In a senior NDA football semifinal that saw several swings in momentum and score, a missed field goal in the final minute of the game was the difference between a West Ferris Trojans win and the St. Joseph–Scollard Hall Bears potentially sending the game to overtime.
West Ferris came into the game with an 0-4 record while the Bears were 2-2.
The Trojans coaching staff had their players ready to do battle on a misty Friday night on a wet Cundari Field. West Ferris came out hot, moving the ball on the ground at will and scored two early majors by Carter Amond and Carson Sagle. Nick Corbeil added two conversions to surprisingly make the score 14-0 Trojans early on.
The game was filled with momentum shifts and penalty flags, and the turnovers were rampant. Scollard Hall's Liam Nelles scored from distance and Keziah Fry added another touchdown in the second quarter to tie the game as Dante Celebre made the extra point on both.
The game tightened up in the second half as the light rain continued to leave a sheen on the Bears' turf field.
In the third quarter, Nick Corbeil connected on a field goal to put the Trojans back up 17-14 but grade 10 phenom Teodor Nadeau found the end zone soon after. With another Celebre extra point, the Bears were back on top 21-17.
In the fourth quarter, the teams overcame some ball security issues while trading possessions. As time wound down, first-year senior Sagle again found paydirt, scoring his second touchdown of the game and Corbeil converted, putting the Trojans up 24-21.
The Bears battled to force a final Trojans punt and moved the ball down the field. When it was clear the Bears would not score the go-ahead touchdown, it was left to the steady Celebre to kick the ball through the uprights and send the game to overtime. It was not to be as the Bears' kicker pushed the kick wide. The ball rolled through the end zone for a rouge, making the final 24-22 West Ferris.
Head coach Ryan Desbiens and his high-flying Algonquin Barons, led by star quarterback Dayne Meyer, await the Trojans in the senior NDA final on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at Mike O'Shea Field.
Junior NDA football
In junior quarterfinal action, two programs returning after lengthy absences to play again this season faced off.
The newly-anointed Chippewa Ravens held off the Franco-Cité Patriotes in their regular season meeting 27-24 but it was a different story Friday afternoon in the first official NDA football game to be played at Chippewa in eight years.
The Patriotes (0-4) avenged that loss in the final week of the regular season by beating the Chippewa Ravens (1-3) by a 31-10 score.
Jacob Hayes led the way offensively with two touchdowns while singles majors went to AJ Lebeau and Jeffrey Schwartzentruber. Hayes added two converts while Xavier Legault added a two-point conversion. The defence added a safety and a rouge.
Caleb Duggan had the lone Ravens touchdown while Blake Sandula added a field goal and a convert.
The Patriotes advance to play the unbeaten junior St. Joseph–Scollard Hall Bears on Friday, Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m. at Cundari Field. In the other semifinal, the West Ferris Trojans (3-1) host the Algonquin Barons (2-2) at Mike O'Shea Field on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 12:30 p.m.
