RECAP: Titans survive scare, CFC 100 Addae has notable performance

Beating a team twice is very difficult.

The Holy Trinity Titans had to fight to beat a motivated St. Mary Monarch’s squad. The Monarchs pushed the Titans to their very edge, giving them all they could handle for most of the game until the fourth quarter when Holy Trinity would pull away with two scores to put the game out of reach, 28-14 and set up a date with Ajax-Pickering Trojans.

The first quarter would start with both teams playing well defensively, neither team really respecting the pass game all that much. The Monarchs did a good job stuffing Nathan Jones early in the first quarter and trying to force the Titans to the air. The Titans were equipped for this and had one of their more efficient days through the air, completing half their passes and more importantly, no interceptions.

When the Titans were forced to the air they responded with a flawless Chris Waldinsperger pass to Michael Drake for a 54 yard touchdown to put the Titans up 7-0 midway through the first quarter. The rest of the quarter would be a defensive battle, trading punts after short drives or two and outs.

The second quarter would be much the same defensive prowess. Later in the quarter; however, The Monarchs would drive deep into Holy Trinity territory and threaten to tie the game. The Titan defence would hold and the Monarchs would have to settle for a field goal attempt. The Monarchs would shank the kick and give the Titans the ball very deep inside their own territory.

With their backs against their own upright the Titans called a run on second down to be conservative, Nathan Jones, aided by some great blocking by his receivers went untouched for 60 yards before being brought down inside Monarch territory.

Unfortunately for the Titans offensive turnovers would rear their ugly head once again, this time in the form of a Josh Ritchie fumble. On the ensuing Monarch possession the Titans would be the ones to score. The Monarchs would try a screen pass, Titans halfback Tyler Collins sniffed it out the entire way, picked it off and completed the play by returning it all the way to the endzone for a touchdown right before halftime – 14-0 Titans.

With 10 seconds left however, the Monarchs made the bold decision to throw it instead of kneeling it out, it paid off. CFC 100 Alonzo Addae would break the Titans as he contained and roled out to find a receiver open right behind another receiver setting up an impromptu screen of sorts, about 100 yards later the Monarchs would put themselves on the scoreboard at the 0:00 mark of the half, 14-6 (PAT blocked) Titans at halftime.

In the third quarter the Monarchs had the the Titans on their heels in a game that was beginning to look like last years finals, where they built up a double digit lead early only to see the Monarchs come back and win the game. It looked even more like that when the Monarchs scored again on another CFC 100 Addae touchdown pass. The Monarchs would go for two and get it to tie the game at 14 with over a quarter and half to play. The game would again shift into a defensive battle with a tension so palpable you could cut it with a knife, the game would go into the fourth quarter all tied up at 14.

The fourth quarter would continue on much the same way as the third ended – a defensive battle of field position. Later in the frame, the Titans moved more to the power run game.

Previously Nathan Jones had nickeled and dimed his way way to a respectable rushing total.  In the latter part of the fourth; however, he exploded and was aided by a power formation and superb blocking. Late in the frame, he finally popped one for a touchdown with very little time left, the Titans were up 21-14.

On the ensuing Monarch drive Martin Hepburn picked off a deep Addae pass to give the Titans the ball with a chance to seal the game. Nathan Jones again took the ball across the goal line to seal the game, giving him 239 yards on 23 carries. On one last attempt at the deep pass Martin Hepburn again went up and picked it off. Chris Waldinsperger ran for a first down and was able to kneel the clock out, setting up a revenge game with Trojans on Tuesday.

Ultimately, the game for the Monarchs came down to stopping Nathan Jones, and they couldn’t, part of that or most of it rather, is due to some of the bets blocking the Titans have displayed all season. Also the Titans limited turnovers, save for a few untimely fumbles. Holy Trinity finally played a complete game with both sides of the ball contributing. If this can continue the Titans may be a team that gets hot a the right time.

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