34 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, August 11, 2000 S p o r ts A n O a k v ille B e a v e r F e a tu re Editor: NORM NELSON Phone:845-3824, ext 255 Fax:337-5567 E-mail:nnelson@ haltonsearch.com `Homs after eighth title at Ivor Wynne, Saturday, 4 p.m. The Oakville Longhorns will be gunning for their unprecedented eighth straight Northern Football Conference playoff championship this Saturday against Sault Ste. Marie Storm. Kick off is 4 p.m. at Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium. The NFC is one of the last bastions of senior ama teur tackle football in Canada. In last Saturday's semifinal action, the `Horns, who earned first-place honours for the ninth year in a row with a 7-1 record, defeated cellar dwelling Sudbury Spartans (1-7) 45-21; second place Sault Ste. Marie (5-3) edged North Bay (3-5) 18-10. The `Homs, who have played out of Burlington the past two seasons, didn't lock up first place until the final regular season game when they defeated the Sault 36-25 in a battle for first place. The Sault had won the first encounter earlier in July, 28-24, and a second win over the `Horns would have left the two teams with identical 5-2 records with the Sault taking first place by virtue of their head-to-head records. Oakville is led on offence by veteran, out-ofretirement, forty-something pivot Mark Demerling. In the absence of a reliable ground attack since the first two weeks of the season, Demerling certainly has not lost his touch through the air. The wily veter an, this past season, completed 121 of 215 passes for 1846 yards and 19 touchdowns, numbers that rival his heyday in the late `80s. The `Horns also boast the league leading scorer, with 53 points, place kicker Dan Segin of Oakville, who continues to get nibbles from the CFL. Left to right: Running Store manager Greg McKinnon, Pat Casale, Joseph Casale, Lynn Croley and clinic director Brian Bidwell. Common them e runs through three generations There's a theme running through this family. Literally. Three generations of this family have all graduated from the Running Company's latest `beginning running' clinic -- Pat Casale, her eight-year-old son Joseph along with grandmother Lynn Croley. "Through our clinics and programs, the store had introduced many people to the sport of running but this is the first time ever for three generations in one class," said program director Brian Bidwell. Added store manager Greg McKinnon. "It's certainly unique, and in keeping with (our) desire to encourage recreational running at all age levels, the store is more than pleased to present young Joseph with a pair of Saucony running shoes and apparel." Joseph is in Grade 3 at Pinegrove public school in Oakville and hopes to make the school's running team next year. Photo by Barrie Erskine Q.B. Mark Demerling has received plenty of protection this year. V S c a tte r th e G old goin g for big payday S atu rd ay There's a lot more at stake than the first prize of $300,000 for Scatter the Gold, of Oakville's Sam-Son Farms, who is favoured to win the Breeder's Stakes this Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto. A win would complete the prestigious Triple Crown (he's already won the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes) and kick in an automatic $500,000 bonus. Sam-Son would also collect another $50,000 as the colt's breeder. It's certainly in his blood as he is the son of 1991 Triple Crown winner Dance Smartly. Scatter the Gold leads the odds at 4-5 fol lowed by Master Stuart (7-2), Lodge Hill (61), Four Our Sake (8-1), Pete's Sake (10-1), Allende (15-1) and Red Satin Slippers (15-1), the lone filly. Seven horses have captured the Triple Crown since it was started in 1959, the latest being 1993 by Peteski (who fathered Pete's Sake, in the above field). Post time is 3:40 p.m. and is being carried by CTV Sportsnet from 3-4 p.m. (check listings). M OHAW K RACETRACK SLO TS HW Y * r * * r 4 0 1 A T G U E L P H L IN E