Hurricanes capture Atlantic Football League championship

Published on November 19, 2011 in The Guardian

It was a celebration 51 years in the making.

 

The Holland College Hurricanes captured the first intercollegiate football title of any kind for a P.E.I.-based team since 1960 on Saturday and did it in style, thrilling a crowd of more than 2,000 at MacAdam Field on the UPEI campus with a 28-0 shutout of the New Brunswick Red Bombers in the Atlantic Football League championship game.

 

Demetrius Ferguson played on both sides of the ball and scored on both, with a nine-yard touchdown run at 3:29 of the first quarter on the game’s opening drive and a dazzling 63-yard interception return 8:25 into the second quarter that made it 14-0.

 

Robbie Tufts caught a two-yard pass from quarterback Nick Hunsley for a touchdown with 48.1 seconds left before halftime and workhorse running back Dave Clark tacked on a one-yard run for a major with 1:44 to go in regulation.

 

The New Brunswick offence never got inside the Hurricanes’ 20-yard line. The Holland College defence recorded three interceptions, a sack and blocked a punt.

 

It was the third year for the AFL, and the second for the Hurricanes program. Holland College won the regular-season title with a 5-1 record and defeated Dalhousie 38-7 a week ago in the semifinals.

 

For more details, read Monday’s edition of The Guardian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cornford and co. aim for title

Published Friday November 18th, 2011 By CHRISTOPHER CAMERON For The Daily Gleaner

After winning the inaugural Atlantic Football League championship two years ago, the University of New Brunswick Red Bombers were kept out of the league final last season. But they’re back this year looking for another championship.

Bombers starting quarterback Brendan Cornford has been with the team every year since the AFL began three years ago.

He was also the winning quarterback in the championship game in the inaugural AFL season, something he hopes will help his team when they take on the Holland College Hurricanes tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Charlottetown.

Although he has that experience and plans on using that himself, he says the AFL is much different now than it was two years ago.

“Honestly over the past few years since that game happened the league has changed so much,” said Cornford, who played his high school football with Leo Hayes Lions. “It is so much better overall now. Every team plays at the exact same level and there aren’t really any underdogs in our league. It’s just an awesome feeling knowing that every team can score and they can stop defensively wise. Being one of the four teams and making it to the final is pretty awesome.”

The Red Bombers are the only team to beat the Hurricanes this season, coming after Cornford brought his team from behind late in game to win 28-26 in the final regular season game for both teams a couple of weeks ago. He hopes the trend continues today.

“That whole game we did pretty well passing wise,” he said. “Running wise we did pretty well as well,” he said. “I threw four touchdowns that game so it wasn’t really an issue passing against them the last time we played them. It just took some time to get our offence to click. Once the receivers and I got our game together it was a perfect day.”

Cornford says being the only team to beat Holland College plays a minor role in the team’s confidence level. But it doesn’t change much.

“It definitely helps us out, but doesn’t really change our mindset,” he said. “We’re still going to play as hard as we possibly can. We know that we can beat them, but we know that they can score too.”

The Bombers needed a point on the last play to beat the UNBSJ SeaWolves 23-22 in the semifinal at BMO Centre last weekend. Cornford says they haven’t changed anything. At this stage of the season, they’re just continuing to fine-tune.

“We upped to an extra practice this week,” said Cornford. “We’re just going over the basic stuff, not really learning anything new, just going over what we already know. We just want to make sure everybody knows what they need to do and where they need to be.”

What has changed in recent weeks are the weather conditions.

“We practiced Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week all at 8 p.m. so it’s pretty already pretty cold out,” he said. “Wednesday night it was raining pretty hard, but we still practiced,” he said.

“We practice in those conditions as hard as we do when it’s nice out because we’re at the point we can’t afford to lose a game. We need to be ready for whatever weather comes at us.”

The Weather Network forecast in Charlottetown called for a few flurries Friday evening, with winds from the west at 50 kilometres per hour. Game time temperature Saturday is projected at eight degrees Celsius, with a 20 per-cent chance of precipitation and partially sunny skies.

Cornford said he believes the team has the skills to win the league championship for a second time in the league’s three year history, but it will come down to how badly the team wants it on Saturday.

“We’ve just got to play one of the best games of the year,” he said. “It’s the championship, we’ve just got to let it all go and leave it on the field.”

Bombers win semi-final by point to head to AFL final

In the Brunswickan by K. Bryannah James – Sports Editor on November 16, 2011 6:00 AM ADT

The UNB Red Bombers would have to come from behind to beat the UNBSJ Seawolves 23-22 at BMO Centre to make the Atlantic Football League final at Holland College this weekend.

The weather itself wasn’t the greatest, but the Bombers knew what was at stake, and they fought both Seawolves and weather to win the game.

The game kicked-off tightly-matched from the beginning. By the end of the first half, the Seawolves lead the Bombers 14-7, but that didn’t last long.

By the third quarter, UNB tied it up 14-14, but the Seawolves fought back, and by the end of the third quarter, they were leading the Bombers 22-14.

“It was pretty mind blowing. Never thought it would be an outcome like that. You know, both teams played well so that and the game a bonus for us really,” said Red Bombers quarterback Brendan Cornford.

“Offensively we played awesome, defensively we played incredible, couldn’t ask for anything better, really.”

In the last few minutes of play, the Bombers struck gold. With an impressive touchdown followed by a two-point conversion, the team evened the playing field against UNBSJ to tie the game at 22-22.

“That tied it and then there was a couple back-and-forth, two-and-outs, two-and-outs, punt back-and-forth and then we luckily got the ball back with about 10 seconds left.”

