Bantam Spears run out of gas on road
Flu bug gets the better of Niagara in final game of the regular season
The Niagara Spears didn’t have to just worry about the host Vaughan Rebels when they closed out the Ontario Provincial Football League bantam regular season on the road.
They also had to battle a flu bug that was wreaking havoc on a roster which didn’t have that many players to begin with.
“The flu has been going through the team this week, and when you have a small roster, it’s hard to absorb the challenge,” head coach Simon Gichard said after a 49-16 loss that dropped his team to 0-8.
It was a one-score game at the beginning of the third quarter. With the Spears trailing 22-16, the chance to enter the playoffs on a winning note was within reach.
“We ran out of gas in the third quarter, and the game slipped away from us.”
Gichard was upbeat despite the loss.
“Our offence, time of possession and play-calling continues to improve and being able to make adjustments really helps up move the ball,” he said.
Defence and special teams remain works in progress.
“Our defence and specials were too inconsistent today,” the coach said. “We can’t sit back and hope someone else is going to make the play. We all need to rally to the ball.”
Niagara’s Jackson Stewart completed six of 13 passes and threw touchdown passes to Jack Wilson and Nick Longo. Wilson and Longo were each on the receiving end of a pass for a twopoint conversion.
“Don’t be fooled by his quiet nature. Jackson is a fierce competitor and an even better teammate,” Gichard said of the Spears quarterback. Stewart also rushed for 78 yards.
Sean Perry, with four solo tackles, two assisted tackles; Colten Kizlyk, four solo tackles, a batted ball; and Cole Hann, two solo tackles, three assisted tackles; were standouts on defence for Niagara.
Gichard was especially impressed by Perry’s play.
“Today, Sean had what I call a ‘parking-lot hit.’ That’s a hit that if you were in the parking lot, you would have heard it.”
Niagara is a big underdog entering the playoffs versus the London Jr. Mustangs, 7-1, in a 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday at TD Stadium in London, Ont., but the Spears aren’t about to “back away from a challenge.”
“The boys and coaches that remained with this team have heart, and you can’t coach that,” Gichard said. “The lessons the players are learning this season are going to help them on and off the field for years to come.”
The first-round playoff is a rematch of the lone game in league play between the two teams. In that one, the Mustangs blanked the Spears 6-0.