Canada 36, Austria 07 at the 2014 IFAF U19 World Championship

I'm obviously way behind on this, being that the tournament ended some time ago, but trying to keep track of both the U19 tournament and the Football Canada Cup simultaneously turned out to be too much.  I still want to record it for quick reference though, so...here we go!

Canada took a 14-0 lead into halftime following a pair of touchdown passes. Starting quarterback Frédéric Paquette-Perrault connected with Félix Laflamme on an 8-yard touchdown pass at the 3 minute mark of the opening quarter to put Canada on the board. With 7 minutes to play in the half, Canada struck again, as second string quarterback Brett Hunchak completed a 41-yard touchdown pass to receiver Louis-Mathieu Normandin. 

Early in the second half Austria’s offense came alive, cutting Canada’s lead in half following a 16-yard touchdown run. 

 

Canada regained their 14 point advantage following a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Mathieu Betts which set-up a 1st and goal at the Austria 10-yard line. Canada capitalized on third down as quarterback Frédéric Paquette-Perrault connected with receiver Trivel Pinto on a 10-yard touchdown pass, making the score 21-7. 

The fumble recovery served as a turning point in the game as Canada began to pull away following the swing in momentum. 

... 

Seizing the swing in momentum Canada’s offense continued to click. First Paquette-Perrault found Marc-Antoine Pivin, this time from 12-yards out. A successful 2-point conversion by quarterback Liam Putt widened Canada’s lead to 29-7. 

Not to be outdone, quarterback Brett Hunchak also marked his second touchdown on the day, this time calling his own number for an 8-yard rushing touchdown which pushed Canada’s lead to 36-7.

Canada 56, France 00 at the IFAF U19 World Championship

Canada's 91-00 victory over Kuwait in the first game of the IFAF U19 World Championship tournament drew some media attention for how lopsided it was.  Three days later, Austria, not quite known to be an American football power, beat Kuwait 64-00.  That may be an indication that Kuwait is just that far behind the pack and not just a matter of Canada pouring it on.

In any event, Canada's game against France drew very little attention, so I copy a portion of Football Canada's for future reference.  If I find anything more, I shall add it.

...Quebec City running back Philippe Lessard-Vézina supplied the game’s opening two scores on 9 and 34-yard runs respectively to give Canada a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

...

Next quarterback Frédéric Paquette-Perrault found his CVM (CEGEP du Vieux-Montréal) teammate Louis-Mathieu Normandin in the end zone to push Canada’s lead to 21.

Following a 24-yard Dominique Lévesque field goal, Lessard-Vézina went to work again, tallying his third major on the day, this time on a 55-yard touchdown run. The Académie Saint-Louis running back was named Canada’s player of the game, rushing for a game-high 154 yards on 9 carries.

To end the third quarter Calgary’s Brett Hunchak connected with his younger brother Colton who made a leaping 8-yard touchdown catch to end the third quarter.

A 26-yard Louis-Philippe St-Amant pick-6 followed by two consecutive receiving touchdowns by Marc-Antoine Pivin from the arm of quarterback Liam Putt made the final score 56-0.

Canada’s defense played another strong game allowing 42 yards of total offense, all of which were on the ground.

Apparently, if your name is hyphenated, this was your day...Not mentioned was defensive lineman Rossini Sandjond-Djabome's active day; he had three solo tackles and three assists. St-Amant had two picks in total and DB Royce Metchie added another.

Canada 91, Kuwait 00, at 2014 U19 World Championship

Oh my.

There wasn't much doubt that the Canadian team would take this game, but some media reports and social media comments are a little unkind due to the score discrepancy.  But first things first; let's copy the partial recap from Football Canada.

Windsor, Ontario running back, Khaliel James got Canada on the board early with a 4-yard touchdown run. James was one of three running backs to total two touchdowns as Kayden Johnson (LCBI / Kerrobert, SK) and Édouard Montemiglio (CEGEP Vieux-Montréal / Montréal, QC) also accomplished the feat while Philippe Lessard-Vézina (Académie Saint-Louis / Québec, QC) found the end zone once.

