Wildcats start on strong note

After eight years under the Ontario Varsity Football League umbrella, the Halton Hills Minor Football Association has decided that a change of scenery might be better for the close-to 200 youths who suit up for the five Georgetown-based Wildcat teams in the spring-summer season. The two older rep age groups, in peewee (13-14 yrs.) and junior varsity (15-16 yrs.), left the OVFL along with several other smaller-population centres in the off-season and started up their own loop- the Ontario Minor Football League which played its first-ever league games here last Sunday. "OVFL teams wouldn't listen to the issues organizations like ours typically face so the smaller-centre teams said we've got to help ourselves and start a new league," said Dan Ralph, president of the Halton Hills organization and head coach of the junior varsity team. "The OMFL is made up of smaller centres that have the same issues like talent base and school availability, so hopefully now when we have a problem with something, people can identify with it and rectify it." As well, the two Halton Hills house league teams at the atom level (11-12 yrs.) have split with the Brampton organization and joined with Orangeville, meaning that for the first time the Wildcats at that age group will play home games consistently and play each other to save on travel. "It's a sign of growth and maybe we're turning a bit of a corner," Ralph added. "But we're still a fledgling organization in every sense of the word. We've got 17 coaches who are basically running the association and we are in real need of more volunteer help." The Wildcats will hold their annual fund-raising barbecue on Sunday, June 18 at the Christ the King field when the home teams will see regular-season action. Also in the works is a promotion with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in which a player will attend youth practices and Wildcat teams could get a chance to play games at the Rogers Centre. The junior Wildcats' varsity team opened its season with a 26-0 home win over the Toronto Junior Ticats last Sunday at Christ the King High School. Rob Cutting had two touchdowns and a two-point convert to lead the Wildcats. John Leckie and Coulton Vetro had the other touchdowns. Halton Hills led 14-0 at halftime in the OMFL opener for both teams. Linebackers D.J. McPherson, Kevin Goncalves and David Van Kooten, along with cornerback Nathan Shepherd all led a consistent defensive effort for the Wildcats. Halton Hills resumes OMFL action Sunday at home against the Orangeville Outlaws. The Halton Hills peewee Wildcats kicked off their season with a 36-0 win over the Junior Ticats. The Wildcats put in a total team effort, scoring on offence, defence, and special teams. Running back Brandon Stoker led the charge with over 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Dylan Hannan and David Przytula also added scores. Robert Murden rounded out the scoring

Running back Brendan Stoker of the Halton Hills Peewee Wildcats tries to keep out of reach of a Toronto Jr. Ticats player in the season opener held at Christ the King School Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats rumbled to a 36-0 victory. Photo by Sabrina Byrnes with a 40-yard punt return in the second half. The defence stymied the TiCats offence all day, resulting in a welldeserved shutout. The WildCats are in action this Sunday when the Orangeville Outlaws come to town. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Christ the King High School. For more information on the Wildcats, visit the website www.haltonhillsfootball.com.