Trojans beat Crusaders for first title

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2015 (3931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Going in, the Vincent Massey Trojans knew the last battle would be tough and painfully tight, but they always believed they could win the fight.

They were right. Friday night, in front of a legion of howling fans at Investors Group Field, the Trojans toppled the St. Paul’s Crusaders, winning the ANAVETS Bowl 22-12. For the first time, the seven-year-old Vincent Massey program had won the Winnipeg High School Football League’s top prize.

Getting there was a grind, a perpetual clash between smothering defences. In the end, the Trojans executed nearly perfectly and that was the difference.

“We had to play perfect,” head coach Kelsey McKay said, breathless after the win. “St. Paul’s are the benchmark program. They still are. They don’t beat themselves. We had to play perfect to beat ’em… our guys bought into everything. They trusted us and trusted each other… a phenomenal night for us.”

When the two teams met in first week of the regular season, the juggernaut Crusaders won 13-7. It was the narrowest margin St. Paul’s would see in their undefeated regular season WHSFL campaign. Undeterred, before the championship final the Trojans were just hungry to take a shot at their rivals again.

Once they got there, they didn’t waste any time. The Trojans were the first to find a way onto the scoreboard, opening scoring with a first-quarter Findlay Brown field goal. The Crusaders struck back early in the second, when receiver Cole Zadro hauled down a touchdown strike from quarterback Riley Naujoks.

The Trojans refused to let the game slip away. They gambled a little; in the second, the Trojans were stuck on the Crusaders’ three-yard line. Instead of trying for a game-tying field goal, they opted to try a touchdown run instead; the Crusaders defence stopped them short.

The gamble partly paid off, as the Trojans defenders returned the favour, stuffing St. Paul’s on the ensuing possession. The Crusaders gave up a safety, cutting their lead to just 6-5. That was the story of the game, in a tilt where space was hard to come by, and yards became precious.

“I thought we just stuck to our game plan, we didn’t overcomplicate it that much,” said Jonah Komorofsky, a Grade 10 linebacker who had a monster game, including a key interception. “What motivated me was the seniors, they needed to win. I wouldn’t have left here happy knowing they didn’t win a championship in their whole career… We all rallied around them.”

Late in the second, Trojans quarterback Andre Dueck connected with receiver Abdul Gassama, a dazzling 24-yard reception that put the Trojans deep in the Crusaders’ zone. Minutes later, a clever offensive play opened the way for a 14-yard touchdown run by Grade 11 halfback Jeremy Gillis.

With three minutes left in the half, Massey held a lead; they added to it at the very end of the half, with another Brown field goal.

The teams butted heads through a scoreless third. In the fourth quarter, St. Paul’s began to charge back. It didn’t end the way they had planned; after liberating themselves from their own zone with a 41-yard Zadro catch, Naujoks connected on two quick passes to march his squad into Trojans territory.

Then disaster struck the Crusaders: Naujoks’ next pass was neatly picked off by Gassama, who danced around an opponent and raced the ball 60 yards back to throwing distance of the St. Paul’s end zone. Receiver Liam Casey ended up being the one to cash in for a touchdown to lift Trojans up 22-6.

The Crusaders went out with guns blazing. With two minutes left in the game, Naujoks found Lukas Skromeda for the major; their two-point convert attempt fizzled. But either way, it was too little, too late.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca