Tuesday’s playoff preview between the Bellerose Bulldogs and O’Leary Spartans marked the last game for both teams in the metro Edmonton junior football schedule.
The score between the first-place Bulldogs (6-0) and the fourth-place Spartans (3-2) from Riel Recreation Park was unavailable at press time.
The premier semifinals kickoff Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. at Foote Field. The final is Nov. 8.
The Bulldogs are gunning for their first junior football title in school history and the first trip to the premier final since 2005.
The Bulldogs clinched top spot in the junior division in Friday’s 35-3 rout of the Austin O’Brien Crusaders (1-5) at Clarke Park. It was 28-0 at quarter time and 35-0 at halftime. The backups saw significant playing time in the blowout. The Bulldogs took a knee to end the first half and at AOB’s one-yard line to end the game.
Ben MacKay, a 220-pound fullback, set the tone on the opening drive by dragging defenders and breaking tackles during a 37-yard romp. Matt Short’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Shorten capped off the drive.
On the first play by the defence, Ty Gagan picked off a pass. Andrew Johnson finished off the 40-yard drive with a one-yard plunge. Johnson also bulldozed his way into the endzone for a two-point conversion.
The third drive of the game saw Shorten grab a short pass from Short and outrun the defence for a 60-yard major.
Short was 6-for-9 passing for 178 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Shorten caught three balls for about 85 yards and two TDs.
The first half was highlighted by two long runs by Nolan Koziol. He zigzagged through the AOB defence for a 65-yard TD and on the next series set up Bobby Watson’s five-yard TD run with a 38-yard gain.
Kit Liske also had a catch-and-run for more than 50 yards and a run of 30-plus yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with an upper body injury.
AOB didn’t register a first down until the second half.
The defensive trio of Nick Cowan, Josh Coogan and John Comeau combined for nearly 30 tackles.
Bulldogs starters Seth Waselenchuk and Brett Usher didn’t play because of lower body injuries.
Friday’s 17-14 loss to the Salisbury Sabres dropped the Paul Kane Blues into third place in the metro Edmonton junior standings.
The defending premier champions huddled up Tuesday against the second-place St. Joseph Saints, but the score from Clarke Park was unavailable at press time.
Paul Kane (4-2) and the Saints (5-1) are expected to meet again in the Nov. 1 semifinals at 7:30 p.m. at Foote Field.
Salisbury (2-3-1) snapped Paul Kane’s three-game winning streak despite not gaining a first down in the fourth quarter. However, with six minutes remaining and Paul Kane leading 14-10, quarterback Shaydon Philip fumbled the ball at the Salisbury 20, which was scooped up and returned to pay dirt by a Sabres defender.
After the turnover Paul Kane never mounted a consistent drive to end the game.
Paul Kane opened the scoring on a quick drive after Salisbury fumbled its punt attempt and the Blues took possession at the Sabres 20. Two plays later, Philip scored off an eight-yard bootleg.
Before quarter time, Paul Kane muffed a punt attempt and Salisbury quickly converted the turnover at the 12 of the Blues into the game-tying TD.
Salisbury added a 24-yard field goal late in the second half to lead 10-7.
In the third quarter, Paul Kane took the opening kickoff and marched the ball on a 12-play drive, capped off by Kieran Porter’s two-yard TD run. The convert made it 14-10. The TD was Porter’s seventh in four games.
The date and time for the semifinal was unavailable at press time.
On Sunday the Fury (3-3) rallied from a 13-point deficit with five minutes to play to edge the Leduc Ticats 21-20 at Riel Recreation Park.
Coulton Meronyk turned a short pass completion by quarterback Sam Cuciz into 53-yard touchdown to make it a one-point deficit. The Fury then went for the win and Cuciz connected with Tanner Buchanan for the two-point conversion with 1:41 left to play.
Leduc (3-3) went on to string a couple of first downs together but fumbled at the Fury 34 with 67 seconds to go and the home team ran out the clock.
The first half was a festival of turnovers in the cold wind that hampered play all game. The only scoring was a 76-yard punt return TD by Leduc.
The opening series of the second half saw the Fury knot it at seven apiece on Meronyk’s three-yard TD run to complete a seven-play drive.
Leduc replied with a TD late in the third quarter, but the convert was no good.
A converted TD by Leduc left the Fury trailing 20-7.
After the kickoff the Fury needed only five plays to reach the endzone on Cuciz’s 12-yard TD run.
In the Tier 3/4 standings, the Fury finished in a three-way tie for fourth place. The Fort Saskatchewan Lightning and St. Albert 49ers share first place at 5-1.
