St. Joan of Arc Angels 28, St. Marcellinus Spirit 27:
St. Joan of Arc Angels edged St. Marcellinus Spirit 28-27 to catapult them into second place in the South Division behind the Lorne Park Spartans.
The top two teams in each division move on to the playoffs and this game determined who would end up second in the South Division.
The Angels were first to strike on the scoreboard with a touchdown reception in the first quarter. However, the Spirit special teams replied with two kickoffs returns for six points on the day.
“The guys played a heck of a game so the loss is that much more tougher,” said Spirit Coach Vinnie Saliba. “St. Joan of Arc came to play and they earned the win.”
Going into the half, the Spirit were up 10-7.
Both the Angels and Spirit offenses stepped up in a big way, thus proving to be too much for either defense to handle.
“The guys gave it all that they had and really worked hard to get a W in this must win game,” said Angels coach Tom Pianta. “We took too many penalties this game and some adjustments need to be made during practice next week.”
CFC TOP 100 quarterback Nate Hobbs of the Angels was the standout with big time throws and bone crunching hits when he decided to take-off and run.
He got knocked out of the game for two series in the fourth quarter with his team down 27-21. The trainers worked to get a cut on his lip closed. He returned in time for the final drive and walked his team down the field setting the stage for the comeback win.
Focused, the young quarterback got the touchdown to put his team ahead 28-27.
“That quarterback they got there is a special one,” said Saliba. “We couldn’t find an answer for him.”
While the win was dramatic, the Angels must turn their attention to their next match up against for St. Francis Xavier.
“Next week is sure to be another battle against FX.” said Pianta, “The guys can celebrate the win over the weekend but come Monday, we need to go to work.”
For the Spirit, who played their final regular season game, are in a waiting and hoping St. Francis Xavier have enough in them to beat the Angels next week.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Crusaders 21, Meadowvale Falcons 14
The Crusaders finish out the season with a 3-3 record while the Falcons end with a winless season at 0-6.
Historically, the two schools are rivals due to their close vicinity of one another. Many of the players on both teams are actually neighbours. This game was passionately dubbed “Battle of the Blocks” by the players as it was explained by Crusaders Coach McCallion.
“The game was exciting, the score was 7-7 going into the half,” said McCallion. “The second half of the ball game was where most of the damage was done by both teams.”
A big interception by the Falcons was returned for a touchdown on the first series of the half . This created a momentum shift in favour of the Falcons.
“The guys battled back and pulled out the win,” said McCallion. “Our defense really played well only allowing one touchdown against the unit.”
Jason Anyimadu of the Crusaders was a standout playing wherever the team needed him.
“We lost our starting quarterback week one, Jason stepped up for us this season playing quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back”, said McCallion.
Next up, the Crusaders take on top seed Lorne Park in the final week of the regular season.
“Those guys have their playoff position already secured so we don’t know exactly how they will game plan for next week,” said McCallion. ” They might sit many of their starters.”
St. Francis Xavier Tigers – BYE Week
Next Week’s Games:
Lorne Park @ Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Thursday, October 31, 2013 – Noon
St. Joan of Arc @ St. Francis Xavier
Thursday, October 31, 2013 – Noon
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