SENECA AND HUMBER TO MEET IN OCAA GOLD MEDAL GAME

For the first time in OCAA men’s rugby history, it will be an all GTA final as the Humber Hawks and Seneca Sting will meet in the gold medal match on Saturday afternoon at Fletcher’s Fields in Markham. Both teams won their respective semi-final matches over the weekend, as Humber blanked the Fleming Knights 27-0 and Seneca defeated the Mohawk Mountaineers 35-15. In their only regular season meeting this year, it was a defensive struggle in rainy conditions as Seneca went on to defeat Humber 6-5. On Saturday, fans can expect a tight match-up with the provincial title on the line and hopefully better weather with the forecast calling for sunshine and cool temperatures.

The Seneca Sting continued their dream season as they defeated the defending champion Mohawk Mountaineers 31-15 in their semi-final match on Saturday. It was a lot closer than the final score indicates, as Seneca led by a narrow margin at halftime as both teams played a very tight first half with a lot of hard hits distributed by both sides. In the second frame, Seneca opened up the game capitalizing with their kicking game as James Bayes led all scorers with 13 points (2 converts, 2 penalties, 1 drop goal). Dave Prentice of the Sting continued his fine season as he put two tries on the board for Seneca, while Richard Krohm and Andrew Rossi rounded out the scoring picking up single tries apiece. Mohawk kept the game within reach as James Cumpson and Homer Markle scored tries for the Mountaineers.

The opponent for the Sting was decided on Sunday afternoon as the Humber Hawks blanked the Fleming Knights 27-0 in front of a packed house at Humber Fields. The two teams played defensively sound games, sharing the time of possession and limiting the other team’s scoring opportunities. It took a couple of fortunate bounces that enabled Humber to break open the scoring and take control of the game. League scoring champion Adam Chianello scored a pair of tries along with a conversion to lead all scorers with 12 points in the match. Teammates Dan Mason, Matthew Stanfield and James Thompson also scored tries for the Hawks. For the entire season, Humber has relied on their team speed and their athleticism to set the pace of the game and wear down opponents. They are also responsible defensively, accountable for their duties as they held opponents to just 27 points in nine games. Humber will make their second straight appearance in the OCAA Championship gold medal game, looking to win their first provincial title.

The OCAA Men’s Rugby Championship will be a part of as Rugby Canada’s OCAA/OUA Rugby Championship Celebration on Saturday, November 10 at Fletcher’s Fields in Markham, Ontario. Kick off for the gold medal game between Humber and Seneca is at noon. The bronze medal match is set for 10:30 am and will feature the Mohawk Mountaineers and Fleming Knights. For more information, please visit the Championship website at http://www.rugbycanada.ca/2007oua-ocaa/. For advanced tickets, please e-mail dennis@ocaa.com.


CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 10, 2007 @ Fletcher’s Fields (Markham)
Bronze: Mohawk vs. Fleming - 10:30 am
Gold: Humber vs. Seneca - 12:00 pm

LEAGUE GAME ROUND UP
Conestoga 5 @ Seneca 29
George Brown 0 @ Fleming P 12
Loyalist 0 @ Humber 12
Fleming L 15 @ Loyalist 46

FINAL STANDINGS
Team – Record – (Points)
Seneca 8-0-0 (36)
Humber 7-1-0 (35)
Fleming P 6-2-0 (29)
Mohawk 5-3-0 (26)
Georgian 4-4-0 (17)
Conestoga 3-5-0 (14)
Loyalist 1-6-1 (7)
George Brown 1-6-1 (7)
Fleming L 0-8-0 (1)
*Teams are awarded bonus points for scoring four or more tries in a game or losing by seven or less points in a game.