The Varsity Spears had to work from a deficit for the first time this season, as Bulldog receiver Clayton Yunell hauled in an 83-yard TD pass from quarterback Trevor Wood to give Brampton a first quarter 7-0 lead. But the Spears stormed back in the second quarter, as Sebastian Howard returned a missed Bulldogs field goal 54 yards to set up a 4-yard rushing major from Spears back Ricky Savage. Spears quarterback Nick Coutu then hooked up with running back Jerimy Hipperson on a 31-yard TD pass to give the Spears a 14-10 halftime lead. Julian Tropea’s 19-yard field goal and Coutu’s 1-yard scamper into the end zone extended the Spears lead to 24-10 after three quarters. Hipperson added a 4-yard rushing major in the fourth to make it 30-10. A late Brampton touchdown was too little, too late as the Spears withstood their first real test of the season with a 30-17 final.

According to Head Coach Dave Howe, trailing in a game for the first time this season may serve the team well down the road. “They caught us a little flat-footed at the beginning. They’re clearly the fastest and most athletic team we’ve faced so far”, said Howe. “This was a character-builder for us, we battled through the adversity and we have a better idea of the areas that still need work. The players showed a lot of maturity and composure, traits we’ll need if we want to make a serious run”.

OFFENSIVE STATS - VARSITY
QB Nick Coutu: 8/19 passing for 188 yds, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD
RB Ricky Savage: 13 carries for 63 yds, 1 TD
RB Jerimy Hipperson: 5 carries for 11 yds, 2 TDs
K Julian Tropea: 1/2 field goals (made from 19, missed from 20), 3/4 PATs

DEFENSIVE STATS - VARSITY
DL Steve Cecchini: 5 tackles, 1½ sacks
LB Ryan Miller: 5 tackles
DB Sebastian Howard: 5 tackles, 1 BB
DB Alex Hunchak: 3½ tackles
LB Ryan Chmielewski: 2½ tackles, 1 INT

In Sunday’s Junior game, the Spears scored early and often in their rout of the first-year Chatham Bears. Quarterback Matt Beardwood connected with Andrew Birnie for a 14-yard TD strike in the first quarter. Two conceded safeties, a 6-yard TD run from Andrew Barry and Devon Egerter’s 1-yard scamper gave the Spears an early 24-0 lead. Egerter ran rampant over the Bears defense, racking up over 200 yards and another major on the ground, plus 50 more yards on two receptions. In the third quarter, Beardwood hit receiver Jake Harper from 20 yards out before giving way to quarterback Nick Sandulac, who quickly found Gary Spero for a 41-yard TD pass and finished off a strong game with a 6-yard strike to Curtis Kelly.

Head Coach Brian Duguay seized the opportunity to rest some of his starters early and likes his team’s depth. “We had some guys really step up today,” said Duguay. “Nick Sandulac played really well at QB and David Postman dominated on defense”. Despite the strong offensive showing however, Duguay was disappointed in over 100 yards in Spears penalties. “That kind of lack of discipline would be an absolute game-killer on any other day”, said Duguay. “We’re going to need a very focused week of practice this week”.

OFFENSIVE STATS - JUNIOR
QB Matt Beardwood: 9/15 passing for 108 yds, 2 TDs, QB rating: 121.87
QB Nick Sandulac: 4/7 passing, 2 TDs, QB rating: 141.37
RB Devon Egerter: 18 carries for 204 yds rushing, 2 TDs, 2 catches for 50 yds
RB Andrew Barry: 11 carries for 74 yds rushing, 1 TD
RB Nathan Zavarella: 8 carries for 29 yds rushing, 3 catches for 49 yds
WR Jake Harper: 1 carry for 34 yds rushing, 6 catches for 49 yds, 1 TD
TE Andrew Birnie: 2 catches for 14 yds, 1 TD

DEFENSIVE STATS - JUNIOR
LB David Postman: 5½ tackles, 1 sack
DL Mattin Majidi: 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
LB Brad Souter: 4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
DB Matt Panetta: 3½ tackles, 1 fumble recovery
DL Josh Redman: 1 tackle, 2 fumble recoveries

NEXT UP: Both Spears teams are on the road next Saturday, June 16th. The Junior Spears (3-0) travel to Kitchener for a game with the Twin Cities Predators (1-2) at 5:00pm while the Varsity Spears (3-0) take on the Sarnia Lions (0-3) at 7:00pm.