By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: St. Paul’s 1 running back/punter Te Jessie attempts to lunge past Vincent Massey defensive back Teagan Simon.
The number of undefeated varsity teams dipped to five this past week, as in the division one game of the week, the Vincent Massey Trojans handed the St. Paul’s 1 Crusaders their first regular season loss in over seven seasons. The St. John’s Tigers also levelled the playing field in division 3, topping the previously unbeaten Churchill Bulldogs. Below is a breakdown of all three marquee matchups from week three.
Division 1: Vincent Massey Trojans (3-0) 14 – 10 St. Paul’s 1 Crusaders (2-1)
In a growing division 1 rivalry that continues to produce game of the year candidates, it was the visiting Vincent Massey Trojans who were able to knock off the Crusaders, handing the hosts their first regular season loss in over seven years this past Friday night. The Trojans were also the last team to beat St. Paul’s 1 in the playoffs, that being in the 2015 ANAVETS Bowl.
To no one’s surprise, the defensive battle was decided in the final minutes.
St. Paul’s 1 had the ball, down 14-10 with two minutes to find the endzone. Senior Crusaders pivot Brody Lawson stepped back and unloaded a deep ball that found receiver Tristen Hutter, who had the team’s only touchdown in the contest. But just as it appeared that the senior had given his team ideal field position, Massey defensive back Sam Oyetunji — who had four tackles in the contest — stripped him from behind. The fumble was recovered by teammate Brandon Kamenz and the Trojans were able to run the clock down to secure the win.
“Honest to God I just trusted the coaches and what they called,” said Oyetunji regarding his critical forced fumble.
“They were like, ‘we’re going to play yellow [cover three] on this, because we know St. Paul’s, they’re going to go deep.’ So we were expecting it. The coverage, I was supposed to take someone else, but I saw the ball let go and I just knew I had to do something. Hutter caught it and I saw that the ball wasn’t tucked into his arm very good, so I was like there it is. At the end of the day, all glory be to God.”
The first quarter was a see-saw affair with both defences flexing their muscles. The Trojans forced St. Paul’s 1 to punt from the shadows of their own end zone on multiple occasions, however the Crusaders D held strong, with linebackers Nic Pereira, Nathan Carabatsakis and Tyler Grom all producing big hits.
The Trojans would open the scoring early in the second quarter, becoming the first team to produce a touchdown on the Crusaders this season. The drive was aided by a critical third down conversion and was finished off with a Kyler Filewich touchdown reception from Jackson Tachinksi.
A Te Jessie punt single and Vince DeRosa missed field goal would make the score 7-2 Massey at the half, as both teams continued to bend but not break. Defensive backs Trae Tomlinson of St. Paul’s and Shad Nkiasi-Nsebwir of Massey displayed their versatility, making key plays during the middle frame.
The Crusaders would take their first lead of the game with 3:54 to go in the third on a drive that was aided by a massive third down conversion by Jessie, who was originally set up to punt but saw a massive hole open up on the near side of the field and used his speed to move the chains. Lawson would cap the drive off with a five yard major to Hutter. The ensuing two-point conversion was also successful, giving the hosts a 10-7 lead entering the final quarter.
Massey secured the game-winning score with seven minutes to go, courtesy of a Jayden Zimmer touchdown reception. The grade 11 also had a pivotal catch earlier in the drive. Running back Breydon Stubbs busted off some critical second down conversions late as well to seal the contest. He finished with 149 yards on the ground on 26 carries.
Despite the loss, Hutter was resolute postgame, vowing that the visitors hadn’t seen the best of the Crusaders.
“It’s a good lesson on how to deal with adversity,” he said. “We’re definitely going to play them again, can’t wait. I feel like this was a really good challenge for us.”
Next up for the Trojans is a home date with the 2-1 Sturgeon Heights Huskies this Thursday. The Crusaders will continue their campaign on Friday night as they take on the 1-2 Steinbach Sabres.
Division 2: River East Kodiaks (3-0) 46 – 9 Kildonan East Reivers (0-3)
River East kept their undefeated streak going on Friday, topping their East Kildonan rivals in convincing fashion on homecoming night.
The Kodiaks defence has given up just 17 points all year, and continued to flex their muscles against the Reivers, holding versatile pivots Nicholas Ducharme and Brice Bayisabe to just 65 combined passing yards. The latter did have 55 yards rushing on seven carries but was unable to gain sustained momentum.
Offensively, River East’s two-headed monster of Samuel Hezekiah and former Reiver Deion Nelson continued to wreak havoc. The former had 238 combined all-purpose yards and four scores, while the latter had 167 yards rushing and two majors, including a play where he bounced off of at least four different Kildonan East defenders.
The Kodiaks will be participants in the division 2 game of the week again this week, as they go head-to-head with the Murdoch MacKay Clansmen — who are also unbeaten — this Friday. Something’s gotta give in a contest that should see plenty of fireworks, as these two squads have combined for 292 points this year. The Reivers will look to get in the win column on Thursday, as they take on the Beaver Brae Broncos, who also have yet to get their first W of the 2018 campaign.
Division 3: St. John’s Tigers (2-1) 24 – 7 Churchill Bulldogs (2-1)
The Tigers kept the playing field level on Thursday night, handing Churchill their first loss of the 2018 campaign.
St. John’s run defence was critical, holding game-changing running back Gustavo Quadros to just eight yards on six carries. This comes a week after he burned up the turf for 200 yards against Lorette. Defensive lineman Nick Wakos was huge with seven tackles, while defensive back Riley Mercer had a team leading 12. Fellow defensive back Asher Wood also added an interception.
Offensively, the Tigers were paced by tremendous play up front, giving pivot Myles Kakewash plenty of time to throw. He finished with 112 yards passing and a major on the day and also had a rushing touchdown. Shawn Inglis also had a strong day, gaining 49 yards on just six carries.
Churchill has the bye this week, while St. John’s will take on Tec Voc on Friday.