Receiver Colton Hunchak (Notre Dame HS / Calgary, AB) scored Canada's second touchdown on a 42-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Frédéric Paquette-Perrault. The younger of the two Hunchak brothers on the squad caught only three passes on the day but made each count, racking up a team high 78 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

"We spent the whole day talking about what we are doing here and that's to win a gold medal but at the same time we knew that this was the first game ever that Kuwait was playing. We really spoke to them about respecting the game and respecting their opponent without playing slow or compromising our end goal."

Kuwait was over-matched throughout the contest as they accumulated -62 total yards including -66 rushing yards.

I've been to games like these (well, maybe not THAT lopsided...) while supporting amateur football in Ottawa.  Sometimes, a team is just that much better.

But what can you do?  After preaching to your players to give 100% all day long, do you then ask them to turn it off?  Is it any more respectful for a running back to deliberately run out of bounds to avoid scoring?

France is next up, at 1PM Eastern tomorrow.

Canada 55, New Zealand 00, at the 2009 IFAF Junior Championship

As we near kickoff for the 2014 IFAF U19 World Championship, let's take a look back at Canada's first-ever game in this tournament.  The recap below is from waaaaaaaaaay down the news feed on the IFAF website.

Canada kicked off with the benefit of starting near the 50-yard line after a botched New Zealand kickoff and worked its way downfield. Julian Bailey took the ball to the 1-yard line before running back Steven Lumbala ran the ball into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game and historically, the first touchdown in tournament history. Lirim Hajrullahu's kick was good giving Canada the early advantage. 

New Zealand opted for a passing game on its first possession, attempting a long pass on the first play. Canada defensive back Jordan Duncan intercepted and Canada quickly regained possession on the 40-yard line.  

Jeremie Doyon-Roch fired a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Taylor Nill taking Canada down to the 10-yard line and then tossed a 5-yard pass to wide receiver Julian Bailey for Canada's second touchdown of the game making the score 13-0 with six minutes left to play in the first quarter.  

New Zealand was forced to go three-and-out after switching to the running game, then in reply, Canada's running back Maxime Boutin returned the punt from his own 40-yard line to the 21 to start off the next Canadian possession.  

The running game continued to produce well with a 6-yard run for a touchdown by Lumbala and Canada's third touchdown in the first quarter and a 20-0 lead with 2:45 left to play in the first quarter. 

Canada quarterback Brandon Bridge also showcased his running skills, taking the ball to the 50-yard line and out of bounds, then after completing a pass to wide receiver Sebastien Blanchard, raced down the sideline for a 42-yard score.  

New Zealand lost possession after a kick return bounced awkwardly at the Canada 26-yard line and Doyon-Roch fired a pass to wide receiver Taylor Nill on the 12-yard line then found open wide receiver Adam Thibault in the end zone making it 34-0.  

Boutin rushed 14 yards to score the sixth touchdown of the game for a 41-point lead with almost two minutes left to play in the second quarter. 

New Zealand held Canada to close out the half, then in the third quarter Canada's Alex Anthony fumbled on the punt return giving New Zealand possession at the 39-yard line. Meredith continued to attempt the long pass game but could not connect with wide receiver Josiah O'Connell. 

Canada's Anthony returned a kickoff 35 yards and Guillaume Bourassa earned good field position on a drive that ended with Franck Marvel scoring from 5 yards out. 

Boutin scored his second - and most spectacular - touchdown in the fourth quarter when he raced 78 yards down the sideline to the end zone.

The tournament was held in Canton, Ohio.  Canada went on to edge Japan 38-35 but got skunked in the gold medal game by the United States by a score of 41-03.

Steven Lumbala had a prolific career for the University of Calgary and was a 1st-round draft choice of the Montreal Alouettes in 2013.

Canada's Secret Weapon? Justin Ethier

Building up to the U19 World Championship, the IFAF has featured a team profile every day or so and Canada's turn has finally come.

Much of the information provided is in regards to the team's past results, but one paragraph in particular caught my attention.

Canada's offense in 2014 will be led by coordinator Justin Éthier. One of the most gifted offensive minds in Canadian university football, Éthier returns as Junior National Team offensive coordinator, a position which he previously held at the inaugural 2009 world championship in Canton, Ohio. He's also served on Canada's NFL Global Junior coaching staff from 2000-2007. Éthier led the Rouge et Or offense from 2001 through 2009 capturing four Vanier Cup [Canadian university football national championship] titles in the process. After stepping away following the 2009 season, he returned as Laval's offensive coordinator in 2013.

I've heard of Ethier, but did not realize that he had been involved with the NFL GJC teams.  As a fan then, I have to be grateful for his contributions since he's been involved in just about every junior level international competition.

Not mentioned above is that he joined the Laval program in 1997 and served as special teams coordinator from 1998 to 2000.

And speaking of college programs, let's list the rest of the staff that will join head coach Warren Craney in Kuwait next month.  Returning from the 2012 coaching staff are Brian Guebert (defensive line) and Kamau Peterson (receivers) who are joined by Samir Chahine (offensive line), Brad Collinson (running backs), Ryan Hall (defensive backs), Marcello Lio (quarterbacks), and Kevin MacNeill (linebackers).

The first game is on July 7th against the host Kuwait team.

"Notre Dame’s Hunchak called up to Team Canada for Junior World Cup"

There has been a recent adjustment to Canadian roster for the upcoming IFAF U19 World Championship.  The following article is from May 22nd's Calgary Herald.

Photograph by: Gavin Young, Calgary Herald

The honours keep coming for Notre Dame high school quarterback/receiver Colton Hunchak. 

The very night he found out he’d made Team Alberta for the Football Canada Cup, Hunchak got a call from Team Canada brass. They wanted the 16-year-old to join the U19 national team for the International Federation of American Football Junior World Cup this July in Kuwait. 

“It’s crazy,” said Hunchak, who will play receiver for the team. “Just even going down to Texas for the International Bowl (in February) was pretty good. To be making Team Alberta again was an honour, but this . . . it hasn’t really hit me yet, but the experience is going to be amazing.” 

Even better, he gets to share it with his older brother Brett, the Calgary Colts’ starting QB, who is in the running to start behind centre for Team Canada this summer. 

“It’s going to be amazing,” said Colton Hunchak. “The last time we played together was two years ago, when I was in Grade 10 and I thought that was the last time I would be playing with him ever, so to get this opportunity again is going to be good. I can’t take it for granted.”

Brett Hunchak, by the way, was named among junior football's Prairie Football Conference rookie all stars in 2013. He didn't play a great deal; he threw for only 267 yards.  But he notched a large portion of that performance against one of the top teams in the country, the then 4-1, and ultimately 5-2-1, Regina Thunder.  According to a Calgary Sun recap of that game, Hunchak gathered an additional 41 yards rushing.

Getting to know: OL Mason Dick

Let's give the offensive line some attention today.

Mason Dick is among the players that participated at the International Bowl and who will represent Canada at the IFAF U19 Junior World Championship in Kuwait this July.  Prior to that, Dick earned all-star recognition playing for Team Manitoba at the 2012 Football Canada Cup.

The following is an excerpt from an article in The Huddle Magazine, an online publication specific to football in Manitoba.  The photography is by Liam Richards and appeared in HuskieOutsider.com.

Born in Brandon, he started playing football at age 7 in Winnipeg at the Terminator level with the Transcona Nationals. However, when he was 10, it appeared as if he was going to give up the game for a different sport. Like most Canadian boys, he loved hockey, and was quite serious about it between the ages of 10 and 14. But as he got bigger – a lot bigger – he decided to give football another shot and decided to register as a 14-year-old bantam in Transcona. 

After spending a year as a defensive lineman, he made the under-16 provincial team and shifted back to the offensive line. Now, when necessary, he goes both ways and is also the long snapper... 

(In 2011 and 2012), he was the Vidruk East Division winner of the Kas Vidruk Award, presented each year to the best “down linemen” in high school football, but it’s more than just a football award. It goes to the player who “displays a high standard of playing ability, school citizenship, fair play and scholastic standing.”

