Local Rivals Head to TVRA AA Junior Football Final
Parkside defuses Ingersoll Blue Bombers to set up a final against St. Joe's
ST. THOMAS - Another chapter in the St. Thomas high school football rivalry will be written.
The Parkside Stampeders and St. Joe's Rams are set to clash in the Thames Valley Region Athletics (TVRA) junior football AA final, Friday, November 13th. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m.
Quarteback Kallan Harris threw for three touchdowns, two to Kieran McCready, as the Stampeders defused the Ingersoll Blue Bombers, 42-20, in a semifinal November 5 at 1Password park.
Stampeders Xavier Sauer with two, and Trent Graham, Ishmael League, also scored TDs.
Kicker Charlie Bamford converted all six touchdowns.
"We had a great complete game," Harris said. "Every practice, every day, we put in the work and it showed today. Forty two points for. The offence was going good and so was the defence."
Parkside led 21-0 after one quarter, scoring two majors in 37 seconds, in the final two minutes of the opening quarter.
After making it 14-0, the Stampeders recovered the ball on the kickoff. Next play, it was 20-0.
The Stampeders led 28-7 at half.
Ingersoll scored early in the third quarter, but managed no other points, until the dying seconds of the game.
"Our coaches did a really good job, on the plays that were called," said McCready, who in the fourt quarter made an over the shoulder catch, while on the back of an Ingersoll defender in the end zone. "We had a lot more passing. We've never done as much passing as we did today."
St. Joe's advances to the final, due to Clarke Road forfeiting the semifinal following a school decision related to student behavior at a pep rally.
The Rams finished 4-1, in the Cirelli division, only losing to CCH. Their 141 points for and only 68 points given up, 42 to CCH, both ranked number two.
With a quarterfinal bye and the forfeit, St. Joe's has not played since October 23.
Parkside opened the regular season with two wins, but then lost three games in a row, to AAA school Lucas, Bessette and Laurier. In the AA quarterfinals, the Stampeders eliminated Glendale, with a 21-6 victory.
The Stampeders also are in the senior AA final, up against the London South Lions, 8 pm. Friday, the 13th.
During the season, Parkside went 2-3, including a 34-6 loss to South on October 2.
Parkside closed the season with a 3-0 shutout of Laurier and got by Glendale, 15-7, in the AA quarterfinals. The Stampeders advanced to the final, due to Clarke Road forfeiting.
The Lions devoured Ingersoll, 35-7, in their semifinal.