Week 8: October 23-24

Blues boys continue to excel

The last time the Oromocto High School Beaver Brokerage Blues' defence put up anything other than a shutout, it was October 3 and the team was still relishing the underdog role.

How things have changed.

The Blues, who clinched first in the western conference of the provincial high school football league with a 50-0 shellacking of Leo Hayes High School two Saturdays ago, rolled to their third straight lopsided win Saturday, downing the Hampton High Huskies 38-0 in a rain soaked regular"'season finale at MacKenzie Field.

"Playing in this kind of weather you look at each other as coaches and say 'a touchdown is going to win the game today' because it is really hard to move and you can't get your footing, but our kids today they did and they did everything and more that you would want in a game like this," said OHS head coach Rob Wilson.

"It was just a great game and you know a lot of people are saying we have to throw the ball to be successful and the truth is that we can do all kinds of things, and I think we proved today that we can run when we have to."

With starting quarterback James Mitchell out with flu like symptoms Saturday, slot back/ defensive back Nathan Heather stepped in as quarterback and looked right at home behind centre.

On just the game's second series, he hit James Blanchard on a 20-yard throw down the middle and Blanchard broke a tackle and ran another 40 yards to make it 7-0.

It was one of two times Heather and Blanchard connected for touchdowns on the day - the second coming on a 20-yard blooper early in the second half.

In between touchdown throws, Heather twice used his speed to get outside Hampton's chasing defensive ends and run in touchdowns from 25 and 27 yards out respectively. Both scores came after Heather was unable to find any open receivers in the end zone and looked panicked.

They weren't.

"We ran a lot of fake blasts and let Nathan roll around the outside which just gave him the option of throw or run depending on how his receivers were covered and he used his speed a lot to get past guys," said Wilson. "It was definitely part of our game plan."

In the second half, the defensive show courtesy of the Blues continued with defensive back Gillis Tyler recovering a fumble and running it in for the touchdown from 20 yards out and the Blues not letting the Huskies into red zone even once.

The game marked the third consecutive shutout for OHS, who were also without the services of wide receiver Mitch McCoy, another casaulty of the flu bug.

"It feels great. Going into playoffs with three straight shutouts, that's amazing," said Blanchard.

"Our team is just doing amazing," added running back Mitchell Player. "Our quarterback was sick (James Mitchell) and one of our receivers (Mitch McCoy) was sick and we didn't know what to think, but we went in strong and finished strong. It was a lot of fun. I've never played on a field that muddy before."

Oromocto will host fourth place Fredericton High School in a provincial quarterfinal this weekend. Officials are still looking for a place to play the game, with MacKenzie Field left unplayable from Saturday's action.

Wilson said whenever and wherever the game is held it will be a battle.

"It's FHS and FHS is FHS. Playing that team a lot of times is the highlight of your season and were not going to have any probably getting the guys excited," he said.

"It will be tough. They (FHS) have had some difficulty scoring, but their defence has been amazing and for a team to finish fourth and allow so few points is really a compliment to their defence."

Sonics cap flawless regular season

Published in the Telegraph-Journal on Monday, October 26, 2009
Appeared on page B5

ROTHESAY - The Sussex Sonics ended their flawless 10-man football league season with a 32-0 win over Rothesay High Saturday.

The win left the Sonics with a 7-0 record and marked their fifth shutout. The squad outscored their opponents 198-21 surrendering on average three points per game.

As the No. 1 team in the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association eight-squad loop, Sussex Regional High earns a bye directly to the semifinals on Nov. 7.

Robert Dunfield led the charge Saturday, scoring two touchdowns from nine-yard and 20-yard runs. Mike Brown and Trevor Seymour each added majors, both touchdown receptions from quarterback Aaron Tabor, who went three for four on extra point kicks and also added a 27-yard field goal. Josh Hayes contributed a safety.

The St. Stephen Spartans capped their regular season with a 27-0 win over Ecole L'Odyssee in 10-man action. Kurtis Delaney propelled the squad to victory, rushing for 96 yards including a 43-yard touchdown run. Delaney also reeled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Tyler Robbins.

Gage Ross had a major on a short running play and also led the defence with nine tackles and two fumble recoveries. David Guitar contributed with a touchdown reception from quarterback James Greenlee and Luke Hayre was good on three point-after kicks.

The Spartans finished the season with a 6-1 record .They'll host a semifinal game on Nov. 7 with an opponent yet to be determined.

Simonds High dropped a 49-6 decision to the Mathieu-Martin Matadors to finish their 10-man season at 1-6. The record puts the Seabees in seventh place and out of playoff contention.

A makeup contest between the Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders (2-4) and Ecole L'Odyssee (0-6) on Tuesday will determine the final standings for the 10-man league. The fifth and sixth place teams, yet to be determined, will take on Mathieu-Martin, ranked fourth, and the No. 3 Harbour View Vikings, respectively, in conference quarterfinal action this weekend.

In South West 12-man action, the Hampton Huskies were eliminated from playoff contention after losing 38-0 to the Oromocto High Blues Saturday in wet and soggy conditions. The Huskies ended their season at 3-4 while the Blues will host Fredericton High this weekend in the conference semifinals.

Meanwhile, St. Malachy's High was knocked out of the playoff run after falling 45-0 to Fredericton High in their season finale Saturday in Saint John. The Saints ended their season at 0-7.

