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18 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 Longhorns romp Safe, in a cloud of dust to another victory Kyle Sewell threw touchdown passes to five different receivers as the Oakville Longhorns earned their second straight lopsided Northern Football Conference victory last weekend, whipping the Sault Ste. Marie Steelers 53-7 Saturday at Burlington's Nelson Stadium. Robin Medeiros, Martin Belle, Matt Scott, Jermaine DeCosta and Chris Hibbert each hauled in TD passes from Sewell, who completed eight of 12 passes in the contest for more than 250 yards. The previous week, Sewell threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in a 46-10 road victory over the Sudbury Spartans. Saturday against Sault Ste. Marie, Medeiros added another touchdown on a 77-yard punt return and Devon Arthurs also reached the end zone with a 65-yard run. Sergio Giusti kicked four converts and a 25-yard field goal, Arthurs scored a two-point conversion and Sault Ste. Marie conceded a safety to account for the Longhorns' other points. Defensively, Oakville (3-3) picked off Steelers quarterback Frank Weise three times and held him to nine completions on 27 attempts. Jason Adomoko had a team-high four tackles for the Longhorns. Oakville will visit the 5-2 Ottawa Invaders this weekend in the Longhorns' last road game of the regular season. Oakville will then host the Tri City Outlaws July 28, with the playoffs scheduled to begin the following week. MARTA IWANEK / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @HALTON_PHOTOG SAFE SPEED: Green Street Hooligans player Kyle Speed (in green) slides safely into second base, beating the tag of Venom player Ron Mavin during Monday's Glen Abbey Slo Pitch League contest at Glenashton Park. The Hooligans downed the Venom 10-6. Buzz eliminated, but team could be just getting started W riting the season-ending story for a team could be seen as akin to writing a eulogy, but Sam Rook says that analogy doesn't quite apply in this case. "We're still alive and kicking," said the Oakville Buzz head coach, whose team was eliminated from the Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B playoffs last weekend with a pair of losses in Akwesasne. Alive, kicking and already quite excited about next season. The Buzz's 2012 campaign came to an end with those two losses in Akwesasne, 12-7 and 13-9 defeats that finished off the Indians' 3-1 ousting of Oakville in the best-of-five secondround series. But while that elimination comes with the usual disappointment, Rook said there's still plenty of optimism about what the Buzz achieved this year and what might yet lie in store for a relatively young and talented group. After closing the regular season with eight wins in its last 10 games, the Buzz swept Newmarket in the opening round -- Oakville's first series But even with those building blocks in place, the Buzz win in five years -- before giving the heavily-favoured (13-6-1 in the regular season, the club's best record since Indians a stiff test in Round 2. "What I will take out of this season is that we finally have 2008) still has some work to do before it can compete with a real good core group of kids who will still be around (next a team like Akwesasne. The Indians were 19-1 and outscored their opponents by an average of year) and who have learned all the impormore than 10 goals per game. Other powtant things to be successful as a team in the "What I will take out of erful teams in the league this season like future," Rook said. this season is that we Six Nations (18-2), Clarington (17-1-2) and That core group is expected to include finally have a real good Halton Hills (17-2-1) also seem to be on a Todd Nakasuji, the team's leading scorer in core group of kids who higher level. the playoffs; third-year player Keyan "I think it's attainable," Rook said of McQueen, who led the Buzz in scoring dur- will still be around (next being a dominant club next year. "One of ing the regular season; Greg Campbell, who year) and who have the things we saw (about Akwesasne) is had 49 points in 20 games during his rookie learned all the important they had a lot of really good offensive campaign; and defender Joel MacBride, things to be successful as depth. They were missing guys because of someone Rook expects to anchor Oakville's a team in the future." the world field lacrosse championships in back end in 2013. Finland, but they just put in other guys Rook said those players and other who played really well and were dynamic returnees have benefitted from the tutelage Oakville Buzz coach Sam Rook on offence. That's one thing we'll need, of departing vets like captain Sam White, more guys who can do that." Bryan Campbell (Greg's older brother) and goaltender Ian They'll also need to replace their goaltender -- "Duffy Duffy, among others. was outstanding for us all year," Rook said -- and ratchet "I think they, as last-year guys, started to figure out all up the intensity level just that little bit more. the important things they had to do (to be successful)," Rook said. See Buzz, page 20