Photo courtesy of William F. Smith

The Ontario Conference championship game is locked and loaded after a pair of exciting semifinals this past weekend. 

St. Clair Saints 49
Sault Ste. Marie Cougars 37

The newest CJFL team didn’t make things easy for the defending champs on Saturday but in the end the Saints march onto the Ontario Conference championship game again.

Offensively the Saints gathered 551 yards and was a great balance of passing and running the football.  Quarterback Matt Guenette threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns finding Cameron St. Kitts-Park for two scores and Jayden Shallow for the other.  St. Kitts-Park had a game high 111 yards on six receptions.

 Conversely the run game ate up another 271 yards with MJ Doyle-Marshall leading the punch with 176 yards on 20 carries.  Peyton Harris added the lone touchdown on the ground. 

On the defensive side they held the Cougars run game to 87 yards and forced four turnovers.  Jaylin Burnett was a beast with 2.5 sacks, nine solo tackles and assisted on three others.  Ryan Connolly had the lone interception and made a tackle.

Kicker Joe Newton-Grain booted three field goals in the victory.

The Cougars scored the most points on the Saints defence this year and gave them a run playing in their first playoff game.  Their offence struggled to run the ball but did find some success through the air to the tune of 217 yards and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. 

They could only muster 87 yards on the ground but did score three touchdowns. Sam Mustapha scored twice in his return home and quarterback Gabe Barkley got in as well.

On the defensive side they did force five turnovers and Johnathan Davis picked up a fumble and returned it 56-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

The win propels the Saints into the Teddy Morris Ontario championship game on Saturday night when they will host the Hamilton Hurricanes.  The Cougars are pleased with their inaugural season and will head into the offseason with a better understanding of what they need to be successful in CJFL 

Hamilton Hurricanes 24
London Beefeaters 23

What. A. Finish!

The Hurricanes find away and upset the Beefeaters to advance to the Ontario title game with a one-point overtime victory, thanks to a rouge.

Down by three, with no time on the clock in the fourth quarter kicker Gabriel Canabrava nailed a 32-yard field goal to force this game into overtime following a controversial penalty call against the Beefeaters for too many men on the field.  Then just a few minutes later he became a two-time hero knocking a 46-yard single through the endzone to propel the Hurricanes into the final.  In all, Canabrava accounted for 12 of the Hurricanes 24 points adding three field goals and a pair of converts to his game winning single.

‘Canes quarterback Kayrus Sam had a terrific game completing 20 passes for 318 yards and found Devin Quammie and Jack Wilson for touchdowns.  Quammie was his favourite target catching a game high 119 yards on five receptions. Sam also rushed for 69 yards on five carries. 

Over on the defensive side, the Hurricanes did cough up 16-fourth quarter points but did just enough late in the game and in overtime to help secure the win.  Anthony Rodriguez intercepted a pass, and Tyler Wright had the lone sack.

The Beefeaters fall short of the Ontario final after scoring 16 points in the first five minutes of the final frame.  Quarterback DJ Fonti completed 182 yards and threw a 42-yard touchdown to Seth Raymer and scored another major on the ground.  Nick Fonti also got into the endzone rushing the ball. 

Noah Williams had an outstanding game on the defensive side with three sacks and two solo tackles in the loss.  The only turnover the Beefeaters forced was a turnover on downs.

With the win the Hurricanes advance to the Ontario Conference championship game for the first time since 2018 and will face the Saints at St. Clair on Saturday night.  The Beefeaters begin their offseason and look for ways to improve their club.