OFC: Toronto Jr. Argonauts Struggle with Gladiator Power (Varsity)

The Toronto Jr. Argos fell to the Sudbury Gladiators this Sunday 31-7. It was a tough game for the Jr. Argos as they had trouble getting momentum on their side, but showed improvement in their game overall in comparison to their last game against Clarington.

[QB Sharanewych protects the ball from Sudbury blitz (photo by Hannah McGregor)].

By the second quarter, the Gladiators were able to go up 17-0 after a couple of great deep catches and a blocked punt attempt. The first half was filled with penalties by both sides and several injuries, including Jr. Argos captain linebacker Frank Trentadue.

Trentadue went down early in the game and had to be carried off the field. Luckily for the Jr. Argos, Trentadue should only be out for a few weeks and will hopefully return towards the end of the season. Head coach Frank Trentadue (Sr.) said that “he is a great leader on the field, and the team will definitely miss him”.

The second half started with the Jr. Argos coming out of the locker room with a lot of energy. Thanks to an excellent catch by no. 84 Nathaniel Rouse deep in Sudbury’s zone, the Jr. Argos got the ball deep in Gladiator territory. The next play would be a run in touchdown by the Jr. Argos.

[no. 84 Nathaniel Rouse runs upfield for the pass from Sharanewych (Photos by Hannah McGregor)]

Other key contributors to the Jr. Argos offense were no. 89 Kevin Collins and no. 39 Joseph Sarfo- Boateng. Collins showed his size and power as he trucked through the Sudbury defense. The team was able to rely on Sarfo-Boateng to gain important extra yards when the play looked to be already over. Kevin Collins and Sarfo-Boateng are “emerging as a real leaders” according to Trentadue. No. 40 Nick Adjei had a good game as well making a couple of clutch rushes during the game.

[no. 39 Joseph Sarfo-Boateng deak sout Sudbury Defender (Photo by Hannah McGregor]
[no. 89 Kevin Collins keeps Sudbury from intercepting the ball deep in Gladiator territory (Photo by Hannah McGregor)]

QB no. 12 Chris Sharanewych was able to complete several deep passes, showing his speed and poise in his running game.

[Jr. Argos QB Sharanewych ditches Sudbury defender to make the throw (Photo by Hannah McGregor)]

The defense played a tough game against a powerful Sudbury offense led by no. 42 Lamar Foyle. However, on a couple of occasions, penalties hurt the Jr. Argos and allowed the Gladiators to have great field position. Sudbury QB Dan Porier showed excellent speed and was an obstacle for the Jr. Argos defense, as he ran with the ball often throughout the game.
[Lamar Foyle stops Gladiator offense (photo by Hannah McGregor)]
[Stopping Gladiator Offense (photo by Hannah McGregor)]

[no. 23 Andrew Storus takes [keeping Sudbury from a first down(Photo by Hannah McGregor)]

The Jr. Argos have a few things to work on this week in order to come back strong this weekend. The Jr. Argos played well, but there were some instances when there was some confusion about who was on the field. Trentadue says that “our special teams need to get more organized and get the right guys on the field at the right time”. The Jr. Argos will also need to improve their running game, as the teams WRs were the anchor for the team this week.

The Jr. Argos will travel up north to face-off against Nipissing next Sunday at 2 PM. The team will have to become excellent road performers, as the rest of the season will take place in other cities in southern Ontario (except the very last game in July) as St. Michael’s Field (Eugene Melnyk Field) will undergo construction for the majority of the summer.