November 20
Maritime PeeWee
Championship Game
Halifax Raiders 24 Riverview Lions 6
November 13
New Brunswick PeeWee
Championship Game
Riverview Lions 8 Albert Street Eagles 2
Daily
Gleaner | Football
As published on page C1 on November 15, 2005
Lions rule N.B. peewee football
THE EAGLE HAS NOT YET LANDED
(The
Daily Gleaner/David Smith Photo)
Running back Patrick Downe of the Albert Street Middle
School Eagles tries to bull his way through the tackle of
Riverview Lions' J.P. Bowie during Sunday's provincial
peewee football championship game at FHS Field. Try as he
may, Downe couldn't find paydirt on this day as Riverview
won its second straight provincial title with an 8-2
victory over the Eagles |
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By The Daily Gleaner
The Riverview Lions are provincial peewee football champions for the
second straight season.
Lions earned provincial bragging rights along with the Bob Pierce Memorial
Trophy by virtue of beating Albert Street Eagles 8-2 in the final played
on a muddy, slippery field at Fredericton High School Field Sunday.
When all was said and done, it was a 15-yard sprint into the end zone by
Lyle Blakeney early in the second quarter that would prove to be enough
for the Lions to earn their way into the Maritime final scheduled Sunday
at Huskies Stadium in Halifax.
Setting up the scoring play was a 50-yard gallop down the sideline by Tim
Jay, who was tackled on the Eagles' 15-yard line. Three players later,
Blakeney ran in for the major. Brett McNeil added the two-point convert to
account for the Riverview scoring.
The Eagles, who were 10-0 coming into the game and had surrendered just 10
points all season long, stiffened defensively from that point on.
But it was turnovers from the Eagles' offence that would prove costly on
this day.
For instance, the Eagles drove down to the five-yard line in the dying
seconds of the second quarter only to have the ball intercepted on the
final play of the half.
In the third quarter, the Eagles would again drive the ball to the Lions'
15-yard line before turning it over on a fumble. The Lions were unable to
move the ball and opted to concede a two-point safety.
With the time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Eagles had one last
scoring drive but all-star running back Patrick Downe was tackled on the
five-yard line on what proved to be the final play of the game.
It marked the second straight year Riverview had denied the Eagles in
provincial play. Last year, the Lions were 22-14 winners in semifinal
play before defeating a team from St. Stephen-Calais, Me. 30-8 in the
final.
Riverview earned its way to Sunday's final with a 26-0 victory over the
St. Stephen-Calais Silverados while the Eagles were getting past Oromocto
Panthers 32-0 in the other semifinal.
While Riverview captured the N.B. peewee title, it was the Moncton Junior
Highlanders scoring a dramatic 8-6 win over Hampton Huskies in the
provincial bantam title game played in Hampton.
Moncton scored on the game's final play on a one-yard plunge by Dylan
Hollohan after a Hail Mary pass set up the Highlanders scoring chance from
the one. Moncton kicker Thomas Brady then successfully completed the
two-point conversion for the margin of victory.
Hampton's touchdown came in the first quarter when Todd Floyd rambled in
from 26 yards for the major score. The convert was missed.
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It was a
defensive struggle played on a muddy, slippery field between two undefeated
teams with explosive offences and unyielding defences.
After a scoreless
first quarter the Lions Tim Jay got loose down the sideline for a 50 yard run
before being tackled at the Eagles 15 yard line. Three plays later Lyle Blakeney
squirted into the end zone for what would turn out to be the only touchdown of
the game. Brett McNeil added the convert to put the Lions up 8-0.
From this point on
the Eagles defence stiffened and kept the Riverview offence from moving the ball
with any consistency for the remainder of the game. Albert Street would drive
inside the Lions five yard line in the dying seconds of the second quarter only
to have the ball intercepted on the last play of the half.
In the third
quarter the Eagles again drove to the Lions 15 yard line before turning the ball
over on a fumble. Riverview was unable to move the ball and conceded a safety to
make the score 8-2.
With less than a
minute remaining the Eagles put together one last desperate drive. Albert Street
running back Patrick Downe was tackled on the Lions 5 yard line on the final
play of the game.
With the win the
Lions advance to the Maritime PeeWee championship game on Sunday November 20 at
11 am at Huskies Stadium in Halifax. Their opponent will be the Halifax
Raiders.
