The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

SPORTS Editor: Norm Nelson Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext 255) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: nnelson@haltonseardi.com No Oakville power shortage in title game Longhorns simply . dominant, blank Sault Ste. Marie for 11th straight NFC crown By Jon Kuiperij O AKVILLE B EA V E R ST A FF F ollowing a couple days that saw much o f northeastern North America without electricity, the Oakville Longhorns staged an impres sive power display at Bronte Athletic Field · Saturday's, matchup o f previously undefeated teams was no contest as the Longhorns dismantled the Sault Ste. Marie Steelers 51-0 to win the Northern Football Conference championship. Oakville scored on all six of its firsthalf possessions to build a 44-0 lead after 30 minutes, then coasted to its 11 th consecutive NFC title. "They have a good team but they have a lot of young players. Our key was to try to get on them quick and get them out o f their gam e," said Longhorns linebacker Wayne Sliwinski, who was named the game's most valu able defensive player. "Their heads were hanging by halftime." Oakville started slowly, opening the scoring midway through the first quar ter with a 12-yard Dana Segin field goal. On their next drive, the Longhorns got two lengthy receptions by Colin Grant, including a 37-yard touchdown catch to take a 10-0 lead. A five-touchdown second quarter blew the game open as Oakville inter cepted a pair of passes, made a long punt return and had three touchdown runs from Derwin Phillips. Quarterback Mark Demerling also tossed two more majors, hooking up with Rick Rodrigues and Theon James. Runningback Ray Skeete added a six-yard TD scamper in the third quarter to conclude the scoring. The Longhorns' defence remained dominant throughout the game, forcing seven turnovers and allowing only a couple Steeler drives past midfield. Oakville maintained its perfect defen sive record at home, not allowing a sin gle point at Bronte Field in 2003. "I thought we played the same as w e've always played and prepared our selves accordingly," Longhorns coach Pat M cNem ey said. "Traditionally w e're a great football team and the Harrison Smith · Oakville Beaver Oakville defensive tackle Emeka Ugwu hammers Sault Ste. Marie's Troy Boyer during the Longhorns' 51-0 dismantling of the Steelers in Saturday's Northern Football Conference championship game at Bronte Athletic Field. Oakville has now won 11 consecutive NFC titles and will face the Alberta Football Conference champion next month in the Canadian championship game. players showcased that today." "We were very happy with our regu have access to that type - we're looking ies need time off," said most valuable Due to a quirk in this year's NFC offensive player Phillips, who racked lar season and playoffs (to this point), at the best high school players who schedule, the Longhorns and Steelers up 60 yards on 12 carries. "We'll start but w e're not happy with today. I credit might not go on to university. This cer faced each other for the first time this practicing within a week, take it easy, Oakville but we thought we played very tainly is not a whine, but we have to rely season. Grant, who played wjth a par and pick it up a bit as game time comes poorly," Steelers coach Barry Rushon on our community to provide us with tially tom hamstring, expected a closer up." said. this type of athletes." game between the conference's two 8-0 When asked what weaknesses, if "We were out of synch offensively Sliwinski said continuity has been a teams. any, had to be addressed as the team and defensively, we took penalties we key to the team's prolonged success, "They have a good squad and their prepares for the Alberta Football don't normally take... it just wasn't our while Phillips felt discipline and dedica record says a lot for them," said the six- Conference champion next month, day today." tion was the difference. year veteran. "We just came out firing M cNemey said his squad's biggest It hasn't been any team's day against "It's the organization, the athletes we on all cylinders. We knew they liked to adjustment would be from four-down the Longhorns recently, and there were have and the coaching," said the 30run a lot and fortunately w e've got four football to the three-down style. varying opinions as to why Oakville has year-old Phillips, who has been with the good linebackers that can stop the run." "We have four weeks to prepare for dominated the NFC for more than a team for each o f its 11 consecutive NFC The victory, Oakville's 22nd consec that. Other than that I don't think we decade. titles. utive win in postseason action, qualified have to work on much." the first-year "They obviously do a lot o f recruit "We're disciplined, which still plays ing, they find players on the edge o f the a big part in practice, and we have no the Longhorns for the Canadian cham coach said. pionship contest Sept. 20 in Oshawa. As for the Steelers. it was a bitter CFL or just let go by the CFL or retired one showboating after a big play. We "Everything's clicking, but our bod ending to a very successful campaign. from the CFL," said Rushon. "We don't don't put up with that kind of stuff." Local skating club members second at international event By Jon Kuiperij O AKVILLE BEA V ER STA FF Photo special to The Beaver Adam Dawson and Stephanie van Veen were all smiles after winning silver medals at last week end's North American Challenge Skate in Thornhill. Stephanie van Veen couldn't be happier with her and partner Adam Dawson's first interna tional skating experience. The Oakville Skating Club duo finished second at last weekend's North American Challenge Skate in Thornhill, competing in the novice dance event. "It was a great start to the new season," said van Veen, an Oakville resident. "We were just looking for a clean program, and coming out with a silver medal was an added bonus. It was probably the best we could've done." The skaters sat in third place after the compulsory dance but had a solid showing in the freeskate to move up to second behind a Calgary-based brotherand-sister tandem. The pair actually left the arena Friday night in second position. The power went out after six o f eight couples had skated and the rink was evacuat ed. Skating resum ed several hours later. Thursday's power outage also caused issues for the competi tors, cutting into practice time, but van Veen and Dawson had skated at Burlington's Mainway Arena earlier in the day. Second place was quite a per formance for van Veen and Dawson, who were invited recently to round out the eightcouple field. `T h e y were invited as reserves, to make up the num ber," said Bernard Ford, who coaches the pair along with Debbie Lee. `T o think they finished sec ond and almost won it... their goal was to try and impress the judges domestically with their potential." Ford noted van Veen and Dawson were likely hurt by the fact they were relative unknowns, which typically impacts the way judges hand out scores. "We let them know we're coming," van Veen said. The duo will now prepare for Octoberfest, an invitational to be held in Barrie in early October. It will be the first junior com petitions for van Veen and Dawson, meaning they will now have to skate three events instead of two. "They will have to work on their com pulsories for the (upcoming) competitions," said Ford. "The judges now will expect a lot of them." Coaches were credited by van Veen as a main reason for the quick success she and Dawson have enjoyed. f Canadian Tire's Athlete of the Week Canadian Tire and Oakville... A W inning Com bination! DUNDAS & TR A FALG AR ROAD 4 0 0 D u n d a s St. E a st · 2 5 7 -T IR E STORE HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 8:00am-9:00pm · Sat. 8:00am-7:00pm Sun. 9:00am-6:00pm S e a n D ifeo Oakville resident Sean Difeo hit .481 for the Ontario Blue Jays this season, helping the team qualify for the Connie Mack Leagues World Series in New Mexico this month. O A K TO W N SH O P PIN G P LAZA 550 Kerr Street · 8 4 4 -0 2 0 2 STORE HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 8:00am-9:00pm · Sat. 8:00am-7:00pm Sun. 9:00am-6:00pm Way to g o !!! Visit your local Canadian Tire Store to receive your Gift Certificate. >