Outlaws JV capture Ontario Minor Football League title

August 12, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Orangeville Outlaws Junior Varsity team claimed the Ontario Minor Football League championship with a 27-15 win over the North Bay Bulldogs at Etobicoke’s Centennial Stadium on Saturday, August 6.

It was a forgone conclusion that this was going to be a good, and very tough game.

The North Bay team ended the regular season in first place taking only one loss for the year.

The Outlaws were close behind in second place with a 7-2 record, pitting the two top teams in the League against each other in the championship final

The Outlaws, based in Orangeville, have a good contingent of Shelburne and surrounding area players on the roster.

The Outlaws opened the scoring in the first quarter on a pass from quarterback Luc St. Germain to receiver Jeriah Valladares.

The score was tied at seven when the Bulldogs got their first TD and successful convert kick.

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs took a lead with a big push to the five yard line and charge through the middle that gave them another six points to make it 14-7 for North Bay

The big turning point came when Valladares got his second TD of the game on a sprint across the goal.

Trailing by a single point, the Outlaws lined up for a field goal, but when the kick went wide, they still got the extra point on the rouge to make it a 14-14 game at the half.

With one quarter to go, the O-ville team took the lead when they landed on the one-yard line.

Lino DeVita went through the middle on the next play to score.

The Bulldogs put out a big effort late in the game in an effort to close the gap and went to the throwing game.

With just over two minutes remaining on the clock, Valladares scored again to increase the Outlaws lead to 12 points.

The game ended with a 27-15 victory for the Orangeville team.

“It was a very tight game, a very tough game overall,” said Outlaws safety, Jacob McGarrity. “It was a hard fought game on both sides; it could have gone either way.”

The game became an epic battle at the midway point with both teams posting 14 on the scoreboard.

“We knew that if they scored they would have had the lead on us but we kept our heads on straight,” the Melancthon resident said of the squad’s level headed approach to the second half.

Teammate, Luke Russell praised the Outlaws defence for a good effort in stopping the North Bay attack.

“I knew our defence would stay strong,” the Shelburne resident said. “We’ve had a solid defence all year round. I knew I could count on them to make a play when we had to.”

Going into the late part of the game, Russell said they stepped it up to stop the Bulldogs advance.

“We have to play smart. We have to watch for anything tricky. At that point they had to score, they’re not going to keep running the ball, and they’re going to try anything to score.”

The Outlaws entered the championship after winning their semi-final game over the Niagara Spears on July 31.