Championship games set for Saturday

Fredericton High, MacNaughton to play for provincial football crown

BY MIKE POWER
Daily Gleaner
As published on page C1 on November 6, 2006

SAVID SMITH/THE DAILY GLEANER

Stephen Bohan (80), of the Tantramar Titans, tries to escape the tackle of Ryan Soles of the Fredericton High Black Kats during Saturday's New Brunswick High School Football League semifinal game in Fredericton.

FREDERICTON - The Fredericton High School Black Kats were both the irresistible force and the immovable object in New Brunswick High School Football League semifinal action here Saturday afternoon.

Black Kats held the visiting Tantramar High Titans to just 57 yards in total offence while ringing up 379 yards of their own on their way to a 30-0 win at the FHS Field.

Black Kats will meet the MacNaughton Highlanders in the provincial 12-man championship game this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field in Moncton. Highlanders blanked the Saint John High Greyhounds 46-0 in semifinal action Friday night in Moncton.

Kats will be defending the Ed Skiffington Trophy they won a year ago against a team that won it the season before. beating the Kats in the process.

Against the Titans, the statistic that best tells the story of the FHS dominance is one that shows only four first downs achieved all day by the Titans, one on their first offensive series and three more in the closing minutes of the game when the Kats were in a prevent defence. One of those first downs was also a product of a pass interference call.

"On the line, we're getting the good penetration," said Kats' defensive lineman Connor Embleton who had one of four quarterback sacks.

"At the same time the defensive backs are sticking with their coverage and we can just collapse the pocket and stick it to them."

The FHS defence hasn't been scored on in their last three games and has thrown up a shutout in six of their last seven, having allowed only 40 points against in nine games.

"It's a lot to do with teamwork and confidence," Embleton said. "We know when we get the ball back for the offence, they will move it and keep us off the field for a while and even if they don't put up points, we feel next time they will."

The FHS defenders made it a long day for Tantramar quarterback Joey Burns who threw for only 42 yards and was good on just five of 17 attempts. Burns lost a total of 41 yards running the ball, although that had more to do with sacks than anything else.

Workhorse Tantramar running back Callum Hardie ran for 54 yards on 10 carries most of those on a 20-yard run in the third quarter that ended up in a fumble and a turnover.

On the other hand, the FHS offence, led by quarterback Andrew Hickey, was methodical while employing all of their various weapons.

Four different players, one of whom was Hickey, ran for at least 20 yards. Iain MacDonald led the way with 56 yards on 12 carries. Hickey had 53 yards on nine carries and Ben Collins went 40 yards on seven tries.

But it was Hickey who was the focal point of it all. Besides his running, including a one-yard touchdown run, he aired out the ball and tore up the Tantramar secondary.

Hickey threw for 203 yards connecting on 11 of 18 attempts. He threw for three touchdowns and didn't have a pass intercepted. His favourite targets were Dave Carr who had four catches for 106 yards including three touchdowns and Elliot Thompson who caught five balls for 77 yards.

"He's awesome, he can find you anywhere on the field," Carr said.

"He gives us so much confidence. Even if the line misses a block, he can get outside and make a big play out of something that for most guys would be a sack. You never give up with him because if you can get open he'll get it to you."

That was completely the case in the first half. Carr scored the games first points with a first quarter touchdown as Hickey scrambled from pursuit by three Titan's linemen.

Hickey didn't panic. He patiently let the pursuit draw near and fired a 29 yard pass to Carr who was open in the end zone.

He did it again with a minute remaining in the half, taking a broken play, scrambling out of the pocket and tossing a 39 yard pass and run scoring strike to Carr.

Then after the Titans got the ball back, went two plays and punted, FHS lined up at midfield with 17 seconds to play. Hickey calmly found Carr breaking down the right sideline and hit him for a 55 yard scoring play.

"That kind of stuff comes from knowing he can do it," Carr said.