In the last 10 seconds of play, slot-back Cody Stewart punted the ball into the end zone. The field went quiet.

The Red Bombers had just won the semi-final, with less than a few seconds, bringing the final score to a 23-22 victory over the UNBSJ Seawolves, their long-time rivals and the Atlantic Football League champions from last year.

“It was awesome. We basically have been like rivals since the league opened so it feels pretty good to beat them,” Cornford said.

“We planned from the get-go to get to the championships and that’s what we had our mind set on all year long. We worked hard to get here.”

Every team has a superstition or tradition they hold too. The Red Bombers are no exception. Before each home game, coach Dollimore brings in an old UNB Bombers helmet from the Proudfoot days.

“Everybody on the team just kind of taps it as we’re going out on the field. We’ve done that pretty much every home game since the league was formed.”

The Bombers are enjoying this victory, but they’re looking to and preparing for their game against Holland College, who finished first in the AFL this season.

“I think we’re basically on the same level. Honestly, I think every team in the league is basically the same level of play,” Cornford said.

“We can all score, we’ve all done well throughout all the games, PEI beat us once and we beat them once. So I think it’s just a matter of whose going to play the best game.”

The Bombers have a couple tricks up their sleeves for the playoffs, as they have the number one receivers and running backs in the league with Cody Stewart, Eric Smith and Pat Forbes, respectively.

“Defensively, Tyler Doak is just a machine. He can’t be stopped and it’s just unreal playing with the boys that we’re playing with this year. I think this year’s our year to take it.”

The Bombers will take on the Holland College Hurricanes this Saturday at 1 p.m for Moosehead Cup.

FINALS!!!

Congrats to the Holland College Hurricanes on their 2011 Championship. Now recruiting for the 2012 season starts.

Red Bombers rally to sink Seawolves

Published Saturday November 12th, 2011 by COLIN MCPHAIL For The Daily Gleaner

It was a game to remember for some, and possibly one to forget for others.

The score was 22-22 with one second left in the fourth quarter. The University of New Brunswick Red Bombers were lined up just inside the Saint John Seawolves’ half, looking to avoid overtime in the Atlantic Football League semifinal.

The whistle blew and the ball was snapped to Cody Stewart, who sent a punt sailing into the UNBSJ end zone. Evan McAulay, who simply needed to run five yards and get out of his end zone, hauled the ball into his clutches, took a step to his right, bumped into a teammate and promptly fell to the BMO Centre turf.

As McAulay’s knee touched the green surface, the referee’s whistle screeched, signalling a single point and the end of the game. UNB had won 23-22.

Confused? So were the teams. There was a two-second pause before the reality of what had happened sunk in. However, before his club charged Stewart and celebrated at midfield, Bombers head coach Mike Dollimore already knew they had advanced to the AFL final.

“You take them whichever way you can,” he said after Friday’s roller-coaster game.

“At the end it was just wild. We just got ourselves in a position where we were able to kick for the single and we put it in the end zone. They had a nice catching play and they stumbled and tripped and fell in the end zone.

“What an incredible ending to a pretty good football game.”

Stewart was still in disbelief after the once-in-a-lifetime finish.

“It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever played in or seen,” he said.

“I just had lots of great blocking, lots of great time. I just knew we had to get it into the end zone and luckily the guy couldn’t get it out and we won the game.”

It was a see-saw affair as much as it was a comedy of errors. The Red Bombers had several opportunities to run away with the match, yet always managed to commit a costly blunder that allowed Saint John back in.

After running back Eric Smith punched a four-yard score to open the game, Jory Smith picked off a Trevor Harrison pass for a 40-yard interception return to give the Red Bombers a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Then a series of mistakes took the wind out of their sails.

UNB’s Jordan Ley dropped a sure interception, and possibly a 110-yard touchdown return, off Harrison at the Bombers’ goal line. The play left the Bombers deep in their end and they eventually conceded a safety. Three minutes later, Stanley Barnaby did pick Harrison for another interception, but fumbled back to the Seawolves, who marched and kicked a field goal.

Shortly after, Tommy Broad had plenty of room to run after a clever reverse by the Bombers at their own eight-yard line. Broad was on his way to a significant gain until he tripped over a teammate, forcing the punt squad to surrender another safety.

Three plays that could have blown the game wide open were all for not and the Seawolves left down by seven at the half before they came out firing in the third.

The Seawolves caught the Bombers napping and scored 15 points that would go unanswered until 1:37 left in the fourth quarter.

After marching down the field and with help from the Seawolves conceding 25 yards in penalties, Bombers QB Brendan Cornford spotted Eric Smith in the end zone to cut the deficit to 22-20. Then Cornford swung out to his right and sent a strike to Pat Forbes to complete the two-point conversion before Stewart kicked his miracle punt.

It was ugly, but Dollimore said it showed a lot of character.

“Against Holland College last weekend, we spotted them 14 points in the first two or three minutes, then we marched and came back and see-sawed back and forth and won. That’s the way this league is: it’s open to really anybody.”

However, the Bombers coach knows the game could have played out differently if luck wasn’t on their side. He said they have to execute better on offence at all times, noting when Cornford threw up an interception at the goal line midway through the fourth after marching over 60 yards.

“We can’t keep creating our drives and shutting down our drives.”

Despite the manner in which they advanced, every Bomber will be smiling for the rest of the weekend nonetheless.

“This group of guys is unbelievably good to play with and I’m excited we get to move on to the final together,” said Stewart.

When asked who he’d rather see emerge from today’s Dalhousie-Holland College semifinal, Stewart said he couldn’t care less.

“It doesn’t matter because we’re going to give it our all and do our best and try to bring home the championship.”