After defeating the St. Francis Phoenix 14-7 in the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association semifinals Friday, it was a joyous bunch of Saint Michael Mustangs senior football players who boarded the bus in the Saint Paul parking lot.
“We’re going to the ship. We’re going to the ship,” they could be heard chanting on the bus.
The ship they were yelling about was next week’s NCAA championship game against the unbeaten Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Mustangs will be hoping to play the role of an iceberg against a Notre Dame ship that looks unsinkable.
“We are going to do our best and that’s all we ask our kids to do,” Saint Michael head coach Brian Carter said.
Saint Michael’s last won a championship it 2016 when it captured the AA league that was made up of public and Catholic high schools. It beat Holy Cross 28-8 in the championship game that year.
“We know they (the Irish) are a very tough opponent and a well-coached team and we will get them to enjoy this game, prepare them the best we can and then enjoy playing in a NCAA championship,” Carter said.
Chris Bianco couldn’t have asked for a better start to his season with the Saint Michael Mustangs senior football team.
On his first play of the season on defence Friday, the Grade 12 student intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs would go on to record a 28-0 victory over the Holy Cross Raiders in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association action.
“That was remarkable,” Saint Michael coach Keith Bomberry said. “He has worked hard all year and he has run into some bad luck at practice with a couple of nagging injuries.
“He found himself not dressing for a game and when he stepped on the field, we were so elated he made that play.”
Saint Mike’s is hoping for more of the same from Bianco.
“Stepping up like that definitely bodes well for his playing time,” Bomberry said.
The Saint Michael Mustangs senior football team (3-2) ran its NCAA winning streak to three games with a 16-12 victory over the St. Francis Phoenix (3-2).
“Our players continue to work hard to improve each week and are finding ways to win which is a sign of a good team,” Saint Michael head coach Brian Carter said. “We as coaches keep stressing the importance of doing the little things better moving forward heading towards the playoffs.
“Doing those little things right increase your chances of being successful and is a great life lesson.”
For Saint Michael: Jared Schleuter threw a 10-yard TD pass to Noah Wilson; Gabriel Hetherington had a two-yard TD run; Wilson had two converts and two singles on a kickoff and a punt; Evan Williamson and Simon Gonzalez each recovered fumbles; and strong tackling was contributed by Caleb Hetherington, Carson Gilbert and Matt Wedler
“Noah Wilson had an outstanding game receiving the ball, kicking and punting,” Carter said. “Definitely the player of the game for the Mustangs.”
For St. Francis, Favour Iranoula scored two touchdowns.
“An injury to Quentin Duemo created some difficulty for us,” St. Francis head coach Jim Whittard said. “Saint Michael was well prepared and patient and did well.”
Devon Harper is clearly a quick learner. The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student never played organized football until this season, but has quickly become an important piece of the puzzle for the Saint Michael Mustangs. Harper collected a key interception in the end zone as the Mustangs blanked the Blessed Trinity Thunder 7-0 in a Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior boys football game played Friday at Lakeshore Catholic.
“We just practice hard every day,” he said. “For a lot of us, this is our first time. For me, this was my third game ever so we’re doing really well.
“We’re picking it up.”
Harper tried the sport last season at the urging of Mustangs quarterback Jared Schlueter, but didn’t commit until this year.
“I went to come out last year and wasn’t feeling it but this is my last year so I had to come out,” he said.
Harper, who has also played hockey and soccer, likes the physical nature of the game.
“I needed to play a contact sport,” he said. “All the sports I was playing were house league and all the cheap stuff — anything we could afford — and we got lucky with this.”
The Saint Michael Mustangs senior football team has set the bar high for the upcoming Niagara Catholic Athletic Association season.
“You go into every season hoping to win the championship and that is obviously the mindset,” head coach Brian Carter said. “The team is willing to compete every game as hard as it possibly can and we will see where it takes us. We are going to try our hardest to get to the top.”
To get there, the Mustangs will be going in a straight line.
“We are going to try and keep it simple and hopefully make smart plays,” Carter said. “We are going to be aggressive and get back to old school football.”
Aggression will be a trait of the Mustangs this season.
“We are going to gang tackle on defence and run the ball on offence,” he said. “Sometimes these days, people get a little fancy but we are going to take that ball and run straight ahead. It’s just as effective.”
After defeating the St. Francis Phoenix 14-7 in the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association semifinals Friday, it was a joyous bunch of Saint Michael Mustangs senior football players who boarded the bus in the Saint Paul parking lot.
Chris Bianco couldn’t have asked for a better start to his season with the Saint Michael Mustangs senior football team.
Devon Harper is clearly a quick learner. The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student never played organized football until this season, but has quickly become an important piece of the puzzle for the Saint Michael Mustangs. Harper collected a key interception in the end zone as the Mustangs blanked the Blessed Trinity Thunder 7-0 in a Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior boys football game played Friday at Lakeshore Catholic.
The Saint Michael Mustangs senior football team has set the bar high for the upcoming Niagara Catholic Athletic Association season.