The other 12-man semifinal will see the No. 2 Saint John High Greyhounds (5-2) host the No. 3 Leo Hayes Lions next weekend at a time to be determined. The two conference finalists advance to the regional tournament slated for Nov. 6-7.

It was a rare sight, but one that made Bernice MacNaughton Highlanders outside linebacker Nick Brooks proud.

Highlanders locked up first place in the Eastern Conference of the New Brunswick High School Football League by beating the Riverview High Royals 25-0 yesterday at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

The three-time defending provincial champions recorded the lopsided victory with a largely ineffective offence. In fact, MacNaughton's defence scored all of the points.

"I think the coach told us we've had the top defence in the league five years in a row so we're trying to keep that tradition alive," said Brooks, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student.

"We work hard as a defensive unit in practice and it shows in the games," Brooks said. "The coaches have been great. They prepare us to play hard every week and they always give us a good game plan.

"We take a lot of pride in our defensive game and we hope to keep playing this way every week."

Highlanders finished the regular season with a 5-1 record for 10 points.

Royals and Moncton High Purple Knights, who have a bye this week, finished in a tie for second place with 3-1-2 records. However, the Royals were awarded second place based on their better defensive record.

Harrison Trimble Trojans (2-4) beat the Tantramar Titans (0-6) 51-6 last night to grab the fourth and final playoff spot.

In next weekend's opening playoff matchups, MacNaughton will host Trimble and Riverview will entertain Moncton High.

MacNaughton's defence dominated Riverview from the opening minutes of play. Highlanders got on the board when their defence swarmed Royals punter Casey Glenen in the end zone for a safety less than three minutes into the first quarter.

A few minutes later, the Highlanders blocked the first of three punts in the game and Brooks recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.

"We play hard as a unit," Brooks said. "I can't say too much because a lot of our plays are secrets, but there is a lot of misdirection and other things going on. We try to put a lot of pressure on the offence in different ways."

The Highlander defence also scored majors on long interception returns by MacKenzie Inglis and Blake Stewart. Royals gave up another safety late in the game and Matt Heaton kicked all three converts.

Royals only managed to gain four first downs in the entire game and one of those was the result of a Highlanders penalty. Any time, the Royals tried to power the ball up the middle the Highlanders defensive line set up a wall that couldn't budged and when Riverview attempted to sweep or run around an end, the quick MacNaughton secondary was there to greet them with open arms.

"Riverview has got a very good team and we'll probably see them again sometime in the playoffs," Brooks said. "We played a good defensive game, but don't count Riverview out. They've got a good team and they'll bounce back."

Highlanders only managed to earn three first downs in the game -- two on the ground and one on a pass.

"We didn't play as badly as the score sounds," said Royals head coach Guy Messervier. "MacNaughton took advantage of some big plays against us. That's what good teams do. They had us down and they went for the jugular."

Last night at Rocky Stone Memorial Field, Matt Seely led the Trojans offence with a pair of touchdowns against the visiting Titans.

David Boulay, Jeff McCarty, Steven Fox, Brett Robart and Will Rochlow also had majors. Rochlow added a 30-yard field goals and six converts.

On defence, John Daly had two interceptions and Stacy Stewart recorded a pair of quarterback sacks.

"It was a positive game from our point of view and we're going into the playoffs with some momentum," said Trojans head coach Mark Teed.

"We were able to move the ball and we played a solid game defensively, too," Teed said. "In the playoffs, anything can happen in this league. I believe all four teams are capable of winning the conference so there should be some good, tightly-played games."

In the provincial 10-man league today, Mathieu-Martin Matadors host the Simonds Seabees in Dieppe and St. Stephen Spartans visit l'Odyssée Olympiens at Rocky Stone Memorial Field. Both games begin at 1 p.m.

Published in the Telegraph-Journal on Saturday, October 24, 2009
Appeared on page C10

SAINT JOHN - Matt Doucet was a force on the gridiron Friday night, propelling the Saint John High Greyhounds to a 49-18 win over Leo Hayes High in New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association South West 12-man football action.

Doucet scored six touchdowns while rushing for 215 yards on 15 carries. Alex Peabody added a major while Alex Quinn was good for six of seven extra points and a rouge. Saint John finished the regular season at 5-2 while Leo Hayes ended with a 4-3 record. The Greyhounds will host the Lions next Friday for the first round of playoff action.

The Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders dropped their fourth straight Friday night, falling 42-31 to the Harbour View Vikings in South East 10-man action.

The Crusaders came out flat in the opening half but dominated the second session. Running back Alex Blain led the charge, scoring all five rushing touchdowns for the Crusaders. Nathan Edwards had a convert as Kennebecasis Valley High dropped to 2-4.

"We definitely took control of the second half, but, like I told the boys, you can't win a football game only player two quarters," head coach Eugene Belliveau said.

The Crusaders are back in action Tuesday for a makeup game, their last of the regular season, against Ecole L'Odyssee in Riverview at 7 p.m. Harbour View finished their regular season Friday night at 5-2.

Regular season action wraps up Saturday for the remaining 10-man squads. Rothesay High hosts the undefeated Sussex Sonics at 1 p.m., St. Stephen High travels to play L'Odyssee at 1 p.m. and Simonds are in Moncton to play Mathieu-Martin at 1 p.m.