Lancers’ bid for regional football berth ends in defeat at county finals

SPORTS LOVES A GOOD underdog story, and for the Waterloo County Secondary School Athletics Association football series this season, those underdogs were the EDSS Lancers. Battling it out in the blistering cold last Saturday at the WCSSAA finals in Cambridge, the EDSS senior football team was ultimately tackled by the five-time defending champs of the county, Jacob Hespeler Secondary School.

The final score saw the EDSS contingent falling in a 37-7 decision. The temperature had dipped into the negatives, and a light snowfall dotted the field, but a sizable number of fans had come out to watch, blankets and thermoses in tow.

Despite the loss, the game was a significant milestone for EDSS.

It was the first time the EDSS team had made it to the WCSSAA finals since football was brought back to the school 13 years ago. But despite a stellar season, including a riveting semifinal match against Waterloo Collegiate Institute that saw the Lancers scrape by with a 7-6 difference on a Hail Mary pass in the final few seconds of the game, the Lancers couldn’t best their Cambridge rivals in the finals.

The loss essentially cuts the Lancers’ chances of making it to Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA) regionals, as only the finalist was guaranteed to qualify. Short of a wildcard draw, the Lancers will have to sit the regionals out until they can return to the field next year.

With a strong showing in this year’s WCSSAA, the Lancers will no doubt be hoping to carry the momentum through into next year’s season.

[FAISAL ALI / THE OBSERVER] Sub-zero temperatures and a light smattering of snow made for challenging playing conditions Nov. 10 as the EDSS Lancers took on Jacob Hespeler Secondary School in the WCSSAA football finals. Ultimately, the JHSS came out on the top end of a 37-7 decision.