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HS
Football
St.
Peter Knights down Ashbury Colts for Tier 1 football championship
By Mike Beasley
The Orleans Star
There
was no stopping the St. Peter Knights in their attempt
to capture another senior football city championship at
Minto Field on Nov. 10.
The
Knights fought through gusting winds, a crusty, snow-covered
turf and the relentless efforts of the Ashbury Colts to
win 31-21 as they brought home their 14th city title in
the football program's 24 year history.
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The
St. Peter Knights pose for a team picture
after winning the senior boys high school
football championship. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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Knights
head coach Jim Mick has been at St. Peter ever since it
opened in 1992 and has been at the helm for every one
of those championship wins.
En
route to the 2018 championship, Mick and his coaching
staff did a masterful job handling adversity, injuries
and the loss of a number of potential players to prep
schools south of the border.
"It
was very different this year compared to others,� said
the veteran coach. "We (Knights) were good last year.
When I looked at our roster for this season I thought
we were loaded with arguably the most talented teams in
the province. But we (the coaching staff) had to make
a ton of changes right from the start with players leaving
to play elsewhere, or injuries at key positions which
plagued us.
"We
have such a good group of kids, several played out of
their regular position to fill in where needed.�
Despite
all the changes in personnel St. Peter didn't falter and
continued to be a force again this regular season and
throughout the post season culminating in another city
championship.
The
championship game was a total team effort by the Knights
who managed to generate offence in the difficult playing
conditions but at the same time defended well and kept
the Colts attack under control.
St.
Pete's defensive lineman Tucker Burke made life miserable
for any Colts player whenever they had possession of the
ball, or rock as it may have felt like during the cold
and blustery day.
Burke
led his team with three sacks and a timely fumble recovery
which led to the Knights putting points on the score board.
"I
got to their backfield and luck went my way when they
fumbled the ball on a lateral so I jumped on it and we
ended up with a score,� Burke said after the big win.
Wide
receiver and defensive back Justice Koradi also had a
big game with a perfectly timed interception.
The
offence was led by fourth year senior quarterback Ryan
Licandro who had a number of weapons at his disposal including
running back Josh Smith who scored a pair of touchdowns
in the big win.
Conor
MacDonald and Jonathan Agette also scored for the Knights,
with MacDonald adding a field goal to round out the scoring
in the difficult conditions.
With
the victory over the Colts, the Knights are now riding
an impressive winning streak that includes an undefeated
regular season and a 29-1 victory over the St. Mark Lions
in the semi-finals.
The
Knights still have another week to prepare for the upcoming
OFSAA Bowl Festival which will be held from Nov. 26-28
at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa.
The
Knights will represent the National Capital Secondary
School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) in the National Capital
Bowl on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. They will face the
Korah Colts who are the Northern Ontario Secondary School
Association (NOSSA) representatives.
Ashbury
will also get to play in the Bowl Festival. They will
face the Chaminade Gryphons in the Independence Bowl on
Wednesday, Jan. 23.
The
Knights will be making their fifth appearance in an OFSAA
bowl game after previous appearances in 2005, 2009, 2014
and 2015. The team won the National Capital Bowl in 2005
and 2009 when the event was held at the Rogers Centre
in Toronto.
In
2014 and 2015, the kids from Orléans came up short in
back-to-back trips to Hamilton with losses in the Independent
and Western Bowls.
For
more information about the 2018 OFSAA Bowls Festival go
to www.ofsaa.on.ca/boys-football-festival.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
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.
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. presents Oyster Wednesdays every Wednesday. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near McDonalds.
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.