"We're not just putting it up and hoping. We believe that Hickey can do that stuff from mid-field with almost no time left. If we get that ball back, he can kill the other team."

Indeed in less than 40 seconds the game had exploded from 7-0 to 21-0 and the Titans had to go to the intermission down by three touchdowns and knowing they had made only a single first down to that point.

That was very much the ball game.

In the third quarter with Tantramar backed up on their own four yard line a snap went over the head of the punter for a safety.

With 1:07 remaining in that same quarter Greg Madsen picked off a pass to set up the Kats' final scoring drive of the day that was capped off by Hickey's one yard bootleg run.

That touchdown, and every other, was converted by Zac Cann to round out the score.

Meanwhile, the provincial 10-man final will feature the St. Stephen Spartans and Harbour View Vikings on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rocky Stone.

In semifinals, St. Stephen beat the J.M.A. Armstrong Cougars of Salisbury 48-0 and Harbour View defeated Simonds Seabees 50-12.

By MIKE POWER
mpower@dailygleaner.com
As published on page B1 on November 6, 2006

The Daily Gleaner/David Smith photo

Fredericton High Shoool Black Kats quarterback Andrew Hickey takes off with the ball to escape pressure from the Tantramar High Titans during Saturday's provincial high school football league semifinal game at FHS Field. Hickey had a touchdown and threw for three others as the Kats romped 30-0 to earn a berth into Saturday's final at Rocky Stone Field in Moncton. Bernice MacNaughton Highlanders of Moncton will provide the opposition.

The Fredericton High School Black Kats were both the irresistible force and the immovable object in provincial high school football semifinal action Saturday afternoon.

Black Kats held the visiting Tantramar High Titans of Sackville to just 57 yards in total offence while ringing up 379 yards of their own on their way to a 30-0 win in front of an estimated 300 people at FHS Field.

FHS advances to the provincial final Saturday at Rocky Stone Field in Moncton where they will meet the Bernice MacNaughton Highlanders, 46-0 winners over Saint John High Greyhounds in semifinal action Friday night in Moncton.

Kats will be defending the Ed Skiffington Trophy they won a year ago against a team that won it the season before. beating the Kats in the process.

Against the Titans, the statistic that best tells the story of the FHS dominance is one that shows only four first downs achieved all day by the Titans, one on their first offensive series and three more in the closing minutes of the game when the Kats were in a prevent defence. One of those first downs was also a product of a pass interference call.

"On the line, we're getting the good penetration," said Kats' defensive lineman Connor Embleton who had one of four quarterback sacks. "At the same time the defensive backs are sticking with their coverage and we can just collapse the pocket and stick it to them."

The FHS defence hasn't been scored on in their last three games and has thrown up a shutout in six of their last seven, having allowed only 40 points against in nine games.

"It's a lot to do with teamwork and confidence," Embleton said. "We know when we get the ball back for the offence, they will move it and keep us off the field for a while and even if they don't put up points, we feel next time they will."

The FHS defenders made it a long day for Tantramar quarterback Joey Burns who threw for only 42 yards and was good on just five of 17 attempts. Burns lost a total of 41 yards running the ball, although that had more to do with sacks than anything else.

Workhorse Tantramar running back Callum Hardie ran for 54 yards on 10 carries most of those on a 20 yard run in the third quarter that ended up in a fumble and a turnover.

On the other hand, the FHS offence, led by quarterback Andrew Hickey, was methodical while employing all of their various weapons.

Four different players, one of whom was Hickey, ran for at least 20 yards. Iain MacDonald led the way with 56 yards on 12 carries. Hickey had 53 yards on nine carries and Ben Collins went 40 yards on seven tries.

But it was Hickey who was the focal point of it all. Besides his running, including a one yard touchdown run, he aired out the ball and tore up the Tantramar secondary.

Hickey threw for 203 yards connecting on 11 of 18 attempts. He threw for three touchdowns and didn't have a pass intercepted. His favourite targets were Dave Carr who had four catches for 106 yards including three touchdowns and Elliot Thompson who caught five balls for 77 yards.

