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SPORTS Mustangs denied title in Qutdistanced by Abbey Park in Halton Tier 3 championship By Herb Garbutt METROLAND wEST MEDIA GROUP When Joey Szabo caught a 29â€"yard TD pass from Deejay Sharp in the third quarter, it looked like the Mustangs might author one of the unlikeliest of comebacks. The comeback wasn‘t so much on the scoreâ€" board â€" Milton hadn‘t trailed by more than five points in last Tuesday‘s Halton Tier 3 seâ€" nior football final â€" but in the football proâ€" gram itself. The senior Mustangs didn‘t win a single game last year. Of course, they didn‘t lose one eiâ€" ther. That‘s because MD didn‘t field a senior team. The oneâ€"year absence took a toll as the Musâ€" tangs returned to the league this year with just three Grade 12 players. One of those graduating players, Zack Platter, watched from the sidelines in last week‘s championâ€" ship after breaking his hand in the semifinals. So for the Mustangs to find themselves with a lead with 14 minutes to play in a champiâ€" onship game, it was more than could be exâ€" pected. The Abbey Park Eagles rallied with a touchâ€" down late in the third and added _ another _ midway through the fourth quarter for a 25â€"14 victory. "It‘s a tough one to lose," said coach Rich Grant. "For us, we knew Abbey Park would be a tough team. They spanked us hard the first time we played, but we came back and beat them at home in the last game (of the regular season). If we hadn‘t done that, I don‘t know if we‘d be here." MD was shutout 26â€"0 by Abbey Park October 12. Three weeks later, the Mustangs pulled out a 15â€"14 victory at home, tying them with Abbey Park with a 5â€"1 record. The Mustangs carried that momentum into the semifinals where they shut down Bishop Reding 19â€"2. return to senior football Despite being the underdogs, it was the Musâ€" tangs who found the end zon first in the fiâ€" nal. Their defence stalled a 12â€"play Abbey Park drive that saw the Eagles settle for a single point on a punt through the end zone. Two plays later, Sharp‘s perâ€" fectly thrown deep ball hit Nick Burnett in stride and he raced 75 yards for a TD. Abbey Park would threaten again with firstâ€"andâ€"goal from the MD three yard line, but Szabo pounced on a fumble as the Eagles came away empty handed. The Eagles chipped away with another single and a safety in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 6â€"4, before finally getting its first major in the last two minutes of the half to make it 11â€"6. Troy Franklin‘s fumble recovery set up Szabo‘s goâ€"ahead touchdown in the third quarter. Maintaining that lead became increasingly Be sure to check out Milton Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony coverage in next week‘s Champion. Premium brands at liquidation prices November SsAVE UP TO CorbettSWarehouseSale.com www.rugs4home.ca | bey Park, which lost last year‘s final to Pearâ€" | tL difficult when Szabo joined Richard Imus who scored two touchdowns in the semifinai win, on the sidelines. "You could see the energy start to dip (in the second half)," Grant said. "We already had such a short bench. Because of injuries, we couldn‘t even run some of offensive schemes today, then you take out (Szabo) and Imus, it gets pretty tough." "They have some talented players," said,Abâ€" s bey Park coach Mike Linton. "We had to isoâ€" late No. * 0 (Nick Tiensovan) and adjust our 2 defence to limit their play production. They gave us all we could handle." . A worn down Mustangs team committed 2 too many fouls down the stretch â€" either & extending Abbey Park drives or stalling their g own â€" to mount a comeback. 42 "I‘d hate to know how many yards we gave- them in penalties," Grant said (the answer beâ€" % ing 80, compared to just 35 for the Eagles). J "You can‘t do that against a team like Abbey 2 Park." The good news is, all but three of the Musâ€" tangs return next season, giving them a ; chance to learn from the experience. Like Abâ€" o1 | aTtoz ‘pz saqwanop Aepsiny1 avnvo uoyeyapis wood son, MD hopes to return and reâ€"write the ending. Mon to Fri 10:00 am to 7:00 pm « Saturday 11:00am to 4:00pm + Sunday Closed or Call for an