School wins junior and senior LOSSA championships in Oshawa
Nov 14, 2009 - 07:01 PM
By Brian McNair
OSHAWA – Whitby’s Donald A. Wilson Secondary School has established quite a football dynasty since opening in 2004.
In fact, several players on the senior team can now say they have won five straight LOSSA championships after the Gators defeated the St. Mary Monarchs of Pickering 21-14 Saturday afternoon at Civic Fields in Oshawa.
“These kids, our fifth year guys, this is their fifth title in five years,” said proud coach Adam Papadakos, referring to the school’s junior championships in 2005 and 2006, and senior titles the past three years. “That’s a pretty tremendous accomplishment.”
What’s more, this year’s junior team also won another championship, defeating Pickering High School 25-15 in an earlier game Saturday.
“Our kids just play with a lot of heart and we’re so proud of them and our whole program today because we swept a LOSSA doubleheader and we’re thrilled,” Papadakos said afterward.
The Gators jumped out to an early lead in the senior final when quarterback Stefan Edwards found Chivon Gallagher for a 24-yard touchdown strike 4:32 into the game.
Wilson built the lead to 14-0 on a six-yard run by Omar Williams in the second quarter and then 21-0 when Edwards ran one in with just 4:40 remaining in the game.
St. Mary quarterback Keith Cyrus, off the mark for much of the contest, found his range late, hitting Dan Tomei for a score with 2:48 remaining and Dexter Damboise for another with 1:03 left.
But, despite getting the ball back with 29 seconds left on the clock, the Monarchs could muster no more magic.
Although proud of the late rally, St. Mary coach Enzo Antonucci was disappointed with the lack of discipline his team showed throughout the game.
“We probably had over 100 yards in penalties, so that was a killer,” he said. “We just couldn’t find our wide receivers early in the game and it was too late when it happened at the end.”
The Gators now advance to the Metro Bowl semifinals, 11 a.m. Wednesday at Etobicoke Centennial Stadium against Markham High School.
A win there would send them back to the Metro Bowl, which is being held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Nov. 25.
In the Tier 2 finals Sunday, Bowmanville’s St. Stephen’s Royals defeated Ajax’s Denis O’Connor Chargers 22-7 in junior while Whitby’s Sinclair Celtics defeated Oshawa’s O’Neill Red Hawks 16-13 in senior.
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