Wishing Dick all the best in the U19 tournament and beyond.

"Football Canada announces 2014 Junior National Team"

I had come across a more detailed article about this announcement, but damned if I can find it now.  so for the time being, I'll copy most of the Football Canada press release and post whatever additional information I come across later.

Football Canada is proud to announce its 45-man roster for the 2014 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) U-19 World Championship in Kuwait. The roster was chosen from a pool of 93 players who participated at the 2014 International Bowl series.

Canada’s Junior National Team is led by head coach Warren Craney (York University) who continues as defensive coordinator in 2014, a role he has fulfilled with not only the 2009 and 2012 Junior National Teams but also with the IFAF World Team (2010-13). 

Also on the coaching staff are Justin Éthier (Offensive Coordinator), Brad Collinson (Running backs), Brian Guebert (Defensive Line), Ryan Hall (Defensive Backs), Marcello Lio (Quarterbacks), Kamau Peterson (Receivers), and Kevin MacNeill (Linebackers).   

For Craney and the rest of the coaching staff, selecting the team was not an easy task. 

"Considering how well these hundred kids performed in Dallas, the last two weeks have been very difficult to reduce the roster to 45,” explained Craney. “The last seven roster spots were the most difficult to finalize.” 

...

Prior to the July 5-17 World Championship in Kuwait, Team Canada will hold its training camp in Italy June 29th – July 4th.

2014 Junior National Team / Équipe Nationale Junior 2014
Pos.	Name / Nom	Hometown/ Ville natale	Current Team / Équipe actuelle	Commitment / Engagement
QB/QA	Brett Hunchak	Calgary, AB	Calgary Colts (CJFL)
QB/QA	Frédéric Paquette-Perrault	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Vieux- Montréal
QB/QA	Liam Putt	Caledonia, ON	Hamilton Hurricanes
RB/DO	Edward Ilnicki	Spruce Grove, AB	U. Alberta
RB/DO	Khaliel James	Windsor, ON	Windsor-Essex Ravens / Catholic Central HS	U. Guelph
RB/DO	Cédric Joseph	Pointe-Claire, QC	CEGEP Champlain-Lennoxville
RB/DO	Édouard Montemiglio	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
OL/LO	Darius Ciraco	Burlington, ON	Assumption S.S.
OL/LO	Wade Leeroy Cyr	St Eustache, QC	CEGEP Vanier College
OL/LO	Mason Dick	Winnipeg, MB	U. Saskatchewan
OL/LO	Frédérik-Xavier Duhamel	Saint-Barthélémy, QC	CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
OL/LO	Justin Lawrence	Spruce Grove, AB	Spruce Grove HS	U. Alberta
OL/LO	Shane Richards	Calgary, AB	Calgary Colts (CJFL)
OL/LO	Ryan Sceviour	Calgary, AB	U. Calgary
OL/LO	Samuel Thomassin	Québec, QC	CEGEP de l’Outaouais
REC	Trysten Dyce	Winnipeg, MB	Regina Thunder (CJFL)
REC	Mitchell Hillis	Saskatoon, SK	U. Saskatchewan
REC	Karym Kartsonis	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Notre-Dame-de-Foy
REC	Félix Laflamme	Sainte-Thérèse, QC	Polyvalente Deux-Montagnes
REC	Louis-Mathieu Normandin	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
REC	Trivel Pinto	Toronto, ON	Metro Toronto Wildcats
REC	Marc-Antoine Pivin	Sherbrooke, QC	CEGEP Champlain-Lennoxville
REC	Kyle Van Wynsberghe	Delhi, ON	Carleton U.
DL/LD	Mathieu Betts	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
DL/LD	Vincent Desjardins	Québec, QC	CEGEP Notre-Dame-de-Foy
DL/LD	Evan Machibroda	Saskatoon, SK	Holy Cross	U. Saskatchewan
DL/LD	Garrett Meek	St. Albert, AB	U. Saskatchewan
DL/LD	Shaun Robinson	Halifax, NS	Citadel H.S.	Mt. Allison U.
DL/LD	Andrew Seinet-Spaulding	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Vieux- Montréal
DL/LD	Brayden Twarynski	Calgary, AB	U. Saskatchewan
DL/LD	Joel Van Pelt	Lethbridge, AB	Winston Churchill HS	U. Calgary
LB/SEC	Troy Hansen	Edmonton, AB	Kent [CT]
LB/SEC	Cédric Lussier-Roy	Sherbrooke, QC	CEGEP Champlain-Lennoxville
LB/SEC	Daniel Nesbitt	Regina, SK	LeBoldus
LB/SEC	Samuel Rossi	Montréal, QC	CEGEP Montmorency
LB/SEC	Gabriel Simons	Regina, SK	IMG Academy [FL] / Luther College H.S.
LB/SEC	Micah Teitz	Calgary, AB	Springbank	U. Calgary
DB/DD	Mathieu Boutin	Québec, QC	CEGEP Notre-Dame-de-Foy
DB/DD	William Jouan-Ladouceur	Greenfield Park, QC	CEGEP St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu
DB/DD	Royce Metchie	Brampton, ON	Oakville Titans
DB/DD	Jayden McKoy	Winnipeg, MB	U. Manitoba
DB/DD	Nick Parisotto	Guelph, ON	Guelph Bears	U. Guelph
DB/DD	Nicholas-Rohan Plourde-Hector	LaSalle, QC	CEGEP Notre-Dame-de-Foy
DB/DD	Louis-Philippe St- Amant	Saint-Augustin, QC	CEGEP Notre-Dame-de-Foy
K/B	Dominic Lévesque	Saint Georges, QC	CEGEP Champlain-Lennoxville

