The U14 Cumberland Panthers are provincial champions after beating the London Jr. Mustangs 28-0 in the Ontario Summer Football League AAA bantam title game on
Aug. 3 The win was the perfect ending to what has been an impressive season for the Panther.
The team went 8-0 during the regular season, posting four shutouts along the way and outscoring their opponents by an average score of 68-7.
It was much of the same in the playoffs as the Panthers completely dominated the Myers Riders 55-14 in the first round and then did the same to the Burlington Stampeders in the semi-finals, beating them 50-6.
The championship game was a thrilling showcase of talent and teamwork with the Panthers displaying both strategic and physical resilience.
Panthers’ running back Connor Hamelin scored the first of his game high three touchdowns in the early going to give his team a 7-0 lead, while the Panthers’ defence stymied the Jr. Mustangs’ efforts to get anything going themselves.
Leo Zbitnoff made a number of crushing tackles for the Panthers and generally harassed the Jr. Mustangs all game long.
On offence, the Panthers took advantage of their superior O-line play led by their captain Max Legros who created hole after hole for Hamelin to run through.
The Panthers fourth touchdown was scored by receiver Joenny Ngondion on a pass from quarterback Andrew Coulson.
In fact, there were a number of standout performances on both sides of the ball ensuring the team maintained its perfect record.
After the game, Panthers’ head coach Ryan Gaucher praised the team’s dedi-cation and hard work throughout the season.
“Our players have shown incredible commitment and skill and it’s wonderful to see their efforts culminate in a pro-vincial championship,” said Gaucher. “We have a very professional group and we did our talking with our shoulder pads and the scoreboard, this victory is a testament to their perseverance and teamwork.”
Unfortunately, the Panthers U16 team did not enjoy the same success as their clubmates in their title game.
After compiling a 7-1 regular season record and winning their first two playoff games in impressive fashion, the U16 Panthers came up against the undefeated West Division champion Burlington Stampeders in the final and came out on the short end of a 47-12 loss.
STRAY DOG 7-YEAR ITCH ANNIVERSARY PARTY starting at 2 p.m. at the Stray Dog Brewing Company located at 150 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. There will be family friendly games for all combined with great food, live music and, of course, plenty of suds.
SHENKMAN ARTS CENTRE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lots of free activities for the whole family including dance workshops in hip-hop, contemporary, Bollywood and Kathak dance, bucket drum-ming and bubble art. There will also be a performance by Rwandan-Canadian singer Empress Nyiringango. ADMISSION IS FREE FOR EVERYONE..
ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex on Tenth Line Road featuring local food vendors and producers.
ORLEANS RIBFEST AND POUTINE in the Orléans Festival Plaza on Trim Road. Festival hours are Friday, Sept. 13 from 12 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free admission.
