Titans, Sabres set for varsity football championship on Saturday
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Saturday’s Brant Haldimand Norfolk Non-CWOSSA Varsity football championship in Simcoe will be another cross-town rival game.
Simcoe Composite School Sabres will ‘travel’ to Holy Trinity Catholic School Titans on Nov. 4 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Semifinals on Oct. 27 saw SCS edge McKinnon Park 7-6 in Caledonia and Holy Trinity defeat Delhi 28-15 in windy conditions.
“We’re going to go back and try it again,” said Holy Trinity Grade 11 quarterback Chase Bacher, recalling last year’s 29-19 championship loss to third-seed Pauline Johnson in Brantford.
Friday’s semifinal in Simcoe was a back-and-forth affair with the first-place Titans coming out of the first half with a slim 12-8 lead.
“We were ready for them,” said Delhi Grade 10 quarterback JD Zurby, proud of his team’s effort.
“Delhi was more prepared than us in the first half,” said Bacher. “Overall, they (Delhi) played amazing – we were not ready for that type of team. We came out better in the second half after our coaches challenged us to step up more. We said, ‘We got this.’”
“They (Delhi) came to play – Delhi played a great game, and we had to adjust our style,” said Holy Trinity coach Tyler Backus. “They had definitely done their homework. They knew exactly our kind of game plan, I think, and we had to adjust completely.
“The boys did well and they persevered,” said Backus, praising his players. “They stuck to it and executed in the second half.”
The Raiders struck first in the third-quarter when Zurby connected on a 25-plus yard mid-field pass to Jacob Johnstone, who sprinted the rest of the way, giving Delhi a 15-12 lead with a converted touchdown at 3:49.
“We knew after that we had to play a bit more deep, be more focused and just slow the game down a bit,” said Bacher.
Strong wind was a factor, giving both quarterbacks an edge for two quarters, but hindering passing in the other half of the game.
“It helped a lot (with the wind), the ball went way farther than I can usually throw,” said Bacher. “So I’d just throw it up and let the wind guide it, and it worked out in the end.”
The Titans quickly regained the lead late in the third quarter with Bacher scoring a quarterback-keeper two minutes later at 1:15, and with a two-point convert Holy Trinity led 20-15.
The Titans’ pash rush proved to be effective, especially in the fourth quarter.
“We kept stacking the one side with our best d-linemen and it forced him (Zurby) to run back and forth,” said Bacher.
“I think, in the end, the seniors on their team wore us down,” said Zurby. “But it was a good game – we were the underdogs and we didn’t let them walk all over us.”
“It’s a big advantage when you’re a little bigger and a little older,” said Delhi coach Dave Leatherland. “Right now, I like the outlook of our program. We’re in a good spot as a team, but… it’s still going to take a lot of work from the players (next year).”
“Our defence really stepped up,” said Backus. “They’ve been our strong point all year. A lot of the guys who came out this year are rugby players – our open field tackling was great. Everyone played well and I’m glad they stuck with it, because there were some times… when (Delhi) got that long pass… we were saying, ‘It’s playoff football.’ We knew it was going to be a tight game. Delhi’s coaching staff has been around a long time and we knew this was coming.”
Holy Trinity scored the only touchdown in the fourth quarter, taking a 28-15 lead with 6:35 remaining, including another two-point convert.
Saturday’s AABHN final will be a rematch of a Week 2 game when the Sabres defeated Holy Trinity 14-7.
“It was a close game, one touchdown,” said Holy Trinity Grade 11 fullback Logan Mark, who scored a touchdown ‘up the gut’ in Friday’s semifinal. “And our defence has really made a step up from that one.”
Offensively, Mark said the Titans still have a few more tricks up their sleeves, “still left in the box for the final game.”
“Halfway through the season we introduced full motion plays, and we’ve been executing on that.”
Simcoe Composite School defeated McKinnon Park in Caledonia Friday with a last-minute touchdown to book their ticket to the championship game.
“I think they are both great teams,” said Mark, looking forward to having homefield advantage on Nov. 4.
“One hundred per cent, homefield helps. I love to see all of our friends and teachers in the stands giving us motivation, and all the cheerleaders. It’s great. I love the Titan spirit out there.”
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