Canada 33, Japan 24 at the 2012 U19 World Championship

Since the World Junior Hockey tournament starts today, I am motivated to add to the football version here. 

I have already included the recap of Canada's opening game in the tournament, a 43-00 against Sweden, as well as the gold medal victory over the USA, 23-17.   The recap below is of the only other game played by Canada at the tournament, and the one that put them in the gold medal game.

It is also a game that sacred the hell out of me. I just had a bad feeling about it; Japan looked fast and organized.  Sure enough, it was far more competitive than most other games, a late Canadian score making the victory appear more decisive than it actually was.  One of these days, Japan will break either Canadian or American hearts (or both?) in one of the tournaments.

In any event, Todd Bell's recap is abbreviated slightly and copied below.

Team Canada intercepted a tournament-record five passes and ran off 16 unanswered points to end the first half en route to a 33-24 win over Japan on Wednesday in the first semifinal of the International Federation of American Football Under-19 World Championship at Burger Stadium in Austin, Texas.

...

Japan finished with a 330-264 advantage in total offense, but two critical interceptions late in the first half swung the game in Canada’s favor before the break and Japan could not recover.

After its first drive was thwarted by an interception, Japan opened the scoring on a 3-yard plunge by James Takada on its second possession. The score capped a three-play, 50-yard drive set up by a short Canada punt.

Canada answered immediately with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Keegan Arnyek to knot the score at 7-7 midway through the first quarter.

After forcing a Japan punt on its next series, Canada took over at its own 19, but Japan’s Yusuke Mine stepped in front of a Will Finch pass on first down and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to give Japan a 14-7 lead with 3:08 left in the first quarter.

Canada wasted little time equalizing, moving 60 yards in four plays on the next drive and scoring on a 37-yard pass from Finch to Doug Corby with 1:32 left in the opening quarter.

Japan looked poised to retake the lead on its next drive as quarterback Kyogo Kishimura moved his offense to the Canada 7-yard line midway through the second quarter, but on third-and-7 a pass from running back Aruto Nishimura was intercepted in the end zone by Canada’s Rees Paterson to end the threat.

“That was without doubt one of the most amazing games I’ve ever played in,” said Canada MVP linebacker John Rush, who led the team with 11 tackles. “Japan was hard, and they were disciplined. They weren’t as physical as (us), but they were so good their assignments, and they ran everything perfectly.

“We stuck in there and made some big stops, and we had some big turnovers in key situations. Our defensive line was killing it, and they helped block for the linebackers to flow over the top, and our whole defense overall played extremely well.”

