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Sports Oakville Beaver By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008 43 Kicker lifts Titans to junior football title est losses we've suffered, because we thought we had the game won. But full marks to them. They marched the HAMILTON -- Although there are 18 length of the field to kick the gamefeet and six inches between a pair of foot- winning field goal." ball uprights, it sure didn't look that way Titans head coach Anand Pillai to Matt McLaughlin. added, "Our kids stepped up. It definiteBut the 15-year-old still managed to ly wasn't easy for (McLaughlin), but blast an 18-yard kick through the Ivor you've got to put your faith in your kids Wynne Stadium uprights as time expired, sometimes. It just makes them stronger lifting his Holy Trinity Titans to a dramat- players and stronger people if they ic 17-15 victory over the Nelson Lords in (come through)." yesterday's (Thursday's) Halton high The game-winning drive was only school junior football Division 1 final -- one of the times Trinity managed to the first Division 1 football title in Holy bounce back when things looked bleak. Trinity history. The Titans lost top running back "(The uprights) were Shoka Fonderson, who shrinking as I was backing "You've got to put ran for nearly 100 yards up," McLaughlin said, your faith in your kids and a touchdown in the moments after sending sometimes. It just first quarter alone, to a the Titans players and fans makes them stronger serious ankle injury late into a frenzy with his players and stronger in the first half. Then, game-winning kick. "I people if they (come with Trinity ahead 14-7 couldn't see them very through)." in the third quarter, straight." Nelson tied the game Holy Trinity head McLaughlin, a former coach Anand Pillai with a fourth-down soccer player who got the seven-yard touchdown Trinity kicking job after impressing the pass from Will Finch to Josh coaches at practice earlier this season, Vanderweerd -- whose knee appeared was most intent on booting the ball as to hit the ground before he broke the hard as he could. If he missed the field plane of the goal line. goal, the Titans could have at least tied "We all knew," DeSantis said. "There the game with a single point if the ball will always be bad calls, and we don't wasn't returned out of the Nelson end talk back to (officials). We just had to zone. keep our heads on straight and go for In fact, that was how the Lords had that last drive." taken a one-point lead with 2:08 to go in Although they overcame the loss of regulation, earning a single after Fonderson yesterday, the Titans will Trinity's Declan Cross had difficulty almost certainly be without their top fielding a punt near his own goal line. runner when they open the Metro Bowl playoffs next week against the yet-to-beCompletion sets up field goal determined York representative. The Titans then took the ball at their Fonderson went to the hospital for x35-yard line and, employing a no-hud- rays on his ankle. dle offence because they were out of "I don't know if it's a fracture or a timeouts, drove deep into Nelson terri- rolled ankle or a dislocation, but we tory. The big play was a 15-yard pass expect him not to play anymore," from Fabian DeSantis to Trevon Pillai said. "It's a loss, but the kid's McNeill, which put Trinity within health is more important. We won our McLaughlin's range. championship without him (on the "In hindsight, I wish we didn't get field). He did help us, obviously, and that single because they would have did a great thing for all of us this been pinned on their two-yard line and year." it might have gone to overtime," said Jonathon Brown replaced Fonderson Lords coach Nick Mlekuz. "It's a very in the Trinity backfield and came up tough loss. Probably one of the tough- with several first-down runs on the Titans' final drive. David Shuta had Nelson's other touchdown, opening the scoring 5:14 into the game. Fonderson tied the contest on Trinity's first possession, breaking outside for a 58-yard run, and the Titans took a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter on a two-yard plunge by Christian Downey. Nelson's Jordan Welsh and Trinity's McLaughlin were each good on both their convert attempts. Defensively, Jack Gillis recovered a fumble for the Titans, while Nelson's Cory Babiak made an interception to snuff out a promising Trinity drive late in the first half. FILLING IN: Holy Trinity's Jonathon Brown (above, with ball) became the Titans' featured back in yesterday's Halton junior football Division 1 final after starter Shaka Fonderson (left, 25) seriously injured his left ankle. PHOTOS BY RON KUZYK/ OAKVILLE BEAVER