"He's awesome, he can find you anywhere on the field," Carr said. "He gives us so much confidence. Even if the line misses a block, he can get outside and make a big play out of something that for most guys would be a sack. You never give up with him because if you can get open he'll get it to you."

That was completely the case in the first half. Carr scored the games first points with a first quarter touchdown as Hickey scrambled from pursuit by three Titan's linemen. Hickey didn't panic. He patiently let the pursuit draw near and fired a 29 yard pass to Carr who was open in the end zone.

He did it again with a minute remaining in the half, taking a broken play, scrambling out of the pocket and tossing a 39 yard pass and run scoring strike to Carr.

Then after the Titans got the ball back, went two plays and punted, FHS lined up at midfield with 17 seconds to play. Hickey calmly found Carr breaking down the right sideline and hit him for a 55 yard scoring play.

"That kind of stuff comes from knowing he can do it," Carr said. "We're not just putting it up and hoping. We believe that Hickey can do that stuff from mid-field with almost no time left. If we get that ball back, he can kill the other team."

Indeed in less than 40 seconds the game had exploded from 7-0 to 21-0 and the Titans had to go to the intermission down by three touchdowns and knowing they had made only a single first down to that point.

That was very much the ball game. In the third quarter with Tantramar backed up on their own four yard line a snap went over the head of the punter for a safety. And with 1:07 remaining in that same quarter Greg Madsen picked off a pass to set up the Kats' final scoring drive of the day that was capped off by Hickey's one yard bootleg run. That touchdown, and every other, was converted by Zac Cann to round out the score.

Highlanders cruise to N.B. final

Defensive back Lucas Wickwire returns interceptions for pair of touchdowns in 46-0 thumping of Saint John Greyhounds

By Sean Hatchard
Times & Transcript Staff
As published on page C1 on November 4, 2006

VIKTOR PIVOVAROV/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

MacNaughton Highlanders' Nathan Cormier runs for yardage as Saint John Greyhounds' Echer Marcial dives for a tackle during the first half of the N.B. high school footbal semifinal at Rocky Stone Memorial Field last night.

So much for a big semifinal showdown.

MacNaughton Highlanders completely dominated - on offence, defence and special teams - en route to a 46-0 thumping of the Saint John High Greyhounds in a New Brunswick High School Football League 12-man division semifinal at Rocky Stone Memorial Field last night.

Highlanders, the 2004 provincial champions, advance to the New Brunswick final next Saturday at Rocky Stone. They'll take on the winner of today's semifinal game between the defending champion Fredericton High Black Kats and Tantramar Titans at 1 p.m. in Fredericton.

"It's unbelievable. We've been practising hard all year and we were so focused on this game," said MacNaughton defensive back Lucas Wickwire, who returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in the victory.

"We've been thinking of the provincial final since the first day of training camp and we just want to bring it home."

Highlanders will play in the New Brunswick championship game for the third time in their five-year 12-man division history.

MacNaughton finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 5-1-1 record. Saint John High was second in the Western Conference at 6-1. This one wasn't even close.

Highlanders scored late in the first quarter on a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eric Daigle to Scott Kelly. On the ensuing kickoff, MacNaughton's Jordan McQuinn recovered teammate Nathan Cormier's short kick and returned it 20 yards for another major.

All of a sudden it was 13-0, Highlanders had all the momentum and the Greyhounds never recovered.

"That just shifted the game right there. It's a really big downer when it happens to you, so to start off the game like that set us up for the rest of the way," said Wickwire, a 16-year-old Grade 12 student.

"They played hard, but came out a little flat and were on a road trip and all that."

Saint John High wasn't able to control MacNaughton's passing attack as Daigle picked apart the Greyhounds' defensive secondary, tossing 46 and 24-yard touchdown passes to Kelly, along with a seven-yard hook up with Nick Kaminsky for another major.

