Soccer player nabs Westisle award
Coach praises Oliver’s abilities
New England tight end Rob Gronkowski said the Patriots would take the night to enjoy it. Safety Devin McCourty said it would be closer to just a few hours of celebration.
However long the Patriots players planned to relax after their dominating 41-28 divisionalround win over the Chargers on Sunday , this much is clear: A very good Kansas City Chiefs team is waiting in the AFC championship game.
Meanwhile, in the losing locker room in Foxborough on Sunday, the Chargers headed back across the country after dropping their lone game of the season outside the state of California.
New England needed a field goal from Stephen Gostkowski in the waning seconds to slip past the Chiefs 43-40 in one of the wildest games of the regular season in Week 6. Tom Brady had one of his best games of the season in the Oct. 14 victory over KC, throwing for 340 yards and a touchdown and running for another to earn his 200th career victory as starting quarterback.
All of it was needed on a night in which counterpart Patrick Mahomes rallied his team from a 24-9 halftime deficit, throwing for 352 yards and four touchdowns in what was the Chiefs’ first loss of the season and his first as a starting quarterback.
Now comes a rematch against a Kansas City team that oddsmakers have installed as an early favourite. It will be rare air for the Patriots. Sunday’s win over the Chargers sent the Patriots to the conference title game for eighth straight season. It will also be the 13th conference championship game appearance by the Patriots during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. Making the switch from striker to centre-midfielder worked well for graduating player Ethan Oliver and his Westisle Composite High School senior boys’ soccer team this year.
“He’s a pretty athletic guy,” coach Kevin Porter said of the 17-year-old son of Kim and Curtis Oliver of Woodvale, and the school’s Greco Pizza/Capt. Sub student-athlete of the month.
“He’s just a natural,” Porter continued. “He picks things up really easily.”
Porter noted Ethan, a Grade 12 student, gave his team more scoring from his new position, and helped him secure a league all-star acknowledgement for his part in guiding Westisle to a P.E.I. School Athletic Association (PEISAA) silver medal.
Ethan also plays golf and badminton for the Wolverines, and is a member of the Western Regals of the P.E.I. Midget AAA Hockey League.
Ethan plans to study business at UPEI next year.