Dec 04, 2014


Mike Love, head coach of Sydenham's senior boys football team, recalled the team's final game played against Peterborough's Crestwood Mustangs at the Mary Ann Sills Park in Belleville on November 26 for the Senior AA title. The exciting win wrapped up a flawless season for the senior boys, who came out strong from the start against the Mustangs with Golden Eagle Sam Moyse scoring on the second play of the game on a pass from quarterback Dylan Fisher.

That lead spread to 14-0 when the Mustangs fumbled Sydenham's kick. With Sydenham offense in control of the ball, they moved up the turf handily with Brodie Latimer scoring on a four-yard push into the end zone. Sydenham recovered a second fumbled ball by the Mustangs and scored on a pass to Sam Moyse, moving Sydenham well ahead 21-0. Crestwood fought back hard and ran some well planned plays that failed to pan out. Sydenham scored another three points when Mike Bashall kicked a field goal, wrapping up a stellar first quarter and opening up a 24-0 lead for the Golden Eagles. Crestwood changed that fast in the second and turned their game around, scoring a quick consecutive three in a row, their third coming just five seconds before the clock timed out.

At the half the score was 24-21, making the match anyone's game. Love recalled how he and the team felt at that point. “We had the best start any team could want but Crestwood's passing game got us in the second but we managed to gather ourselves together and at half time I told the boys to calm down a bit and we reset our dials to the middle setting again after being up so fast and then coming down so hard.”

Reset they did and opening with the ball at the start of the third, Sydenham moved quickly on a long drive with Brodie Latimer scoring five minutes into the third, moving Sydenham ahead 31-21. Another long drive by the Eagles killed some precious time off the clock in the third and kept the Mustangs 10 points behind at the start of the fourth.

Early in the fourth Sydenham scored a single on a punt and their defense rallied, stopping the Mustangs from moving the ball far enough for a chance. It was five minutes into the fourth that Sydenham's Sam Moyse scored on a pass from Fisher for his third touchdown of the game, which moved the Golden Eagles further ahead 39-21. Bashall's kick put them up one more: 40-21.

The Mustangs demonstrated that they still had something left and with four seconds left in the game scored another touchdown but in the end it was not enough to move them ahead and Sydenham took the win 40-27, wrapping up a perfect season for the Sydenham seniors.

Moyse, Latimer and Fisher proved an unbeatable offensive trio not only in Belleville but all season long, as was kicker Mike Bashall who converted all five touchdowns and two single points on a kick and a punt that cemented the team's decisive win over Crestwood.

Love was proud of all his players. “They worked very, very hard for a long, long time. They came out for every single practice and just got better and better as the season went on.”

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