The quarterback also scored on a one-yard keep for the Highlanders, who led 26-0 at halftime.

MacNaughton's defence was just as good. Saint John High managed just a couple first downs and quarterback Nick Bonner was intercepted six times, four times by Bryce Wade and twice by Wickwire, who returned interceptions 15 and 50 yards for touchdowns.

"That was pretty crazy. We weren't expecting any of that," Wickwire said. "Maybe one or two if that, but our DBs have been working hard and we had great coverage on them."

Cormier kicked four converts in the win.

Greyhounds had a couple shots at the end zone in the fourth quarter, but their best player on the night, Joel Seale, stepped out of bounds at the Highlanders' one-yard line on a run. That's as close as they would come to any points.

"We came out of this game healthy and made a statement to the other conference and hopefully they're thinking about us now," MacNaughton head coach Ed Wasson said.

10-Man Division

J.M.A. Armstrong Cougars visit the St. Stephen High Spartans in a 10-man division semifinal today at 1 p.m. in St. Stephen.

Harbour View Vikings beat the Simonds Seabees 48-12 in the other semifinal last night.

Relentless ground attack

Simonds High plans to run the ball against Harbour View in tonight's semifinal action

Mary-Ellen Saunders
Telegraph-Journal
As published on page B8 on November 3, 2006

PETER WALSH/TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

The Simonds High School plan of attack for tonight's semifinal against Harbour View is to run, run and run some more. At the centre of that attack will be Stefan Wood. Here, James Carroll and Jordan McDonald open a hole during practice earlier this week.

SAINT JOHN - The offensive coach for the Simonds High School Seabees says he's going to run the ball, and he doesn't care if the Harbour View High Vikings know it.

"They're not going to stop us. We are going to keep running it," said Darcy Baker. "We run the ball, that's what we do, we are a lunch pail team."

The Seabees and the Vikings will be fighting it out tonight at 7 p.m. in a 10-man division semifinal of the New Brunswick High School Football League. With both teams having claimed victory over the other earlier this season, there is no clear frontrunner.

"We tell them (players) they can be the first team in Simonds history to win a championship," said Baker. "We have been there lots of times and never won. They are two games away from winning it all and that has given them spark and fire."

On Oct. 6, the Vikings slaughtered the Seabees 31-0. But the tables turned on Oct. 21, when Simonds beat Harbour View 30-20, handing the Vikings their first loss of the season.

"When they beat us, they didn't beat us, we beat ourselves," Baker said, adding that his team fumbled a few times and failed to follow through when close to the end zone. But Baker said the team had pulled together by the second game, putting pressure on Vikings star quarterback Jordan Blizzard, and running the ball as fast and hard as they could for much of the game.

Harbour View's head coach Mike Murphy said the Seabees threw some unexpected coaching decisions in the game that threw his game off. He said he's ready for them this time, but expects the rival team has some new tricks up their sleeve tonight.

Baker said his team is sticking with what they do well, running like the wind. He said he relies on his running backs for offence. Stefan Wood has scored big points and yardage for the Seabees this season, including three of the four touchdowns in the last Harbour View game.

Tailback Stefan Wood, left, is expected to be a busy man taking hand-offs from quarterback Kyle Skerry for the Seabees when they face the Harbour View High Vikings tonight in semifinal action.

"Stefan Wood is explosive, he can go to the house on any play," said Baker. "You know he's going to run, but you don't know when. He has had four or five touchdowns over 75 yards this season which is pretty impressive."

As his team ran the field in a blur of yellow and green at Wednesday's practice, Wood smiled from behind his mask. "Run, run and don't get hit," Wood said about his game. "Stay on the ground and keep going."

The team's defensive play is second in the league with Harbour View just behind. However, when it comes to games won, the Vikings are 6-2 with the Seabees just behind with a 5-3 record.

Baker said defence will determine who wins the next game. He said Blizzard controls over 90 per cent of the Vikings' offensive play, and that's who he's after.

