N.B. semis await Fundy squads
Published Tuesday November 3rd, 2009
Football: Lancaster Abbies and Hampton Huskies each face teams from Fredericton
SAINT JOHN - Two Saint John area football clubs will head to the Capital City this weekend in hopes of getting one step closer to their first provincial championship title.
The Lancaster-River Valley Peewee Abbies and Hampton Junior Huskies Bantam squad each won their respective Fundy Minor Football Association regional titles this weekend after going undefeated all season.
Both teams will face Capital-area opponents in Football New Brunswick semifinal action Sunday for a spot in the provincial final Nov. 15 in Moncton.
The Bantam Huskies capped a perfect 9-0 season by dropping St. Stephen/Calais 41-0 Sunday for their second consecutive regional crown.
"We had a beautiful season, a dream season," head coach Ed O'Neill said. "Now we're representing our league, so you play with more pride and play up for that.
"But it's an up-hill battle when you hit the Fredericton (Junior) Black Kats," the veteran coach added.
That's who the Huskies will face for a 3:30 p.m. tilt at Chapman Field. The Kats also went undefeated this season and promise to be daunting opponent, O'Neill said, as the club benefits from three feeder teams at the Peewee level.
"It's very tough for anyone in our league to go up there and beat them."
But O'Neill has done his homework and is confident his defensive line, which didn't allow a single point against this season, can shut down the powerhouse Kats.
"Defence wins championships," he said. "The key to (Fredericton's) success is their throwing game. If we can contain that and maybe pick off the odd ball here and there, that could turn it in our favour.
"I know my offense can put points up. It's only a matter of time before they break through."
O'Neill, who has been with the Huskies for 16 years, said his squad's balanced attack will leave Fredericton guessing and open holes in their defensive spread.
"We just need to have confidence, play from the heart and play strong.
The Abbies are in a similar position to their older peers. They went undefeated through the regular season, outscoring their opponents 203-6, and face a Fredericton squad notorious for its aerial attack in the provincial semifinal.
But coach Arliss Wilson said the Abbies have plenty of resources to hamper the Bliss Carmen Eagles' offense.
"Our defense has been consistently strong all year, we just haven't given up any big plays," said Wilson, who's Abbies downed the Kennebecasis Valley Raiders 13-12 Sunday to capture their second consecutive regional banner.
The Eagles finished the regular season in third place at 4-3, but defeated the first and second place teams at regionals to claim the Fredericton-area crown.
"They're obviously a fairly strong team who are peaking at the right time," Wilson said.
Of course, his Abbies seem to be peaking all the time.
"We've got multiple weapons, there's no one main guy or gal. We've got about six or seven players who consistently score and we're a bend - don't break defence."
He admitted Fredericton's passing game could present a challenge, but is confident his corners and defensive backs are up to the task.
The Abbies also benefit from experience, as half the squad are return players who battled in the provincial final last season. They were defeated by the George Street Crusaders of Fredericton in the title match.
"They understand big games and they're ready for them. They're not frightened, a little nervous but it's not totally new to most of them," Wilson said.
"The Abbies have had some good success for a number of years now so we're hoping that this will be our year.
"We've got a team that's very capable of bringing home the banner."
The Fundy Minor Football Association Atom division champion will be crowned Wednesday when the St. Stephen Silverados face the Central Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. at Shamrock Field.
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