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(Posted
8:30 a.m., Oct. 16)
Peewee
Panthers post dominating win over rival Myers Riders
By Fred Sherwin
The Orleans Star
It
was a game that had been circled on the minor football
calendar since the opening week of the season. NCAFA peewee
rivals the Cumberland Panthers and the Myers Riders were
co-favourites to finish the season in first place.
Both
teams ran roughshod through their competition through
the first eight weeks of the season, amassing identical
7-0 records. Exactly which of the rivals would finish
at the top of the ladder with an undefeated record would
boil down to Saturday`s game at Millennium Park.
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Cumberland
Panthers quarterback Kordel Epale takes on
half of the Myers Riders defence during their
peewee matchup on Oct. 13. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
Riders got off to a fast start scoring a touchdown on
their opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead.
It
would take the better part of the first quarter for the
Panthers to get their own offence untracked, but they
eventually did thanks in large part to running back Khalid
Campbell, who would have another big day along with quarterback
Kordel Epale. The two young men both scored before the
quarter expired giving the Panthers a 13-7 lead heading
into the second stanza.
The
Riders defence did a good job keeping the Panthers out
of the end zone for much of the second quarter, that is
until Epale and Campbell hooked up for a 58-yard TD reception
with a little over a minute left in the half to extend
Cumberland`s lead to 19-7.
The
second half turned out to be all Panthers as the team
added three more touchdowns in the third quarter, all
by Epale, and one in the fourth by Campbell. while their
defence complete shutdown the hapless Rider offence.
In
the end, the final score was 46-7 in favour of the Cumberland
Panthers who end the regular season as the top seed heading
into the playoffs with a perfect 8-0 record.
After
the game Panthers head coach Julien DaSilva said the key
to the team's success has been preparation starting with
their practices.
"We
practice hard we're prepared for whatever situation comes
up. Today was a perfect example where we had to make some
adjustments at the half and they worked out," said
DaSilva, who expects to see the Riders again in the post
season. "They're a great team, well coached, so I
wouldn't be surprised if we see them again possibly in
the A-Cup final."
The
Cumberland Panthers bantam team also finished the season
undefeated with a 52-18 win over the Riders on Saturday.
Dante
Spadaccini ran for two touchdowns and caught another on
a pass from Zach Clouthier to lead the Panthers with three
TDs, while Brendon Shaw scored twice on the ground and
Thomas Lortie scored twice as well with a running TD and
a touchdown catch.
Clouthier
finished the game with 11 completions for 190 yards and
two touchdowns. He also ran the ball once for six yards.
Earlier
in the week, the Panthers mosquito team ended their regular
season campaign with a 47-0 win over the North Gloucester
Giants and remained tied atop the NCAFA standings with
the Nepean Eagles. Both teams have identical 7-0-1 records.
The one tie being their game against each other on Oct.
3 which ended in a 13-13 deadlock.
The
Cumberland Panthers silver tyke team also won on the weekend.
They posted a 66-34 win over the Riders to finish the
regular season with a 7-1 record. The only blemish on
their record is a 72-20 loss to South Ottawa that occured
on Sept. 22.
Heading
into the playoffs they have yet to play their two biggest
rivals, the Cornwall Wildcats number one team, which is
8-0, and the Kanata Knights who are 7-1 which means the
tyke division is wide open.
The
NCAFA playoffs get underway this weekend with quarterfinal
action.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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MATT LULOFF W/ EDISON RUPERT performing at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. To register your team visit 
OTTAWA CARLETON MALE CHOIR in concert at the Navan-Vars United Church 1129 Smith Rd. in Navan at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door.
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BLACKBURN HAMLET COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire community is invited…rain or shine! Please keep visiting blackburn.ca for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.
