Quebec and Saskatchewan South start off Under-16 Eastern Challenge with hard fought wins
Nova Scotia begins championship defence on Wednesday in Guelph
Quebec and Saskatchewan South opened the Under-16 Eastern Challenge with wins on Sunday at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ontario.
In the opening game, Quebec defeated New Brunswick 20-7. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan South got past host Ontario 12-10 in the nightcap.
The tournament continues Wednesday July 11th as Ontario and New Brunswick square off at 5:00pm EST. In the second game, top seed and defending champion Nova Scotia will see their first taste of action when they battle Quebec at 8:00pm EST.
QUEBEC 20, NEW BRUNSWICK 7:
In their first game of ever playing this tournament, Quebec gave a great first impression as they downed New Brunswick in the opening game.
Barthelemy Huge opened the scoring late in the first quarter as he added a 39 yard field goal to give Quebec a 3-0 lead.
With 10:45 remaining before the half, Quebec would score the first touchdown of the game as Kaelan Trepanier passed off the ball to Kenzy Paul who sprinted down the end zone.
Tyrese Buissereth added a 19 yard rushing major to help increase Quebec’s lead with over two minutes left before the end of the first half.
At halftime, Quebec enjoyed a 16-0 lead over New Brunswick.
Huge attempted a 30 yard field goal, but it went wide with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter, but Quebec picked up a point.
However, New Brunswick tried to overcome the deficit. They scored a touchdown; however, it was taken off the scoreboard due to a penalty against the team.
With 7:13 remaining in the game, Samuel Tremblay gets New Brunswick’s first touchdown of the game as he presses into the end zone for the score.
However, Huge was successful on a on a 12 yard field goal to put the game out of reach with five seconds left.
Offensive Players of the Game were Trepanier (Quebec) and Caleb Tremblay (New Brunswick). Defensive Players of the Game were Jean-Christophe Cloutier (Quebec) and Jamie Gallant (New Brunswick).
SASKATCHEWAN SOUTH 12, ONTARIO 10:
Despite a dramatic final minute of the game, Saskatchewan South hung on to a 12-10 victory over host Ontario.
After Saskatchewan South conceded a safety to Ontario, they scored the first touchdown of the game. Ontario quarterback Mack Baker threw an interception right into the hands of defensive back John Stoll who dashed down the field into the end zone for a 60 yard major with 5:32 left in the first quarter.
With 8:04 before the half, Saskatchewan South concedes their second safety of the game to Ontario.
At halftime, Saskatchewan South led Ontario 7-4.
Andrew Sweeney added a field goal and Ontario conceded a safety in the third quarter. Heading into the final frame of the game, Saskatchewan South led 12-4.
However, Ontario tried to mount a comeback in the last minute of the game. Pivot Matthew Guenette passed off the ball to Darwin Milloy who got into the end zone for a score.
With 17.9 seconds left, Ontario decided to go for a two point conversion to tie the game. Their attempt was unsuccessful as the pass was incomplete, giving Saskatchewan South the victory.
Offensive Players of the Game were Lane Erdelyan (Saskatchewan South) and Caleb Marcus Gould (Ontario). Defensive Players of the Game were Stoll (Saskatchewan South) and Max Barber (Ontario).
Post-game Interview David Lessard – Team QC Head Coach
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/pzJ03evwpjg”]
Post-game Interview Vince Sturgeon – Team NB Head Coach
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Post-game Interview Jon Binns U16 Eastern Challenge – Team ON Head Coach
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/nasE2gFRCkA”]
