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SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2010 25 Red Devils edge Pearson in senior D3 football final By Kevin Nagel METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP HAMILTON A narrow 12-10 victory by the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils left the Oakville school elated and the L.B. Pearson Patriots of Burlington inconsolable after the Halton high school Tier 3 senior football championship game yesterday (Wednesday) at McMaster University. For the Red Devils, the slim win marked the end of an undefeated season and the schools first senior title of any kind in more than a decade. A 25-yard field goal by OTs Matt Gottschling early in the fourth quarter broke a 9-9 tie and proved to be the winning boot. L.B. Pearson, attempting to tie the score with seven minutes remaining, had to settle for a sin- gle when Aaron Willichucks 19-yard field goal was wide. The Patriots only two losses this season were their first and their last games both to the Red Devils. OT coach Guy DAlesio admitted to good for- tune when at least two sure touchdown passes by Pearson were dropped in the endzone, but sug- gested the Red Devils missed a few golden oppor- tunities of their own. Unfortunately you dont always cash in on your opportunities, he said. We had our tight end wide open but the ball hit his hands. He could have run for a touchdown. After the Patriots punted the ball into the end- zone for a single in the first quarter, star running back Matt Laidlaw gave OT a 7-1 lead early in the second quarter when he ran eight yards for the Red Devils only TD of the day, Gottschling adding the convert. Pearson, stuck deep in its own end, gave up a safety two minutes later, giving OT its biggest lead of the day at 9-1. The Red Devils looked primed to score again when Will Jeffrey ran 72 yards before Pearsons Bourns tackled him at the Patriots 28-yard line. OT got it to the five before fumbling the ball to Pearson on the last play of the half. Pearson rallied in the third quarter when quarterback Drew McNeice hit Bourns on a 22- yard TD pass. Muhamed Tutic followed with a magnificent leaping catch of a McNeice pass to score the two- point convert, tying the game at 9-9. Pearson coach Mike Crabtree consoled his players in the dressing room and wouldnt com- ment on individual plays or players. We gave it our all. Im proud of the guys ... they fought hard, he said. Sometimes it doesnt go your way. It was the last game for OTs Laidlaw, who is looking to further his football career at one of three Canadian universities that have shown interest, or maybe head south. Our program hasnt been going very well the past few years so Im glad we got the champi- onship now and we pulled together, said Laidlaw. We didnt have many players at the start of the season. Amazingly, OTs toughest game of 2010 may have been a quarter-final match-up against win- less White Oaks, which the Red Devils won in overtime. The best winless team weve (ever) faced, laughed coach DAlesio. We underestimated them, added Laidlaw. Great players, great defence... Pearson and OT last met back in September during the opening week of the Tier 3 schedule. Oakville Trafalgar won 15-7 on Sept. 22 at home, its lowest margin of victory during the regular season as the Red Devils went 6-0 in regular-sea- son play. ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER SANDWICH: Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils defenders Bobby OShaughnessy (77) and Brady Switzer sandwich Lester B. Pearson Patriots ball-carrier Jude Armson during yesterdays Halton senior football Division 3 final in Hamilton. OT defeated the Patriots 12-10.