Shaking with energy, Wood said his team has lifted its spirit in the last few games and realized they aren't individual players - they are a team.

With this game, possibly the last of his career, Wood said he is pumped up and ready to win. That thirst, added with a touch of revenge, is what he said boosted them the last game.

"We just wanted it more," said Wood. "We went in, we wanted it and it was ours."

Murphy agreed, saying his team went in overconfident and were put in their place.

"It was one of the best things that could have happened to our kids," said Murphy. "Our kids recognize they were over confident and they paid the price for it... We lost to them two weeks ago and we shouldn't have, our guys kind of want pay back."

The winner's opponent will be decided on Saturday when Salisbury's J.M.A. Armstrong travels to St. Stephen for a 1 p.m. game. The Nick Desilets Memorial Trophy game will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Rocky Stone field in Moncton.

In 12-man semifinal action, the Saint John High Greyhounds travel to Moncton tonight to face the MacNaughton Highlanders at 7 p.m. at Rocky Stone while on Saturday, the Tantramar Regional High Titans visit the Fredericton High Black Kats at 1 p.m.

There will be some history flowing against Greyhounds tonight

By Sean Hatchard
Times & Transcript Staff
As published on page D1 on November 3, 2006

The last time the MacNaughton Highlanders and Saint John High Greyhounds met, it didn't end pretty.

In a regular season game a little over a year ago, Saint John High scored the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds remaining for a 29-26 controversial New Brunswick High School Football League 12-man division victory over MacNaughton. The touchdown came after a Highlanders pass interference penalty.

Three MacNaughton coaches were ejected and the Highlanders racked up 200 yards in penalties by halftime.

It's one of very few blemishes on MacNaughton's short, but very successful football program.

So, even with the new scheduling format that doesn't allow Eastern and Western Conference teams to meet until Week 9 - the provincial semifinal round - there's a little history between the Highlanders and Greyhounds, who tangle in a semifinal tonight at 7 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

"The kids remember that game," said MacNaughton head coach Ed Wasson, who has about half of last year's team back this season.

"I think it's also motivated the coaches to do a really good job this week against them."

The other semifinal pits the defending New Brunswick champion Fredericton High Black Kats against the Tantramar Titans tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Fredericton.

The provincial final - the Ed Skiffington Trophy Game - follows Nov. 11 at Rocky Stone.

MacNaughton finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 5-1-1 record. Saint John High was second in the Western Conference at 6-1.

"They seem to be a fairly large, aggressive team. They bring a lot of guys wherever they go," Wasson said of the Greyhounds.

"There's a lot of unknown factors under this format, but I think that makes it more interesting."

Highlanders are in a provincial semifinal for the fourth time in their five-year 12-man division history.

Tantramar (5-2) at FHS (7-0)

In Fredericton, the Titans will have a tough task in shutting down the defending provincial champions.

Black Kats scored a league-high 255 points while giving up just 40 points in seven regular season games en route to their perfect record.

"We've heard a lot about them. We expect a typical Fredericton team, a big, strong, athletic team," Tantramar head coach Dave Burns said.

Titans lost 48-8 to Fredericton High in a quarter-final last season.

Tantramar started the season 4-0, but went 1-2 down the stretch only to recover by upsetting the Riverview High Royals 21-17 in a quarter-final on the road last weekend. Titans had lost in a provincial quarter-final in each of the past six seasons before last weekend and hope this is the year they win their first New Brunswick championship since 1997.

"We know we're going in as big underdogs, but we're really prepared for a battle. We just hope the momentum from last week's victory carries over to this week," Burns said.

10-Man Division

After a two-year absence from the league, the J.M.A. Armstrong Courgars returned this season and qualified for the 10-man division playoffs.

The fourth-place Cougars (4-4) visit the first-place St. Stephen High Spartans (7-1) in a semifinal tomorrow at 1 p.m.

The other semi has second-place Harbour View Vikings (6-2) vs. the third-place Simonds Seabees (5-3) tonight at 7 p.m. in Saint John.

