SAINT JOHN – After their most significant victory of the season, the Saint John Wanderers will face their next biggest challenge of the Maritime Football League campaign.
Read More: [url]http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/sports/article/1157326
It won’t be easy.
Today, the Wanderers will travel to Dartmouth for the league semifinal against the second-ranked Knights. Saint John is missing eight players, including at least four league all-stars in the single-game showdown with a berth in next week’s league final at stake.
“There are weddings, family reunions in Ontario, guys who have work commitments, things like that,” said Mark Gallagher, head coach of the Wanderers, 3-3 in the regular campaign.
“It is all happening at the wrong time.”
Running back Jon Haines, linebacker Andrew Hamilton and receivers Doug MacPhee and Jim Mather – all named to the New Brunswick Conference all-star team earlier this week – are among those who won’t be in attendance today when the Wanderers face the Knights for the third time this year.
Game time is 4 p.m. in Dartmouth.
“I wish I could have all of those fellows,” Gallagher said of the elite absence list.
“But the guys who have been stepping in and backing these guys up have been doing a great job all year long. They really proved that on Friday and we didn’t miss a beat in the second half.”
That happened last Friday’s in the team’s overpowering 54-6 triumph over the Capital Area Gladiators in quarter-final play. In that contest, Gallagher was well aware of the situation that would unfold this week if Saint John was victorious. So he liberally used his entire bench in the second half after the win was apparent against the 0-6 Gladiators.
Saint John led that game 27-6 at the halftime break.
Haines, Justin Cavan and quarterback John Golacki each scored a pair of touchdowns for the winners while Golacki hit Mather on another scoring strike and Josh Brown returned an interception for another score.
“The guys who were going to be missing, we put another group of fellows in their place,” Gallagher said. “You know, they played every bit as good, so it was nice to see.”
In the season series with Dartmouth, the Wanderers dropped a pair of close contests – losing12-6 in Dartmouth in June and 22-13 in Saint John on July 17.
“Dartmouth has a great team, I do not want to say they don’t, but personally, I think we are better,” Gallagher said. “If we can put together the same game we did last week, we are in good shape…Both games were tight against them. I know we didn’t play our best game and I think they gave us theirs.”
In today’s other semifinal, the Moncton Mustangs entertain the Prince Edward Island Privateers at 4 p.m. at Rocky Stone Field. The Privateers ousted Halifax 22-15 last Saturday.
The semifinal winners meet Aug. 7 for the McIntyre Cup championship.
PICTURE: Sherry Hinkley/Telegraph-Journal
Ryan Crouse of the Saint John Wanderers catches a pass during practice earlier this week in preparation for today’s Maritime Football League playoff game against the Dartmouth Knights.
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
CFC Youth Game Spotlight: Quebec OL ready to lock it down
