The Cumberland Panthers U12 mosquito team are the undisputed city champions after beating the previously undefeated West Carleton Wolverines 52-6 in the A-Cup mosquito final on Sunday to finish the season with a perfect 11-0 record.
After getting off to a slow start during which they turned the ball over on the opening kick-off and again on their first drive of the game which lead to the Wolverines' one and only score of the game, the Panthers were finally able to string together a couple of first downs together to regain some momentum. They were able to move the ball down to the Warriors' 24-yard line before a pair of high snaps forced them to turn the ball over on downs on the Warriors' 43.
The Panthers' defence then took over forcing the Warriors to punt after they went two and out. It would prove to be a common theme for the rest of the game.
After the Warriors had some success on their next series, picking up two first downs before the drive stalled, their next four series ened with two punts, a pick six and a safety.
The Panthers first touchdown was scored by quarterback Grayson Rouleau off a 34-yard run up the middle. Nico Scarfone then made the two-point convert kick to give the Panthers an 8-6 lead.
Cumberland's second touchdiown came on a 42-yard pass from Rouleau to Scarfone on the last play of the opening quarter. Scarfone then made another two-point convert to extend the Panthers' lead to 16-6.
They would go up 22-6 in the second when Mathieu Anderson made a perfectly timed interception with the Warriors backed up to their goalline and waltzed into the end zone for the major.
With time running out in the firast half and the Warriors once again facing thrid and long deep in their own end, they elected to concede a safety, giving the Panthers a 24-6 lead heading into the second half of the game.
The Panthers had seven first downs in the first half compared to four for the Warriors. The Panthers also gained 190 yards on offense compared to just 83 yards for West Carleton. The only thing that kept the first half from being a complete blow out were the Panthers' three turnovers.
But things were about to get a lot worse for the Wolverines, who wound up getting completely declawed by the Panthers defence in the second half. During the next two quarters of football, the Wolverines gained just 31 yards, 20 of which came on their final drive of the game.
The Panthers' offence, meanwhile, ran and passed for 143 yards and scored four more touchdowns, including three by Jacob Kavanaugh who ended the game with 165 yards on 13 carries and was the offensive player of the game.
The defensive player of the game and overall MVP was Nolan Boonstra who was a one man wrecking machine. He had at least a half dozen solo tackles, including three of the bone-crunching variety, a sack, two tipped passes, including one that resulted in an interception by Masen Machabee, and a blocked punts. And those were all the plays that this observer was able to record. No doubt he was involved in a few other plays as well, such as a boat load of assisted tackles.
Besides Kavanaugh's contribution on offence, Grayson Rouleau finished the game with three completions, including a pair of touchdowns to Scarfone and Christopher Bright, and 89 yards on seven carries, including a pair of rushing touchdowns.
The Panthers will now get to rest a couple of days before getting back to the practice field to prepare for the provincial minor football championships which will be played between the U12 and U14 National Capital Amateur Football Association A-Cup champions and the Ontario Fall Football League champions on Nov. 16 at TD Place Stadium. The U10 Panthers will also play in the Fall Cup as the NCAFA A-Cup finalists along with the champion Cornwall Wildcats, in a jamboree style format.