By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: River East’s Division 2 Offensive Player of the Year candidate Sammy Hezekiah back to pass.
St. Paul’s 1 made a commanding statement this week to claim the top spot in the Potter Conference of Division 1, while River East got some help from Crocus Plains to secure top seed in the Bramwell Conference as the WHSFL heads into playoff season. Additionally, William Barnsdale continued his Most Outstanding Player-calibre year for the Churchill Bulldogs.
Division 1: St. Paul’s 1 Crusaders (6-1) 44 – 7 Garden City Fighting Gophers (5-2)
The Crusaders got out to a 20-0 lead over Garden City at halftime and didn’t look back, securing the top seed in the Potter Conference of Division 1 with a 37-point win over the Fighting Gophers.
Offensively, the team was paced by the arm and legs of senior pivot Brody Lawson, who threw two touchdown passes to receiver Zach Wynne and also ran for another while accumulating well over 200 all-purpose yards. Wynne stepped up big-time, with Lawson’s favourite target Tristen Hutter out of the line up.
Defensively, the Crusaders — who gave up just 21 points in the regular season — were able to keep versatile pivot Jarrett Alcaraz in check, specifically when he scrambled outside the pocket to try and keep various plays alive. They blitzed him on multiple occasions as well, which forced him to adjust his first reads. Junior Linebacker Nathan Carabatsakis led the way with a fumble recovery and an interception.
“I just feel like we’re all gelling and there’s lot of communication this year,” Carabatsakis said of his team’s defensive performance so far.
“[Montreal Alouettes linebacker] DJ [Lalama] is here helping us and that’s a lot of good insight, which is helpful. I just feel really good this year. We had a great defence last year and this year I feel like we’re doing a lot better too.”
Receivers Payton Yakimishyn — who also had a solid day punting — as well as Everrett Findley both had admirable performances in the loss. The former made some big catches over the middle of the Crusaders defence, while the latter used his elusiveness to get open on a few occasions, including registering Garden City’s only touchdown.
Both teams begin quarter-final action this week. St. Paul’s 1 will renew a classic Div 1 rivalry with Oak Park on Thursday at 5 p.m., while Garden City. will host Vincent Massey Brandon at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Division 2: River East Kodiaks (6-1) 13 – 7 DMCI Maroons (3-3-1)
Both of these squads performed admirably despite the loss of some critical pieces to their roster. The Maroons were without starting quarterback Kieran Benson, who sustained a concussion a few weeks ago. The Kodiaks on the other hand, didn’t have lead back Deion Nelson — who will not return to the team this year — as well as star pivot/halfback Sammy Hezekiah, who was ejected from the game in the second series .
Hezekiah scored the only touchdown for River East before leaving the contest, while Spenser Pilon and Ethan Topping held DMCI’s game-changing running back Nathaniel King-Wilson in check. Pilon finished with four tackles and a sack, while Topping had nine tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.
The Kodiaks also got some help from the Crocus Plains Plainsmen, who registered the upset of the season, knocking off the now 5-1-1 Murdoch MacKay Clansmen 19-16 to give River East the top seed in the Bramwell Conference. Additionally, the win propelled the Brandon squad to eight points and the eighth and final CTV Bowl playoff spot over DMCI.
Next up for River East is a home quarter-final contest against Miles Mac this Thursday at 4 p.m. The Maroons will host Beaver Brae in the consolation semi-finals.
Division 3: Churchill Bulldogs (4-2) 22 – 20 Maples Marauders (2-4)
In a back-and-forth battle, it was the Churchill Bulldogs who were able to escape with a two point win over Maples.
William Barnsdale — who set a new division 3 record this season with seven forced fumbles — was the star of the show once more for the Bulldogs, registering eight tackles, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick on defence, as well as 164 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including the game-tying score with just 30 seconds remaining.
He finished the year with 703 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns in just four games as the starting running back.
Barnsdale also got support from fellow back Yves Amane, who had 106 yards on the ground, as well as two two-point converts, including the game-winner.
Churchill will now host Tec Voc in the quarter-finals this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., while Fort Frances will welcome the Marauders on Thursday at 2:30 in the other divisional quarter-final. The winners of those two games will face St. John’s and Elmwood, respectively.