Fighting Saints Football

With the approach of December and snow on the ground, it is time to look back on what was a very successful year for the Fighting Saints program.

The junior season began way back on Thursday, September 4^th with the first practice of the year. The squad had a number of returning Grade 10 players and a large contingent of Grade 9 freshmen. This year the team was able to get back to its usual tradition of a pre-season scrimmage thanks to some great weather and the cooperation of the Westgate Tigers. The exhibition game is great preparation for the season, especially for those who have never played football before.

The juniors roared out of the gate to a 4 and 0 record, thanks to victories over Hammarskjold, Churchill, Superior and Westgate. That set up a first-place showdown in the regular season finale with our cross-town rivals, St. Ignatius. Unfortunately that meeting resulted in a disappointing loss, but the team still secured second place and a first round playoff bye.

The semi-finals saw the juniors square off with a dangerous Hammarskjold squad they had not seen since a week one 17-6 win. Aside from a few miscues, the team rode a strong defensive effort on route to a 31-13 win. For the second year in a row, and third time in four years, the juniors would now try to win their first city championship since 2002.

November 8^th dawned bright, windy and extremely cold. With wind chills hovering in the -12C range, it was not going to be an easy contest. Faced with a very tough St. Ignatius team that had dominated the regular season matchup, the juniors struggled to find any consistency on either side of the ball and lost 39-6.

Although the title eluded the juniors yet again, it was another successful winning season. The team has upwards of 20 potential returning Grade 9’s, so they are in great shape for another run in 2015.

The seniors held their first practice of the year on Wednesday, September 3^rd. With a large group of Grade 11’s moving up from junior, the team hoped to erase the memory of the 2013 campaign’s 2-5 record. Since Superior did not field a varsity team this year, the seniors drew a first week bye and did not play their first game until September 19^th.

The team struggled at the outset, dropping 3 of their first 4 games. However they were able to find their stride after a huge upset victory over St. Ignatius. The seniors went on to win their next 3 games to finish the regular season with 5 wins and 3 losses, good for third place in the standings.

The semi-finals would pit the seniors against a tough Churchill squad, with each team winning one game in the regular season. On a cold evening, a number of miscues put the seniors in a 24-14 half-time hole. However, the team rallied and roared back in the final minutes of the game, due largely to the arm and legs of quarterback Joey Ward. The 28-24 victory launched them into the championship game for the first time since 2009.

In a repeat of the junior final, the seniors would face rival St. Ignatius to decide who would advance to the OFSAA Bowl game in Hamilton on November 28^th. The game was very tightly contested, with the lead changing hands several times. The seniors seemed to grab the momentum with a late interception by Marc Degagne, but a botched hand-off on the ensuing series resulted in the game winning fumble recovery touchdown by St. Ignatius.

The seniors should be well positioned to make another championship run in 2015 with the bulk of the team returning and a strong group of juniors moving up. Off-season training starts soon!