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NCAFA
Football
Trio
of Panther teams advance to A-Cup championships
By Fred Sherwin
The Orleans Star
For
the second year in a row the Cumberland Panthers Football
Club will have three teams vying for an A-Cup championship
after going 3-for-4 in the National Capital Amateur Football
Association semi-finals on Sunday.
The
day started off with the Panthers U10 tyke squad easily
downing the South Ottawa Mustangs 36-6.
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Cumberland
Panthers quarterback Vincent Anderson prepares
to take on a would-be South Ottawa Mustangs
tackler in snowy conditions on Sunday. The
Panther tuykes went on to win the game 36-6
to advance to the A-Cup championship. Fred
Sherwin/Photo
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In
a complete reversal of their regular season match-up which
the Mustangs won 72-70, the Panthers defence completely
shutdown the Mustangs offence aided by an intermittent
snowfall which severely limited South Ottawa's passing
game.
The
Panthers, meanwhile, had no problem moving the ball on
the ground led by their quarterback Vincent Anderson who
scored four of his team's five touchdowns. Jordan Gallagher
scored the other TD.
The
Panther tykes will play the Cornwall Wildcats 1 team in
the A-Cup championships this Sunday at Minto Field in
Nepean. The Panthers have yet to play the undefeated Wildcats
this season.
The
game of the day on Sunday was turned in by the Panthers
U14 Peewee team which made short work of the Kanata Knights
in a 47-14 win.
Led
by tailback Khalid Campbell, the Panthers ran roughshod
over the Knights who had no answer for the 13-year-old
phenom. Each of Campbell's four TDs was of highlight reel
quality with each one seemingly better than the last.
During one particular effort, he cut back between two
defenders, forcing them to run into each other, and broke
through three more would-be tacklers before turning on
the afterburners out run the safety into the endzone.
The
Panthers other three touchdowns were scored by Cordel
Epale, who ran for two of them and caught a pass from
Jackson Plante for the other.
The
peewee squad will play the Bell Warriors in the A-Cup
final. The two teams played each other in Week 5 of the
regular season with the Panthers emerging the better team
with a 49-18 win.
In
the Sunday's U16 bantam semi-final, the Panthers once
again came out the winners, posting a solid 42-14 result
over the Nepean Eagles.'
All
but one of the Panthers TDs were scored on the ground.
The lone exception was a touchdown toss from Zach Clouthier
to Brendan Shaw.
Thomas
Lortie ran for two touchdowns. Shaw ran for another. And
Dante Spadaccini and Matthew Lavoie also ran for touchdowns.
The
bantam team will also play the Bell Warriors in the A-Cup
final.
The
Panthers U12 mosquito team was hoping to join their clubmates
in the A-Cup finals, but they ran into a determined Kanata
Knights squad on Sunday that was able to outmuscle them
in the second half on their way to 16-0 win.
After
a scoreless first half, the Knights decided to use their
superior size up front to push the ball up the middle.
The result was a lengthy touchdown drive that ate nearly
six minutes off the clock and included a pair of crucial
third down conversions.
When
the Panthers were unbale to respond on their first series
of the second half the writing was on the wall.
The
Knights were then able to put another long scoring drive
together using the same tactics uo the middle, and just
like that, they had a 16-0 lead after eating another six
minutes off the clock.
The
Panthers had no answers on offence and the game ended
with the same 16-0 score.
The
A-Cup championships will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday with
the Panthers vs Wildcats tyke final.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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CANADA DAY AT THE LEGION – Canadian Legion Branch 632 on Taylor Creek Road will be hosting a fun-filled day of family-friendly activities with music and food starting at 11 am. FREE FOR EVERYONE 
ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET every Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road. Shop the freshest seasonal produce, meat and dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts and more while getting to know the folks who grew and made it.
CUMBERLAND FARMERS MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village with 85 local farmers and vendors ready to showcase their freshest produce, handmade goods, and unique finds! FREE ADMISSION 
STRAY DOG BREWING COMPANY presents Crroked Creek live and in concert in their taproom. From Montreal, Crooked Creek effortlessly blends bluegrass and country music genres. Tickets $15 available at 