The game swung on two Japan possessions late in the second quarter. With 2:16 left in the half, Kishimura was intercepted by Canada’s Jean-Gabriel Poulin at the Japan 26. Team Japan kept Canada out of the end zone but Louis-Philippe Simoneau’s 35-yard field goal try was good to give Canada a 17-14 lead.

...

Japan took over with 55 seconds remaining in the half and elected to throw on first down. The decision resulted in another interception, this time by Canada’s Pierre-Luc Caron, who returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point snap was mishandled, but Canada led, 23-14, at the break.

Dressed in all red uniforms with black helmets bearing a red maple leaf, Canada elected to defend to start the second half and give Japan the wind in the third quarter. Japan took the opening kickoff and moved 46 yards on 11 plays to cut the lead to 23-17 on a 31-yard field goal by Nanami Ariwa.

Canada moved into Japan territory on its opening drive of the half, but Finch was intercepted for the second time on the day, this time by Ikuma Mitsuya to stymie the Canadian march.

Hugo Richard took over at quarterback on Canada’s next series and was promptly intercepted by Yuta Shimozuru at the Japan 36-yard line. Japan drove to the Canada 35 before Kishimura was intercepted at the Canada three-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

Canada relied on the legs of Richard and Mercer Timmis on its next drive as the duo carried the ball on all seven plays, gaining 77 yards to set Simoneau up for his second field goal attempt of the day. The kick was good from 37 yards as Canada upped the lead to 26-17 with 8:51 left.

Japan quickly answered the field goal, moving 70 yards in seven plays and cutting the lead to 26-24 on a four-yard run by Kishimura with 6:24 left in the game.

Canada iced the victory on the next drive, moving 61 yards on seven plays with Richard diving in from a yard out for the nine-point margin of victory.

Linebacker John Rush, on the strength of the 10.5 tackles mentioned above, was named to the tournament's all-star team and the MVP for this game. At this time, he plays for Guelph in Ontario University Athletics football.  He was a second team all-conference selection in 2012 as a 2nd-year player but suffered a season-ending knee injury in September of this year. He was also a captain for the 2012 International Bowl World team.

Canada 43, Sweden 00 at 2012 U19 World Championships

Since a couple of members of the 2012 U19 team have been in the news of late, I figured I would add that team's first game to my little notebook.  You wouldn't know that the team got off to rocky start from the final 43-00 score, but that gap was the result of a huge second half.  

A first-half inability to finish drives was rectified at halftime as No. 2 seed Canada scored five second half touchdowns on its way to dominating 43-0 win over Sweden in Game 3 of the 2012 IFAF U19 World Championship.

Canada went into the locker room with a 243-6 advantage in total offense (but) led only 10-0. Four penalties, including a holding call that nullified a 96-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff, a lost fumble and a Sweden defensive stop on fourth down inside the five-yard line...kept the No. 3 team in Europe in the game.

Canada finished with 538 yards in total offense, the second highest single-game total in IFAF U19 Championship history...

...

International Bowl star Will Finch completed four of five passes for 59 yards in Canada's opening two series. But despite a total offense advantage of 140-7 at the end of the opening quarter, Canada found themselves in a scoreless tie entering period two.

Quarterback Hugo Richard, who relieved Finch, led an 80-yard scoring drive that he ended with a three-yard plunge into the end zone to give Canada a 7-0 lead with 11:03 to go in the second quarter.

After his second series in the game, Richard gave way for Canada's third quarterback of the day, Dallon Kuprowski. The Vanier College quarterback's two series ended with a lost fumble and a missed 49-yard field goal.

Sweden looked to have held Canada to a single touchdown heading into halftime but Canada made use of all three of its timeouts on Sweden's final drive to force a punt. A low snap forced Sweden punter Linus Carlbom to a knee as he fielded the ball, ending the play and giving Canada a first down at Sweden's 11-yard line with seven seconds left in the half.

Canada immediately brought on kicker Louis-Philippe Simoneau who connected on a 27-yard field goal to give the Canadians a 10-0 halftime cushion.

