Toronto JV Jr. Argos suffer their first loss of the season against the powerhouse Burlington Stampeders (’96), 42-8.
[JV Jr. Argo Defense at work earlier this year against Sudbury (Photo by Hannah McGregor)]
The game started off well for the Jr. Argos as they were able to stop the Stampeders on their first drive, after being pushed back to their own goal line. The following Jr. Argos drive included a 99 yard touchdown pass to no. 11 Rayshawn Smith, to go ahead 7-0.
However, the Jr. Argos could not keep their foot on the gas and the half ended with Burlington up 28-8. It would not get much better for Toronto.
The rest of the game was dominated by the Stampeders. Needless to say it was a “rough” game according to Jr. Argos head coach Carlo Onorati. “Burlington has a very strong defense, and our offense couldn’t deal with them”. He continues; “It was a great lesson, and now we know what we have to do for when we see them in the playoffs”.
[No. 11 Rayshawn Smith (Photo by Hannah McGregor)]
The Jr. Argos tried everything to get their team back in the game. However, after three quarterback changes, the final whistle blew and the Jr. Argos were handed their first loss of the season.
Although the offense was not able to get much going, the Jr. Argos defense did a good job holding back the Stampeders offense. Burlington, a team that usually does most of its damage on the ground, was forced by the Jr. Argos to throw the ball more often than usual.
“Talent wise we are on par with Burlington”, says Onorati, but “undisciplined penalties and mental errors eventually cost us the game.” The Jr. Argos will have to fix these issues if they are going to continue to have a winning season.
The Burlington Stampeders are now 4-0 this year. They have been known to run up the score on teams, which some people might see as unsportsmanlike. However, Onorati observes that “football is a tough, competitive, physical game and if you can’t stop them (your opponents), than it’s your own fault”.
[JV Jr. Argo Defense making big stops earlier this season (Photo by Hannah McGregor)]
Next Sunday, the Jr. Argos have another tough game against Sarnia. As the third best team in the league, the Jr. Argos will have to come out strong and stay strong in order to bounce back. “The next two games will be very important for the rest of season” says Onorati. The Jr. Argos look to get back on a winning streak this Sunday in Sarnia at 3:00PM.
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