www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, November 27, 2014 | 46 Hawks dominant in Jr. Tier 2 final by Kevin Nagel Metroland Media Group The Loyola Hawks whipped the Frank Hayden Huskies 48-7 Tuesday morning at Burlington's Nelson Stadium in the Halton high school junior Tier 2 football final, capping an 8-1 season for the Oakville school. There were contributions by many Hawks players, but Josh Roberts' 142-yard rushing day stood out. The Grade 10 back scored three touchdowns in a contest Loyola led 28-7 by halftime. Other Hawks TDs came from John Nikolovski, who opened the scoring with a 46yard run in the first quarter and added another one-yard TD in the third, Dante Furtado on a halfback option pass reception and Alden Noronha on a one-yard run following a 78yard interception return by Nikita Buzynskyy. Hayden, which won the junior Tier 3 title last season in the school's first year of existence, looked to put itself back in the game in the second quarter. Trailing 13-0, the Huskies moved quickly down the field thanks to quarterback Eliot Henstock's 58-yard run and Gavin Sharman's 33-yard effort to the Loyola two-yard line. Sharman took it the rest of the way to the goal line on the next play to narrow the Loyola lead to 13-7 with Henstock converting. It would be the last points of the day for the Huskies. The Hawks took advantage of one of three lost fumbles by Hayden to score their second TD -- the first of the day for Roberts -- following a long run by Nikolovski early in the second quarter. Roberts broke the back of the Huskies just before halftime when he returned a punt 53 yards to the Hayden two and took it in on the next play to boost Loyola's lead to 21. Roberts' third TD came on a 32-yard scamper in the third quarter. "I just ran today like I always do," said Roberts, who will help revitalize a Hawks senior team next year. "My blockers were perfect -- without them we wouldn't have done anything." Loyola coach Dan O'Hara said Roberts and the rest of the team was ready for the final. "We spent the last two weeks, all last week Loyola's Josh Roberts (with ball) runs for one of his three touchdowns in the Hawks' 48-7 rout of the Frank Hayden Huskies in Tuesday's Halton high school junior football Tier 2 final in Burlington. It's the second junior Tier 2 title in five years for Loyola, which also won a senior Tier 2 championship in 2011. | photo by Eric Riehl -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog in the snow, practising," he said. "We did a lot of film on them and the guys stepped up." As coach of the seniors last year, O'Hara had the benefit of the skills of Roberts' older brother Brandon. "Josh is a great kid, obviously a fantastic running back and a leader of the team," Ohara said. "Brandon was a key player on our senior team last year." The only blemish on the Loyola record this year was a one-point loss to first-place Georgetown in the opening game of the season. Hawks' chance to avenge the loss was foiled when Hayden managed a one-point win over Georgetown, 8-7, in the semifinals. In regular-season play, Loyola defeated the Huskies 28-15. Hayden's two trips to Halton finals in two years of existence is quite an accomplishment, but it might take a while for that fact to sink in. "Basically we had some chances but a few too many turnovers and they capitalized," said Huskies head coach Zach Hogan, whose team was 5-2 during the regular season before beating Abbey Park and Georgetown in the playoffs. "They have a great program over there and a very, very good team and we knew that from playing them the first time. They did a lot of things really well." Trinity playing in OFSAA bowl game today bit rough," Moscato said. Trinity trailed the Assumption CrusadBeaver Sports Editor ers 14-7 in the second quarter of the Halton Deficits continue to be no cause of concern Tier 1 final earlier this month before going on to win 42-28, and had to come back from for the quick-striking Holy Trinity Titans. The Titans scored two touchdowns in the a 28-8 deficit to win its regular-season meetfinal minute of the first half to erase a 15-10 ing with the Crusaders, 29-28. "That first Assumption game gave us a Cardinal Newman lead, then added another major early in the second half on their way great deal of confidence," Moscato said. to a decisive 42-17 triumph over the Car- "This team feels it can come back when it dinals in Monday's Golden Horseshoe Ath- has to." Ellis got the latest comeletic Conference football back started, hauling in a semifinal game at Trinity. seven-yard touchdown The Titans are one vicpass from Trinity quartory away from a perfect terback Nathan Rourke 10-0 season. They'll face with 55 seconds to go in Ottawa's St. Peter today the first half. The Titans (Thursday) at 12:45 p.m. then recovered a Cardiin one of nine Ontario nal Newman fumble on Federation of School Aththe ensuing kickoff, and letic Associations bowl Rourke connected with games being played this Entinosa Eguavoen for an week at McMaster Unieight-yard TD strike with versity in Hamilton. 19 ticks left on the clock. "We never really worTrinity rode that mory," Trinity's Will Ellis, who scored his team's Holy Trinity's Matt Creelman (left) fends off a mentum in the second first two touchdowns Cardinal Newman opponent Monday. half, with Matt CreelMonday, said of the Ti- | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakvlle Beaver man returning a Cardinal Newman punt for a 90tans' slow start against yard touchdown 1:32 into the third quarter Cardinal Newman. "We say `We'll see what you got, then the to give the Titans a 32-15 lead. Trinity consecond quarter comes, and then we bring ceded a safety later in the quarter but tacked on a 37-yard field goal by Graham Maskins it.'" That's probably not the blueprint Titans and a 62-yard TD scamper by Jason Ulerykhead coach Joe Moscato has in mind for Carvalho in the fourth. Ellis scored Trinity's first touchdown each game, but he could understand why his team was a bit sloppy to start Monday's of the game, catching a swing pass from Rourke and sprinting 74 yards to the end contest. "There were the weather delays (the game zone to tie the game 8-8 early in the second was originally scheduled for last Thursday quarter. Maskins was good on all five conbut postponed due to snow) and proms verts he attempted and added two singles on last week, and we didn't have a great week kicks through the end zone. Newman took its second lead of the game of practice. 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