Canada wasted no time finding the end zone on their first series of the second half. Mercer Timmis broke loose on a 63-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 17-0.

...

Canada took over at their own 20 following (a missed field goal) and three plays later Finch found Doug Corby for a 78-yard scoring strike that stretched the lead to 23-0 after the extra point was blocked. The touchdown pass is the longest in IFAF U19 Championship history.

After another short Sweden drive Richard returned to the game and led Canada on an 80-scoring drive that again ended with the quarterback finding the end zone on a one-yard run to give Canada a 30-0 lead with 8:33 to go in the game.

Canada added another score with 7:02 to go when A'dre Frazer blocked a Carlbom punt and Kevin McGee returned it four yards for a touchdown and a 37-0 lead.

Corby earned MVP honors for Canada, finishing with four catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Timmis, Finch, Nominated for Hec Crighton Award

Earlier today, Football Canada sent out congratulations to two former Junior National Team players who have been nominated in their respective conferences for the Hec Crighton Trophy, given to the best university football player of the year. 

Will Finch, quarterback, Western:  Finch, a social science student from Burlington, Ont., set single-season OUA records with 3,047 passing yards in eight league games – the second highest total in CIS history – and a 69.7 completion percentage, the best in the country this fall. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound sophomore guided the nationally top-ranked Mustangs to their first 8-0 campaign since 1998 and is at the helm of an offensive unit which established a new OUA mark for most points scored in a season (458).

Mercer Timmis, running back, Calgary: Timmis, also from Burlington, led CIS in rushing yards (1,157) as well as all-purpose touchdowns (19) and rushing majors (18), both Canada West season records. With 114 points, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound business student became the first non-kicker to lead the conference in scoring since 2006, while helping the No. 3-ranked Dinos to their first-ever undefeated campaign.

Guess Burlington is well represented as well!  This Calgary Sun article describes their relationship.

Long before they were smashing CIS records on opposite sides of the country, Mercer Timmis and Will Finch were terrorizing opponents together in the Toronto suburb where they grew up.

After years of sharing the football with the Burlington Stampeders, the two sophomore stars will be facing off for the first time Saturday when the Timmis’ Calgary Dinos (10-0) host Finch’s Western Mustangs (10-0) in the Mitchell Bowl (2 p.m., McMahon Stadium, Sportsnet 360).

“Will’s dad was actually our youth football coach,” said Timmis, who set single-season Canada West records this year for rushing touchdowns (18) and all-purpose touchdowns (19).

“Since then, we were pretty much on every team together growing up until high school.”

The two were so close that, as they neared the end of high school, they discussed the possibility of joining forces at McMaster University.

Ultimately, the two friends decided to go their separate ways but have checked up on each other throughout the season.

Both have also participated in the International Bowl.  Coincidentally, Will Finch gets a fair bit of mention in the post from Monday about the World Team's first victory in that game.

At the 2012 Junior World Championship, Finch was among eight Canadians named to the all-tournament team.

No.   Pos.    Name
12     QB     Will Finch
23     WR     Doug Corby
69     OL     Louis-Gabriel Beaudet
55     DL     Edward Godin-Gosselin
97     DL     Charles Remy-Sarrazin
25     LB     John Rush
21     DB     Kevin McGee
14     PK     Louis-Phillipe Simoneau

Canadian quarterback Will Finch, who completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns, was joined by his favourite receiver Doug Corby, who had 12 receptions for a tournament-high 290 yards and 2 touchdowns.

While we're on the subject of awards...

Canada Defensive Back Kevin McGee was named Tournament MVP on a night when his two interceptions helped to shut down the United States as Canada won the Gold Medal.

We'll check back on the results a little later.

Canada defeats USA 23-17 at 2012 IFAF U19 World Championship

Still keeping an eye to the future, I've been trying to track down the date of the next IFAF U19 World Championship. This is the tournament, now held every two years, which basically replaced the NFL's Global Junior Championship after 2007.

I finally managed to do so, after being referred many times to the 2012 result. But in so doing I came across a factoid which I first thought to be innacurate.