Daily Gleaner | Minor Leagues
As published on page D3 on November 12, 2005
Eagles eye peewee football title
PRACTICE:
(THE
DAILY GLEANER/STEVE MACGILLIVRAY PHOTO)
Albert St. Eagles go over plays. They are from left: Patrick
Downe, running back; Sheldon Downe, head coach; Matthew Rioux,
QB, and Curtis Prime, tight end. |
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By BRUCE HALLIHAN
bhalliha@dailygleaner.com
Sunday's provincial peewee football final between the defending champion
Riverview Lions and the Albert Street Eagles looks too close to call.
The Lions are 11-0 and have allowed just 12 points. The Eagles are 10-0 and have
surrendered just 10 points.
Kick off is 1 p.m. Sunday at Fredericton High School field.
The winner will earn the Bob Pierce Memorial Trophy and a berth in the Maritime
final against the Nova Scotia champion next Sunday at Huskies Stadium in
Halifax.
"All indications are we're pretty evenly matched," Riverview head
coach Victor Vaughan said.
The Lions beat the St. Stephen-Calais Silverados 30-8 in last year's provincial
final, but Vaughan says his team's semifinal victory over the Eagles in Oromocto
"was, in all honesty, the hardest game we played all year."
The Lions trailed late in the fourth quarter, but rallied to beat Albert Street
22-14.
"It was a great football game," Vaughan said.
Albert Street head coach Sheldon Downe, who was an assistant to Chuck Proudfoot
the last three seasons, is confident his team can capture its first provincial
title since 2002.
"Whenever you're facing a team that's also undefeated, you have to respect
that opponent," Downe said, "but I believe we can beat them this time.
"Having said that, I think it's going to be a pretty evenly matched
game."
The Lions boast two capable quarterbacks in Brett MacNeil and Vanessa Pickard,
but running back Tim Jay is their most dangerous weapon.
Jay, as a 12-year-old, was the team's most valuable player last season and coach
Vaughan says number 77 is likely to repeat as MVP this season.
"Jay is very good," Downe said. "He's essentially the guy we're
going to look to contain. But they seem to be 50/50 when it comes to passing and
running plays. My concern is their passing game because we're not used to a
passing game.
"We've just had to shut down running because no one could actually pass
against us."
Downe's other concern is that the Eagles haven't had to face any adversity.
"We've never been pressured," he said. "Our lowest game was 24-0
and we've never trailed."
The Eagles are led by running back Patrick Downe, the coach's son.
"He started as a quarterback," Downe said, "but his running game
is what's really nice to watch. He's easily second year junior varsity (in terms
of ability)."
That's not just a proud father talking either. Patrick is the Capital Area Minor
Football Association's peewee player of the year.
"He's smart and he's fast and he avoids tackles as opposed to trying to go
through them," Downe said.
Patrick Downe sees double duty as middle linebacker.
Halfback Dylan DesMeules, who was also chosen CAMFA defensive player of the
year, has accounted for a good portion of Albert Street's points, too.
"Patrick and Dylan usually go 50/50 in the scoring," Downe said.
Other key Eagles are quarterback Matt Rioux and tight end Curtis Prime, who also
plays defensive end.
Both teams are coming off lopsided victories last weekend. The Lions shut out
the Silverados 26-0 in Moncton while the Eagles blanked the Oromocto Panthers
32-0.
"I'm hoping we can get the first touchdown because we're not used to being
scored on," said Downe, who's assisted by Dave Rioux and Eric McGarvey.
Downe was a defensive end for the Acadia Axemen in 1980 and 1981. His most
memorable game was at College Field. The Axemen trailed the UNB Red Bombers 35-7
at halftime but rallied for a 38-35 victory.
Now he's enjoying the game from the sidelines, watching 13-year-old Patrick star
for his team and his other son, 15-year-old Ryan, excel for the FHS JV Black
Kats.
"I love coaching this (peewee) age group," Downe said. "They just
want to learn.
"They're excited about the whole thing. They can't wait for the
championship game to start."
The New Brunswick bantam final goes Sunday in Hampton when the Huskies host the
Moncton Highlanders.
In semifinal play, Hampton beat Kennecasis Valley 20-12 while Moncton beat the
Oromocto Blues 20-15.
