Warriors close regular season on winning notes

Saturday was a good day to be a member of the Mississauga Warriors.
The Warriors closed out the regular season in the Ontario Varsity Football League on a winning note as both the Varsity and Junior Varsity squads ended up with victories at the Valleys.
The Varsity Warriors overcame a 21-7 deficit in the first half to win a 34-27 cliffhanger over the Essex Ravens Varsity squad in a rematch of last year’s OVFL championship game that the Warriors won.
It was a much easier time for the JV Warriors as they trounced the JV Ravens 41-6 to end the season with a perfect 8-0 record. The senior Warriors wound up with a 7-1 record.
“We were asleep on defence early but we adapted,” said Varsity coach John Simas. “They could have broken our backs but we fought back. I think we came of age tonight.”
The Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the game was 10 minutes old and they were up 21-7 with just over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter. But the Warriors scored a touchdown on the last play of the third quarter to jump out to a 24-21 lead and they added a major and a field goal in the final 15 minutes to wrap up the win.
Quarterback Jahmari Bennett came up with the big play in the fourth quarter when the Warriors needed it most. Unable to find an open receiver, Bennett scampered for a 70-yard TD run with just under 10 minutes left in the game to give his team a 31-27 lead.
“He ran like a son of a gun, didn’t he?” Simas asked. “The play was supposed to be a pass to one of our backs (Jahmeek Murray), but they had him covered. There weren’t any other receivers open so he (Bennett) pulled it in and ran.
“We took what they gave us,” added Simas. “They were stopping the run, so we passed more.”
Aside from his touchdown run, Bennett completed 13 of 17 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Murray and Blair Smith each hauled in a touchdown pass and Dylan Lanctin scored on a one-yard plunge.
David DeVito kicked a pair of field goals and converted all four touchdowns as the Warriors advanced to the OVFL playoffs. They’ll play Sarnia next weekend.
The JV Warriors, who earned a first-round bye in the playoffs by virtue of their perfect season in the Western Conference, were up 27-0 at halftime against their junior counterparts from Essex.
“I think we have more depth than a lot of other teams and when you have depth you can do a lot more things,” said Mississauga coach Greg Gary.
Quarterback Brandon Bridge was good on 11 of 19 pass attempts for 265 yards and four touchdowns.
“I think that was the best game he’s played all year,” said Gary. “He has exceptional talent and when he plays within the system and with the talent he has, the sky’s the limit for him.”
Damone Williams caught two touchdown passes and returned a kickoff 101 yards for another major. Kris Karagitis also caught a touchdown pass. Danny Sourtzis had a 105-yard punt return for a touchdown and Amitaj Gill ran in for a TD.

onlinenews@mississauga.net