean is not a receiver, he is a running back! Chris Stevenson was successful on the point after touchdown to give MacNaughton a 13-0 lead. Burdett latter threw a 23 yard touchdown to Brett Pierce, giving MacNaughton a 19-0 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Burdett threw a five yard touchdown to Morgan Tatlock, while Stevenson was successful on the point after touchdown. Zachery Thorne latter scored a touchdown on a 20 yard pass, giving MacNaughton a 32-0 lead.
Eventually, Gavin Carson scored on a 37 yard reception from Andrew Crawford, finally getting Riverview High on the board. Latter, Crawford threw a 24 yard touchdown to Ryan McClusky. Stephen Daley was successful on both points after touchdown. This would prove to be too little, too late, as MacNaughton won 32-14.

Meanwhile, the annual homecoming game between Harrison Trimble and Moncton High was extra special this year as both teams were 4-0 heading into the game, which certainly helped attract over 2,500 fans.

On just the second play of the game, Moncton High Quarterback Kyle Rogers threw a 50 yard reception to Ben Wishart. Three plays latter, Kyle ran for a one yard touchdown.

Despite only a three point lead (17-14) at halftime, Moncton High looked good offensively. The problem was their defensive penalties which aided Harrison Trimble. However, they got their act together in the second half, as they lead 38-14. They surrendered a touchdown in the dying seconds to Harrison Trimble, with the final score being 38-21. Moncton High improved to 5-0, while Harrison Trimble fell to 4-1.

Kyle Rogers added a second touchdown for Moncton High, while Matt Clements also scored two touchdowns. Andrew Ryder also got a touchdown. Jesse LeBlanc was successful on all five points after touchdowns, while being successful on a 28 yard field goal.

Quarterback Kris Brine had two touchdowns for Harrison Trimble in the first half, with Brett Robart adding a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Jesse McKay was successful on all three points after touchdowns.

Prior to the game, both teams honored Ed Edmonds. He began officiating in 1968 and latter worked the time for approximately 20 years.

Meanwhile, Tantramar was 0-4 heading into their match against Kennebecasis (2-2.) Desperate for a win, Tantramar moved Cody Weeks (s Grade 11 student) from running back to backfield. He responded with 200 yards, three touchdowns, and a two point convert. Quarterback Anton Sianchuck also ran for a touchdown, while Tyler Bowles blocked a punt, recovered by his teammate Zach Haley who ran for a touchdown. Riley Morice-Chase was successful on three points after touchdowns. Tantramar also added another point on a punt, while Jason Johnson was successful on a two point conversion. That was enough for Tantramar to get their first win, defeating Kennebecasis 38-27.

With the win, Tantramar is now just one game back of Riverview High for the final playoff spot in their conference, with two games left. Unless Tantramar loses this coming week and Riverview High wins or ties, or if Tantramar ties and Riverview High wins, then October 20 will be a very important game. The two teams meet in Riverview that day at 1 p.m. for their final regular season match.

Meanwhile, Simonds (1-3) won their first game the previous week. They had also improved both offensively and defensively every week, so they hoped luck would repeat itself when they faced Oromocto High (2-2.) On the other hand, after closely winning their first two games (19-12, and 29-26), Oromocto was terrible the following two weeks, losing 57-0, and 61-27, respectively. This was also a critical game for Oromocto. Simonds scored only eight points. Unless you have exceptional defense, it’s hard to win when you only score eight points. Oromocto scored 27 points to improve to 3-2, while Simonds fell to 1-4.

Saint John High improved to 4-1, defeating St. Maclahy’s 65-0! St. Malachy’s (0-5) is now the only winless team left.

Also, Fredericton High improved to 4-1, defeating Leo Hayes 35-2 in North-South Bowl XII. The victory ensures Fredericton High a playoff birth. At the same time, it will now make things difficult for Leo Hayes (1-4) to make the playoffs.

Week six kicks off at 4:00 p.m. Friday as Simonds (1-4) visits Fredericton High (4-1) at Fredericton High Field. Saint John High (4-1) hosts MacNaugton (3-2) at 7 p.m. Friday (Canada Games Stadium). Other 7 p.m. starts will see Kennebecasis (2-3) host Oromocto (3-2) at Usher Miller Field (Quispamsis), and Leo Hayes (1-4) visiting St. Malachy’s (0-5) at Millidgeville Field (Saint John.) Moncton High (5-0) will play Tantramar at 8 p.m. Friday (Rocky Stone Field, Moncton.) On paper, this definitely favors Moncton High. However, Tantramar desperately needs a victory. Fresh off their first victory, this will not be easy for Moncton High. Harrison Trimble (4-1) will look to rebound after their first loss of the season, as they visit Riverview High (2-3) at Riverview High Field (Riverview.) Game time is 1 p.m. Saturday. Riverview High can clinch a playoff spot with a victory and a tie or loss by Tantramar. A Riverview High tie, combined with a Tantramar loss will also be sufficient.

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