November 6
Provincial PeeWee
Qualification Game
Albert Street Eagles 32 Oromocto Panthers 0
Patrick Downe
lead the Eagles with three touchdowns and a convert. Dylan DesMeules added a
pair of majors.
With the win the
Eagles advance to the provincial PeeWee championship game against the Riverview
Lions. The Lions qualified by virtue of a 26-0 victory over the St.
Stephen-Calais Silverados.
The
provincial championship game goes Sunday, November 13 at 1 pm at Fredericton
High School.
November 2 Capital
Area Middle School Championship
Albert Street Eagles 36 Oromocto Panthers 6
Patrick Downe
paced the Eagles by scoring three touchdowns and kicking a convert. Dylan
DesMeules and Wesley Kennett had the other Albert Street TD's. Matt Rioux kicked a convert.
The Eagles defence recorded a safety.
Jesse Rae had the
Panthers major.
October 30 Capital
Area Middle School Semi-Finals
Albert Street Eagles 52 Devon Wildcats 0
Patrick Downe
paced the Eagles by scoring four touchdowns and kicking four converts. Aaron
Goodwin rushed for one TD while QB Matt Rioux connected with Curtis Prime and
Wesley Kennett for two more. Rioux also kicked a convert.
Oromocto Panthers 8 Nashwaaksis Nordics 7
Nordic's punter
Devan Gunaseelan's 25 yard single was the only scoring in the first half. In the
third quarter the Panthers were able to put together a 50 yard drive that
climaxed in a 10 yard touchdown pass from Jesse Rae to Mitchell McCoy. McCoy
added the convert to give the Panthers an 8-1 lead.
The Nordics put
together a long drive late in the fouth quater that resulted in a15 yard
touchdown run by Nick Hopey that cut the lead to 8-7. The convert attempt was
blocked leaving the Panthers with a narrow victory.
October 28 Capital
Area Middle School Quarter-Final
Devon Wildcats 12 George Street
Crusaders 0
David Kennedy
and Tyler Vrolyk had the Wildcats touchdowns.
October 23
Oromocto
Panthers 0 Nashwaaksis Nordics 0
In a game
played in a steady downpour on a soaked field the teams played to a scoreless
tie.
Albert
Street Eagles 30 Devon Wildcats 0
Patrick Downe
scored two touchdowns for the Eagles. Tom Books, Aaron Goodwin and Matt Rioux
added one major each.
October 20
Oromocto
Panthers 20 George Street Crusaders 6
Jesse Rae
passed to Joel Toole for one touchdown and Toole ran for another to lead the Panthers
to victory. Oromocto also got a rushing touchdown from Xavier Richards.
Mitchell McCoy booted a convert.
Adam Jones scored
the Crusaders touchdown.
Albert
Street Eagles 44 Devon Wildcats 0
Patrick Downe
was a one man wrecking crew for the Eagles rushing for five touchdowns and
kicking four converts. Dylan DesMeules had the other Albert touchdown.
October 14
Albert Street Eagles 30
Nashwaaksis Nordics 3
Patrick Downe
ran for two touchdowns and passed to Wesley Kennett for another to lead the
Eagles to undisputed possession of first place. Kennett also ran for a
touchdown. Downe kicked three converts.
Peter Reimer
kicked a 20 yard field goal for the Nordics.
October 13
Devon Wildcats 14 George Street
Crusaders 8
David Kennedy's
second touchdown of the game with less than a minute remaining lifted the
Wildcats to their first victory in team history. Luc Vienneau added a convert.
Garett Gee stripped
the ball from a Devon player and returned it 40 yards for the Crusaders lone
touchdown. David Thomas added the convert.
October 7
1st Annual Northside Bowl Game
Nashwaaksis Nordics 30 Devon Wildcats 0
This game was
played at Nashwwaksis Field in front
of 900 students from both schools.
Mike
Benson ran for two touchdowns and Jake Bryden added another. Nordics QB Peter
Reimer hit Eric McGarry for six more points. McGarry kicked two converts
and Zack Ross tackled a Devon player in the end zone for a safety.
October 4
Nashwaaksis Nordics 16 Oromocto
Panthers 0
Eric McGarry
caught a 30 yard touchdown pass from Peter Reimer and Mike Benson rumbled 30
yards for another major as the Nordics blanked the Panthers. McGarry also booted
a pair of converts.
