The junior varsity Hamilton Ironmen have endured a difficult season so far, as they’ve been unable to win a game. Last week, they got the short end of the stick in a 31-14 loss at the hands of the Mississauga Warriors. But they are hoping to finally experience the joy of victory against the Etobicoke Eagles this week.
“We played Etobicoke earlier in the season,” said Ironmen Head Coach Michael Cornell. “We took a tough loss. We had trouble tackling and getting off blocks, so they ran the ball all over us.”
A couple positions of strength for the Ironmen have been at quarterback and wide receiver. In order for them to have a chance to win against the Eagles, their strengths will have to overshadow their weaknesses.
“So far our biggest weakness on the field is our inability to tackle for all 60 minutes of the game,” said Cornell.
There are some players who are expected to have big games this week.
“We expect strong play from our running back, Amlicar Polk, who was a late addition to our team,” said Cornell. “He is an exceptional person and football player, a great addition to this team. Our QB Anthony Pimentel has been improving his leadership and on field play, and I would look for him to have a big game as well. Defensively, look for Steven MacLeod to emerge as one of our major run stoppers this week.”
The Ironmen are aware of the type of game that the Eagles like to play and they’re planning their strategy accordingly.
“We will be looking to shut down their O and to control the ball on offence,” said Cornell. “We just need to stop the run and the deep ball and we will be just fine.”
They need a maximum team effort, especially on the defensive side, if they want to have a chance of tasting victory.
“The biggest factor is how hard we come to play,” said Cornell. “We need to get stops on defence. Now that we are out of playoff contention, we will need to keep focused at the task at hand, which is to beat the Etobicoke Eagles.”
The Hamilton Ironmen and the Etobicoke Eagles will square off on Saturday, July 9 at 1:00pm at Ron Joyce Stadium.
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