To win the Gold Medal #2 ranked Canada had to defeat #7 Sweden, #3 Japan and finally #1 USA in the Championship game. The hard road to success turned in a fantastic finish to a great tournament. ...Canada...handed the U.S. national team its first ever loss in international competition.

I suppose that's technically true. Canada had defeated the U.S. teams a number of times in the GJC but those American teams were made up of players from only one state. They still represented the U.S., but not so much when they began losing the gold medal game regularly, I suppose.

I'm going to copy the USA Football recap of the game for a simple reason; Anything unrelated to their own team's success is rare and should be treated as such. For an example, check out the news archives on the International Bowl site one day. The recap was written by one Todd Bell.

...Team Canada’s Alexandre Huard returned a punt 59 yards for a score and Louis-Philippe Simoneau kicked a 21-yard field goal to give Canada its early lead.

Simoneau opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal late in the first quarter. The score was set up by an interception by defensive back Kevin McGee to give Team Canada the ball at the U.S. 40-yard line. The big play on the drive was a 22-yard pass from Will Finch to Doug Corby down to the Americans’ seven-yard line.

The interception was the first turnover by the United States in six games of IFAF Under-19 Championship competition, including the team’s three 2009 world championship games in Canton, Ohio. Canada’s early 3-0 lead also marked the first time that the United States trailed in Under-19 World Championship tournament play.

“I’m happy for the team,” said Canada’s McGee, who earned the team’s Gold Medal game MVP honors with five tackles and a pair of interceptions. “It’s an honor to be named MVP but this was a team victory. We worked really hard for two weeks. We’re really happy right now.

“This week has been the best experience of my life. I met some new people, I worked really hard and I think I’m a better football player after this.”

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Huard did not fare as well on the next U.S. punt, fumbling a fair catch at the Canada 14. The ball caromed back to the Canadians’ 35-yard line before safety Darius Mosely fell on it for Team USA.

Following a Canada pass interference penalty on first down that moved the ball to the Canada 20, U.S. quarterback Brayden Scott found DeMarcus Ayers for 15 yards down to the 5-yard line. Scott hit Ayers again three plays later for a touchdown to cut the Canada lead to 10-7 with 4:39 left in the half. For the tournament, Scott led all passers in yards (412) and touchdowns (six). Ayers and Canada’s Corby tied for a tournament-best 12 receptions.

Canada increased its advantage to 16-7 on the opening series of the third quarter as Finch moved the Canadians 81 yards on five plays with Christopher Amoah taking a screen pass and rumbling 26 yards for the score. A bad snap on the extra-point attempt left the lead at nine.

“We had to control the tempo of the football game, and we knew it had to happen up front with the offensive line, and that was our game plan going into the tournament and we kept with it all the way through,” Canada head coach Noel Thorpe said.

Team USA answered on its next drive, moving 78 yards in 11 plays before Scott hit Rodney Adams from 12 yards out to trim the Canada lead to 16-14 with 4:08 left in the third quarter. Canada extended its cushion back to two scores with a 64-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter, making it 23-14 with 5:10 left in the game on a 10-yard run by Mercer Timmis.

Canada appeared to have iced the game when Scott was intercepted for the second time on the night by McGee to end the next drive. Canada drove to the Americans’ 26-yard line before a bad shotgun snap rolled all the way back to the Canada 45, where it was recovered by Team USA safety Tyler Willis. A personal foul called against Canada on the play moved the ball to the Canada 30, and Van Winkle drilled a 43-yard field goal to cut the lead to 23-17 with 1:47 to go.

Out of timeouts, Team USA went with an on-side kick. The Americans fielded the ball but before it traveled 10 yards, which would have given the ball to Canada but the Canadians were ruled to be offsides on the kick. On the re-kick, the U.S. tried a pooch kickoff, which Canada recovered on its own 24-yard line and ran out the clock.

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“We had one goal and one goal in mind and that was to come back with a Gold Medal around our neck,” Canadian head coach Thorpe said. “These guys believed in it, and they played 48 minutes of solid football. I couldn’t be prouder of these guys.”