October 2
Oromocto
Panthers 26 Devon Wildcats 6
Jesse Rae
passed to Joel Toole for one touchdown and ran for another to lead the Panthers
to victory. Oromocto also got rushing touchdowns from Toole and Xavier Richards.
Mitchell McCoy booted a convert.
David Kennedy ran
back a punt for the Wildcats only touchdown.
Albert
Street Eagles 50 George Street Crusaders 0
Patrick Downe
had three touchdowns and Dylan DesMeules had two more in the Eagles rout. Wesley
Kenneett and Matt Rioux also rushed for six pointers. Downe kicked four converts.
September 30 Nashwaaksis
Nordics 20 George Street Crusaders 6
Mike Benson
lead the Nordics with two touchdowns. Peter Reimer added another and Eric
McGarry kicked a convert.
George Street
Crusaders QB Adam Jones hooked up with Garrett Gee on a 50 yard pass and run
play for the Crusaders points.
September 27 Albert
Street Eagles 42 Oromocto
Panthers 7
Dylan DesMeules
paced the Eagles with three touchdowns. Grant West added a pair. Patrick Downe
also had a touchdown and kicked three converts.
Panthers QB
Jesse Rae hit Joel Toole for the Panthers TD. Mitch McCoy punted for a
single.
September 25 Albert
Street Eagles 25 Oromocto
Panthers 0
Patrick Downe
was the difference as he ran for two touchdowns, caught a pass from QB Matt
Rioux for another as well as running for a convert. Dylan DesMeules had the
other Albert six pointer.
Nashwaaksis
Nordics 8 George Street Crusaders 6
Eric McGarry
scored a touchdown and kicked a convert to provide the Nordics with their margin
of victory.
Thomas
Tremblay intercepted a pass for the Crusaders and returned it for a touchdown.
The Nordics defence
had two goal line stands in the fourth quarter.
September
23
4th Annual Southside Bowl Game
Albert
Street Eagles 24 George Street Crusaders 0
This game was
played at College Field on the campus of U.N.B. in front
of the students of both schools, i.e. 1,300 spectators.
The first
half was dominated by the defences. Dylan Desmeles scored the only TD at the
midway point of the second quarter on a 20 yard run to put Albert up 6-0 at the
half.
In the third
quarter the Eagles defence took the game over. First Grant West returned a
blocked punt 30 yards to paydirt. Several minutes later Curtis Prime picked off
an errant Crusders pass and rambled 35 yards for another Albert touchdown.
Patrick
Downe finished the scoring for the winners midway through the fourth quarter
with a 50 yard touchdown scamper.
Since
the series began in 2002 the Eagles have won all four
games.
September 20 Oromocto
Panthers 12 Devon Wildcats 0
Panthers QB
Jesse Rae hooked up with Joel Toole twice for touchdown passes of 45 and 70
yards in a game otherwise dominated by stingy defences.
September 16 Nashwaaksis
Nordics 12 Devon Wildcats 6
The defences of
both teams dominated the game until the latter stages of the fourth quarter.
Nordics QB Peter Reimer put his team on the board with a one yard plunge for a
touchdown. A few minutes later Reimer passed to Eric McGarry for another six
points.
On the final
play of the game David Kennedy broke loose for a 75 yard touchdown run for
the Wildcats.
September 13 Oromocto
Panthers 20 George Street Crusaders 0
Jesse Rae threw
touchdown passes of 65 yards and 45 yards to Joel Toole and then ran another
major in from 2 yards out to pace the Panthers victory. Mitchell McCoy added a
convert.
The Crusaders drove
to the Oromocto five yard line on two occasions but were unable to score.
September 11 George Street Crusaders 24
Devon
Wildcats 19
Mike Purdue's
15 yard touchdown run with less than a minute remaining in the game lifted the
Crusader to victory. David Thomas, Adam Jones and Jay Murray had the other
George Street six pointers.
David Kennedy
was a one man wrecking crew for the Wildcats, in their first game ever, rushing
for three touchdowns and a convert.
Albert Street Eagles 33 Nashwaaksis
Nordics 0
Quarterback Patrick Downe rushed for one TD, passed 40 yards to Wesley Kennett
for six points, ran for one convert and kicked another. Dylan Desmeules
added two touchdowns.
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