Winless weekend for Spears

It was a tough weekend for Niagara Spears travel football teams competing in Ontario Summer Football League play.

The varsity Spears lost 44-14 to the London Junior Mustangs, the junior varsity Spears were blanked 41-0 by London and the bantam Spears were shut out 67-0 by the Burlington Stampeders.

VARSITY SPEARS

The Spears turned the ball over on their first possession and London scored en route to a 10-0 lead after one quarter and 27-7 at the half by the Junior Mustangs.

“It’s hard to open the game and, in under a minute, you’re down by seven on a fluke. We just need to take a breath and relax, play our game and don’t let them dictate the game to us,” Spears head coach Brian Duguay said. “The first quarter was tight with a lot of hard hits on both sides. You take away that misplay on the punt and we are down 3-0.”

Niagara’s first half score came on a 20-yard pass from Marshall McCray to Ryan Segato. Ryan Midany converted the major.

“The second half continued with the hard hits on both sides,” Duguay said.

London led 37-7 after three quarters before McCray finished off a long drive with a one-yard QB keeper converted by Midany. The Mustangs concluded the scoring with another major.

“We need to be consistent. We see a lot of great plays and then we will have a temporary memory loss which will result in a loss of yards or a long touchdown,” Duguay said. “I see lots of progression in our play but we need to believe in our abilities and live for the next play.

“All the coaches are really proud of the progress but we need to limit our mistakes.”

He was impressed with his team’s discipline versus the Mustangs.

“London took a lot of penalties and our players kept their cool.”

Defensive standouts for the Spears were: Javier Lewis with seven solo tackles, three assist tackles and two knocked down passes; Keynan Aird with three solo tackles, four assist tackles and a sack; and, Davion Gordon with four solo tackles and four assist tackles.

Leading the way on offence were: McCray 6-13 passing with a TD pass and seven rushes for 60 yards, including a TD run; Jacob Tessier with seven rushes for 66 yards and three receptions for 67 yards; and, Segato with a 20-yard TD catch.

The Spears play the Hamilton Junior Ti-Cats Sunday at Ron Joyce Stadium.

JUNIOR VARSITY SPEARS

The Niagara junior varsity Spears were blanked by a tough London team.

“The Spears fought hard and played tough from whistle to whistle,” coach Grant Owen said. “The Spears will regroup, put the loss behind them, and prepare for the next game at the Hamilton Junior Tiger-Cats.

Niagara plays Sunday at Ron Joyce Stadium.

BANTAM SPEARS

“The Niagara Spears bantam team competed this week against very formidable team in the Burlington Stampeders,” Spears coach Austin Huh said. “The boys worked and prepared very hard for this week’s contest against the Stampeders but ultimately came up short.”

Huh singled out Hudson Grant for an outstanding game on defence, and Liam Finley, Zeke Langendoen, Nathan Vandermeer, Carter Yates, and Seth Bisci for playing key roles on offence, defence and special teams. 

“The coaching staff would like to acknowledge all the parents, family members, friends and the larger Niagara Spears organization for their continued support and display of solidarity,” Huh said. “The boys have demonstrated growth in the past four games and will continue to develop as the season progresses. The bantam Spears’ staff are proud of the entire team and we will be ready to go to work again this Tuesday.”

Niagara is on the road Sunday against the Brampton Bulldogs.