SENIOR WARRIORS OFFICIALLY EARN OFSAA BOWL BERTH WITH WIN OVER SAINTS
By Sam Laskaris
The Huron Heights Warriors senior football club was able to register another dominating performance this past Friday.
The host Warriors downed Oshawa’s Paul Dwyer Saints 51-6. With the victory the Huron Heights squad boosted its 2022 record to a perfect 8-0.
Simply playing the game, however, allowed the Warriors to clinch a spot in an OFSAA Bowl contest next month.
The season-ending provincial bowl games will be staged Nov. 28-30 at the University of Guelph. Nine different contests will be held.
The Warriors are expected to find out on Nov. 8 the name of the bowl game they will participate in and the representative from which league that they will square off against.
As the top-ranked team not only in Ontario but also nationally as well, the Newmarket-based Warriors, who schedule their own non-conference games for the entire season, were expected to be awarded the York Region berth for one of the nine OFSAA Bowl matches.
“But we needed to play at least six games against Ontario teams to qualify (for an OFSAA Bowl game),” explained Warriors’ head coach Heath Weir.
Huron Heights had a pair of early-season tilts against Buffalo-area opponents this year. Thus, for the Warriors, Friday’s encounter against Paul Dwyer was the sixth game against a team from Ontario.
Weir praised the Saints’ coaching staff for fitting in the exhibition game against his talented squad.
“Durham Region didn’t have football last year,” Weir said. “Over the last 30-40 years Dwyer has been one of the top teams from there. They’re just rebuilding now. They didn’t have to take this game against us. But they had an off week in their schedule. It was great that they showed up to play us.”
The Warriors managed to score seven touchdowns against the Saints. Weir was pleased to see Grade 11 running back Logan Couto get in on the scoring with a major.
“He’s probably the fastest kid on our team,” Weir said. “He’s slowly getting better. It was really kind of a coming-out party for him.”
Couto’s touchdown run was about 30 yards long.
“I feel like it was one of my best games,” said Couto, who also had a pair of other carries in the match – one for about 10 yards and the other for about five yards.
Couto and his teammates still have three games and a scrimmage remaining before they will compete in their bowl game.
Couto believes his squad can spend those matches improving their game even more.
“I think it’s just finetuning and cleaning up some stuff,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alex Figen and Damari Brodie both scored a pair of touchdowns against the Saints.
Zeion Neptune and Cole McInnis also scored a TD each.
Hayden Doris successfully booted all seven of his point after converts. And Lucas Holden was credited with a pair of points as Paul Dwyer conceded a safety.
Despite officially qualifying for a November bowl game, Weir added his charges were not in a more celebratory mood on Friday than in other previous wins.
“The kids are just focused on their next game now,” he said.
The Huron Heights team returns to action this Thursday, Nov. 27. The Warriors will travel to Courtice to face the top-rated club from Durham Region, the Holy Trinity Titans.
The opening kickoff is set for 2 p.m.