By MIKE POWER
mpower@dailygleaner.com
As published on page B4 on November 3, 2006

GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHO

Fraser Boldon of the Fredericton High School Black Kats sacks Oromocto High School Blues quarterback Jordan Heather during provincial football league action earlier this season. Boldon, a Grade 12 lineman and linebacker, is hoping to cap his high school career with a New Brunswick championship. The next step is Saturday when the Kats host the Tantramar Titans of Sackville in semifinal play. Game time is 1 p.m. at FHS Field. The other semifinal goes tonight in Moncton, with the Bernice MacNaughton Highlanders taking on the Saint John High Greyhounds

The Fredericton High School Black Kats football players don't remember the Titans, but they don't think that will be an obstacle.

For the first time in a while the Black Kats go into a game tomorrow against an opponent that they don't know from having played previously or at least watched play.

The Tantramar Titans of Sackville will be that opponent, a team from the mysterious east, east division that is. This season the east and west conferences in the New Brunswick 12-Man Football League decided to discontinue interdivision play until the second round of the playoffs.

As a result, all the Kats know of the Titans is what they have read or been told by coaches.

Game time is 1 p.m. at FHS Field with a berth in the provincial championship next week in Moncton as the prize. In the other semifinal, Saint John High School meets the Bernice MacNaughton Highlanders tonight in Moncton.

"I think it will actually be pretty exciting to play a new team," said Kats lineman/linebacker Fraser Boldon.

"Everyone in the west knows a lot about us so with Tantramar they know as much about us as we do about them. Plus there's the added incentive of the east against the west. You want to show them what the west can do."

Fredericton goes into tomorrow's game with an impressive resumé. Their record including playoffs is 8-0. FHS has surrendered only 40 points in those eight games while scoring 255, both tops in the province.

The Titans finished third in the east with a 5-2 record. They got off to a 4-0 start but stumbled down the stretch going 1-2 over their final three games. Their only win in that stretch came over the hapless L'Odyssee Olympiens, who are 0-13 in their two seasons of AAA football.

Last week, however, the Titans came back to life with a 21-17 quarter-final road win over the Riverview Royals, who finished second in the regular season.

The Titans have lost in the provincial quarter-final round in each of the past six seasons but this year are looking to win their first provincial title since 1997. To that end, they returned 30 players from the 2005 season.

Key players for Tantramar include quarterback Joey Burns, slotbacks Stephen Bohan and Callum Hardie, defensive lineman Preston Spence, linebackers Justin Richard and safety Devon Joyce.

Nobody is more important to Tantramar's success, however, than slotback/fullback Scott MacDougall, who plays both offence and defence and rarely leaves the field.

"What we have heard is they have a solid running game," Boldon said. "They like to run off tackle and sweeps. Apparently the one guy (MacDougall) runs the ball 85 to 90 per cent of the time. He'll be running right at me so I'll take it upon myself to be ready for that."

That should make for a match-up worth watching as Boldon was recently named a provincial all-star on defence while MacDougall was named on the offensive team.

"That's really nice to get that honour," Boldon said. "But it won't have any meaning until the season is over. The goal for all of us is a provincial championship. Everybody feels that way. These individual awards are things you forget about until the season is over. Until then, it's all about team goals."

Nor does the fact that Boldon is a multi-sport athlete - he plays for the FHS hockey team - detract from his focus on tomorrow's game.

"Not a bit, I'll enjoy hockey when I get there," Boldon said. "But that's not now. I'm a football player now. That's my priority until this is done, until we get our championship the guys on this team who play other sports are focused on football first."

And, of course, there is always the aspect that this is the last time out to play on FHS Field, aka the jungle, for Boldon and many other FHS seniors.

"This could be the last football game I ever play here," he said. "We have some key guys who are finishing up this year and you want them to go out as a winner. You never want your last game at home to be a loss, not with the kind of team pride we have here at this school."