Varsity Stallions Capture Fourth Consecutive OFC Northern Conference Championship

The Huronia Stallions Varsity Football team defeated the North Halton Crimson Tide 34-29 in a wildly entertaining game. 

The Stallions game plan was to contain the explosive North Halton offence by holding the ball on offence with long sustained drives.  They did this on the opening kickoff by managing to string together a series of first downs which drained 7 minutes off the clock.  The defence held North Halton to two early two and outs which the Stallions capitalized on for a 3-0 lead on the strength of a Devin McGuirk field goal.  In the second quarter the power rushin attack led by Matt Howe and John Shields enabled the Stallions to have numerous second and short opportunities which really opened up the playbook and kept the Crimson Tide defence guessing.  The Stallions seized all the momentum in the second quarter beginning with a touchdown scramble from quarterback Adam Zussino for a 10-0 lead. 

The Stallion defence then provided another stop with ferocious gang tackling and another McGuirk field goal followed for a 13-0 Stallions advantage.  Defensive back Austin Curry then came up with a huge play by intercepting a North Halton pass with two minutes remaining in the half.  Quarterback Adam Zussino then fired a 45 yard touchdown pass to Nick Stadnyk and the rout looked to be on.  With under twenty seconds remaining in the half North Halton’s talented quarterback, Tanner Cadawallader finally broke through by launching a pass which was caught and run into the endzone for a 70 yard touchdown with .6 seconds left on the clock.  Just like that North Halton was back in the game. 

The Stallions came out in the third quarter with the same determination which they began the game with.  Unfortunately several long drives resulted in zero points and North Halton managed to score a touchdown late in the third quarter to narrow the gap to 20-13.  Nick Stadnyk then stepped up and took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the endzone for a spectacular response and a 27-13 Stallions lead.   North Halton responded but could never take the lead as the team’s traded scores in the fourth quarter.  In crunch time the Stallions offence executed a clutch drive which was punctuated by Matt Howe’s game winning touchdown making the score 34-29.  Howe was the top Stallions offensive player with 27 carries for an incredible 204 yards. 

Brandon Johnston played a phenomenal game on defence leading the Stallions in tackles.  The defence came up big with four interceptions which proved vital to the Stallions victory.  Having key contributions in all three phases of the game - offence, defence and specials teams is why the Stallions were able to earn a victory on the road in the Conference Finals against an opponent who defeated them earlier in the season.  The program graduates 15 players this season and these young men were determined to avoid becoming Stallions alumni for one more week. 

The Northern Conference Champion Huronia Stallions advance to the OFC Provincial Championship game in a rematch against the Hamilton Hurricanes.  The game will be played this Saturday August 9 at 7pm in Hamilton at Ron Joyce Stadium which is situated on the campus of McMaster University.  You’ve got to love sports!

Bantam

The Huronia Stallions Bantam team were defeated in the Conference Finals 44-6 by the undefeated Peterborough Wolverines.  Peterborough scored a 75 yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage which set the tone for the game.  The outcome was never in doubt due to Peterborough’s stifling defence which held Huronia to six first downs in the first half.  Peterborough’s quarterback Jared Wayne threw three touchdown passes which ultimately was too much for the Stallions to overcome. Young Stallions quarterback Nikolas De Jesus had a good game completing some impressive passes to Mike Tomczyk, Evan Harkness, and an impressive 4th and 14 completion to Kail Dava late in the first half. Bradlee Kitchikake led the stallions ground game with some powerful runs which included a touchdown scamper.  The defence was led by the performance and leadership of Chase Waddick, Justin Janicki and Kail Dava.  Dava was the top defender with over ten tackles in the game.  Issichar Sookwah and Charlie Doering had quarterback sacks to round out the defensive highlights.  The Stallions Bantam team finishes the season 7-3 and graduates 24 players to Junior Varsity next spring and to high school programs this fall.