Lions fall in OVFL fi nals

August 9, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

A pair of hard-fought efforts came up just short for the York Region Lions on Saturday as they battled in both the Bantam and Varsity Ontario Varsity Football League championships.
The top-ranked Bantam squad first met with the offensive juggernaut Brampton Bulldogs at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, home of the McMaster Marauders. They were in tough against a team that scored a whopping 357 points in the regular season, the most in Bantam football, and fell by a score of 32 – 20.
Wide receiver Jared Goldin was named the offensive MVP for the Lions, while Liam Taylor took home the defensive prize for managing four tackles and causing a fumble.
Following the Junior Varsity championship, that saw the Ottawa Myers Riders preside over the Etobicoke Eagles, the Varsity Lions met the Varsity Eagles in what would prove to be the day’s most exciting matchup.
Sharing just three losses between the two teams and heading into the postseason as the number one and two-ranked teams in the province, neither side was willing to give up much leeway in the first three quarters.
Heading into the final three minutes with a 21 – 20 lead, the Lions allowed the Eagles to reach the sixteen-yard line before a bad snap on second down sent the Eagles back to the twenty-eight.
A quarterback scramble was enough to confuse the Lions and bring the Eagles back to the sixteen, setting up a 23-yard field goal that they sent through the uprights.
With the Lions scrambling to gain some ground on their final drive of the game, they were able to move the chains to the Eagles’ 32-yard line, setting up a monstrous 39-yard field goal attempt that ultimately came up just short.
University of Toronto Varsity Blues commit Nolan Lovegrove earned offensive MVP honours for his work as a wide receiver, averaging around fifteen yards per carry throughout the twelve weeks of the season, while linebacker Andrew Pizzuti was named defensive MVP.