Sean Allen
BRANT NEWS

The Assumption College Lions and North Park Collegiate Trojans remain undefeated headed toward a head-to-head meeting in the penultimate week of the junior high school football season on Oct. 18.

The Trojans defeated the Brantford Collegiate Institute Colts 31-3 last Thursday at Bisons Alumni field at the Gretzky centre to move to 4-0 on the season.

Not to be outdone, the Lions downed the St. John’s College Green Eagles 41-6 on Friday to also stay at 4-0.

“The (Trojans) are a very good team, are well coached and have a bunch of good players,” Lions coach Danny Padmore said after his team’s victory on Friday. “We are going to have to come up with our A-game for that one.”

Both the Lions and Trojans have been scoring machines this season, with the Lions pouring in 154 points against their opponents and the Trojans scoring 153.

They have also been sound defensively, with the Lions allowing just 12 points against, while the Trojans have allowed just 23 points.

The Trojans have been using a mix of both a ground and aerial assault, as well as the sure foot of kicker Matt Minutillo, to pile on opponents. Running back Keaton Wray has scored seven touchdowns in four games, but the team has also received scores from 10 different players.

It’s a different story for the Lions, whose ground game has been unstoppable.

Tailback Kurtis Loewig has scored nine touchdowns, while fellow back Kevin Cann has seven. The pair account for more than half of the team’s 21 touchdowns this season.

For Cann, a Grade 9 student, it is his first time playing football. He is a strong athlete, though, having made appearances with Ontario’s provincial soccer teams.

“My cousin suggested I try football and I decided ‘why not’ because the soccer season was almost over for the year,” Cann said.
Padmore said he has been nothing short of thrilled with his pair of running backs.

“Kurtis is in Grade 10, so he played last year but has gotten even better this year,” Padmore said. “Kevin? What can I say about Kevin? He is a diamond in the rough. He has never played this game before and I can’t explain how good he has been.”

It makes perfect sense that Cann’s soccer skills have translated to the field. He is the Lions’ place kicker, with 16 converts and a field goal this season.

Cann kicked four of his team’s converts on Friday night against St. John’s before he injured his ankle. He expects to be back in action soon.

Loewig ran in three touchdowns, while Luke Saunders, Brendan Townson and Raymond Martino also scored majors for the Lions.

Taylor Deane scored the Green Eagles’ lone touchdown of the night on a phenomenal 60-yard run with 11 seconds remaining in the game.

The Trojans collected three scores from Wray en route to the team’s win against the Colts on Thursday. Minutillo and Brad Ward also scored touchdowns.

In Saturday’s game, the Paris District High School Panthers collected their first victory of the season to move into a tie with BCI for third place. The Panthers downed the Pauline Johnson Collegiate Warriors 27-7 in very cold and windy conditions at PJC.

Corey Boehmer had two long touchdown catches of 56 yards and 42 yards for the Panthers. Offensive guard Grant Weiler recovered a fumble at the goal line for a touchdown and Ty Kelly returned an interception 50 yards for a major.

High school football takes a week off before action resumes on Thursday, Oct. 18, when the undefeated Lions and Trojans will battle at 6 p.m. at Bisons Alumni field.

The Warriors face the Colts at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19 at Bisons Alumni field and the Green Eagles visit Paris on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 a.m.