Spears off to junior championship
No need for a third go-round, the second proved to be the charm when the Niagara Spears played the Clarington Knights on the road in the Ontario Provincial Football League’s Tier 2 junior varsity division.
Third-seeded Niagara rebounded from a 21-14 loss a week ago in the final game of the regular by edging No. 2 seed Clarington 14-12 in the rematch Sunday.
Spears quarterback Bryce Livingston found receiver Josh Boyle with a one-yard scoring strike, and Tal Ibrahim rushed for Niagara’s other touchdown.
Josh Morley was 2-for-2 in convert attempts as the Spears advanced to play the top-seeded Vaughan Rebels for the division championship next Sunday in Hamilton. Kickoff at Tim Hortons Field is set for 1 p.m.
Neither the Knights nor a 45minute thunderstorm delay that halted play in the first period were able to throw Niagara off its game plan.
“We stood tall, every player played well,” head coach Gerry Disanto said. “When the need was there, the next player was there.
“We had the ‘next-player-up mentality’ all game.”
Vaughan visited the Spears in Week 6 of the regular season and left Kiwanis Field in St. Catharines with a 29-0 victory.
Vaughan ended league play undefeated with an 8-0 record and had five shutouts.
Junior elite
The Tiger-Cats blanked the Gamblers 41-0 setting the stage for a Ticats-Sun Devils final in the Niagara Regional Minor Football Association’s junior elite division.
Aidan McKinney, with two touchdowns, two-point convert; Nicolas Tilk, two touchdowns, one-point convert; Mathew Huggins, touchdown, two-point convert; and Justin Dawe, touchdown; put points on the scoreboard for the Tiger-Cats.
Zack Dakin and Josh Keizer were outstanding on the offensive line for the Ticats.
Jake Diellonia, Tanner Pirson, Owen Twose and Shawn Webb were standouts for the Gamblers.
Bantam
Eljay Thompson returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Ethan Rutherford also scored a major as the West Niagara Falcons defeated the Welland TigerCats 15-6 in Football Niagara bantam action.
Nick Park rounded out the West Niagara scoring with a convert and a single.
Brian Mauvais accounted for the Welland scoring with a touchdown.
Sunday’s other bantam game had the Niagara Falls Argonauts corralling the Fort Erie Longhorns 41-34.
Micheal Symmons, with four touchdowns, convert; Arden Martinez, Conor Mckee, one touchdown each; and Eli Pierobon, two-point convert; scored for the Argos.
Niagara Falls was also awarded two points for a team safety.
Kaiden Craft and Jackson Louws, two touchdowns apiece; Steven Phillips, touchdown; and Kody Macrea, two-point conversion; scored for the Longhorns.
Peewee
Max Heron scored four touchdowns, teammate Andre Hoffman two, and the peewee Fort Erie Longhorns defeated the Niagara Falls Argonauts 50-6.
Rounding out the Fort Erie scoring was Kaiden Hicken with a touchdown and four, two-point conversions.
Julian Mangiacusate scored a touchdown for Niagara Falls.
Jacob Brighton, Jayden GurziMacDonald, Lucas Hazelton, Jake Portolesi and Josh Young each scored a touchdown to lead the West Niagara Steelers past the Welland Tiger-Cats 38-8 in other peewee action Sunday.
Marcus Tsung, with a touchdown; and Thomas Alexander, two-point conversion; scored for Welland.
Atom
The Fort Erie Longhorns tamed the Niagara Falls Lions 35-26 in a battle for Niagara Parkway atom football bragging rights, thanks to two touchdowns from Chase Wentworth and one each by Jordyn Payne, Calm Smith, Gavin Vasques.
Smith and Payne added three and two, one-point converts, respectively.
Scoring for Niagara Falls were Lucas Panucci, two touchdowns, convert; Marco Angelini, touchdown, convert; and Blake McKinnon, touchdown.
Matthew McDevitt scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal to lead the West Niagara Steelers past the St. Catharines Seahawks 15-6.
Adam Skeldon added a touchdown for West Niagara in the atom game.
Dahari Williams replied with a touchdown for St. Catharines.