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20- The Canadran Champion, Tuesday, November 21, 2000 «Bishop Reding wins senior gridiron titie - Photo by GEORGE 8E04R1 Marchant Ian LaBrash goos atter Capital Derait Conter during a uecond-peflod fiasco In Brampton Thursday. Milton loat the gamne but split thse home-nd-honie séries by winning thse followlng nigisi, ,/Merchants spt two-game showdown with Brampton, By STEVE LOBLANC The Champion The Ontario Provincial Jr. A Western Conference penthouse sported dual occupancy prior to the biggest home- and-homne clash of the season. Andi when tise smake hati finally cleareci fron tise emotionally chargeti andi mnuei aisticipateti show- dawn, neithet tenant hati been able to evict thse alther. Glenn Waish's Merchants were tensporarily knoeked out of top spot durissg thse initial batle in Brampton Thursday - losing a threc-ring cirruts affair 6-4 - but pronsptly climsbeti back into a firt-place dec by doubling tise Capitais 4-2 et honme tihe foilowing nightL Milton lias a gane in band on tistir chief rivais anti couid assume sale possession of tise div.ision leati as early as tassiglit, wisen tlsey isost Brarnalea. But if last week's recuits as any indlication, Merchant an Capita fans isat better settle in for a lenetyseesaw feuti for first betweels tisese two teasus - wha riglit now are aos a collision course taward thse conférensce finals. 'ICertainy we'd like ta lie ane of tise twa teaiss there," saiti Walsh Friday night, citer his tcrm delivereti ils strongest statemnent ai tise year. "AnSd Braanpton's tioplayeti tuat they'oe a vcxy gaoti club anti soliti tefitnsively." Tise Mierchant ckipper'c last comment deflnitely lioltis a lot of tsit, but during roundi twa it was hic own teans's blucline unit tisat look on a starring roie- Led by wodthorse captain John Natiait, Miltan helti tise grtty visitais to, a tesson low 18 sitots - andi juat nine over tise final twa petiatis when the gane was still up for graba. Saiti dusrable rearguard Cisad Vindin, "We just concentrateti on winsting thse anc-on-anc bates ant i ntaining osce intensity. Tisat was tise main Milice scoceti higis marks in bath departmnents. That - plus two-gaal efforts fromn feisty centre Eliatt Altberg; anti fiushy winger Shane Rensentia - was enassgh la crase an eariy 2-0 tieficit anti isBy fairlt two points "I think patience antd contrai werc thse big thinga taniglit. Wc titi a gooti job of minimizing tiscir quality opporlunuties after giving up thase two early gaals," aled Walshi. * sas MILTON on page 22 By MURRAY TOWNSEND Special ta The Champion The trophy may flot have been ail in one piece, but it belongs to Bishop Reding anyway, as they defeated Loyola 7-0 at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Thursday to capture the Halton Division I championship. The windy, coid conditions turned the game into a defensive hate aimost fromn the outset. But, while the simost 800 stu- denta and parents who showcd up ta sup- port the Rayais were freezing in the stands, the Bishop Reding defense wss boiting over. Ivan Bosnjak served notice on the first series that hie was gaing ta get cozy with the Loyola players. tn tact, the Loyola fans who chanted, "Where'd yau park your tractars?" needed oniy look dlown on the field where Bosnjak ws pioughing through their line over and over again and inta their backfieid. He had three sacks on the gamne, a stack of big tackles, and caught threc passes on offense, as weiI. Dynamite defense Loyola was three-and-out on their tirst neries, a scenario that wouid become very common for them. They junt couidn't pen- etrate the watt of Bishop Reding drienders. Dave Kornack stopped a bail carrier for a loss, Chris Casteiler made s big tackic on a third down play, Malt tshoy hurried the Loyola quartcrback, and Chris Dumencu, Greg Boesveid, Mark Antaneiti, Luke Anlonciti, Maciej Halls, Rusty Parsons and Ryan Taylor ail made big defensive pisys. Those are big pias with stars beside them, nat juat regular anes. The oddity was, that with cverybody piaying 50 weii, star iinebacker/'stiback Mike Long didn't need ta be as dominant as usual. The Rayais were able ta mave the bail on offense and get first downs, despite nat putting many points an the board. Jadie St. John had some nice compielians in the dif- ficuit wind, inciuding a 29-yard strike ta a wide-apen Kyle Grant, one of neyerai receplions for him. He aso compieted passes ta Andrew Pepper, Long, Basnjak, and Mark Antoneili. The Rayais lone touchdawn was set up by a 30-yard run by Onci Martino, who received added attention most ai the game by Loyola, wha werc aware of his big-play capabilities. On the sixth play of the drive that started at the mid-filid stripe, Long rumbird into the end zone froin the four- yard uine. Stefsn Linder made a sensatioas play in the third quarter thst in retrospect may have bren a game-saver. A high snap sailcd aver his head, but nat oniy was he abie ta mun back and recover the football, hie managrd ta stili get a tremendaus punt away. Instesd af the Rayais being stuck defending deep in thrir own zone, he backrd Layoa ail thr way dawn ta their own 15-yard uine. A sîrange serirs of events endrd the game. With just over twa minutes remain- ing Loyola was faced with a fourts down and Oive. Instead of going for it, they punt- cd the bail, which was a surprise ta aimant cveryane. Perhaps their thinking wss that the defense couid hoid the Rayais. St. John might have taken that persoasiy, because he made a kcy play when Bishap Reding got the bail, running for 10 yards andi a first down with a minute and a hall remaining. But', then with 43 seconds left and Bishap Reding on a fourth down andi three yards ta, play, instead of punting, they went for it and were stoppeti. Coach Joe Jurus expiainet hat thinking after the game, say- ing that the swirling winds playeti s hanti in that decision. Comeback fauts short That gave Layoa anc more shot ai the end zone and on a fourth and 18 wiîh 20 seconds ieft, a long bomb slipped nhrough the hands of a receiver, giving Bishop Reding the bail and the game. Bosnjak may have bren the only Bishop Reding player or fan whosc heart didnIt stop an thal play. "I wasn'I worried at ail. Even if they had caught il we woutd have stappcd them on the next play." Long, anoîher player wha piays bath offense and defense, said that the defense wss the kcy for bath trams, and that much ai Ihat work was donc before thse game even started. "Wr watchcd a lot ai film," he nated, and asc gsve credit ta Loyola, naîing, 'Their defense prepsred weli for US.", St. John suggcsted that nwiriing windn were a problim for bath offenses, and that Loyola had picked up on same ot their offensive tendencies. That wss a key on his big firsI down on tihe last minute and s hall, suggesting thst Loyoas was expecting thcmn ta go ieft, so they went right. Coach Joe Jueus, wha calird St. John the - see BR on page 21 Introducsng the new 2001 Lineup INcLuIuEs- useor ~ 4 MS Cals Control Los 7or$ *Power Windows ______(igt -i Conditloning wlh350Dowa $279895. *l /%Z GER ET W TOYO A SALE 15waa, MO NA IN. E RD.vyamt .c Icao , - aan GE R ETW 877-229 kad T or. a~ac 8174-4ca <2 AV 200 R 1