SACKVILLE, N.B. — The Moncton Purple Knights will host the Tantramar Titans in a NBIAA football league semifinal game Saturday.
The playoff tilt will be played at Rocky Stone Field in Moncton at 3 p.m.
The Titans forfeited three games this season due to ineligible player use and finished the regular campaign with a 4-3 record. However, they never came close to losing on the field in any of their seven outings. Unlike two seasons ago when not a single player missed a game due to injury, this has been a rough one, with at least four key members going down.
The first was Oliver Longpre – the top back in the province – who sustained season-ending leg injuries while playing for Team N.B. Then it was Mason Prescott with a knee injury, followed by Arturo Moreno de Jesus and Justin Smith.
Prescott returned to the defense last Saturday, and while he hobbled somewhat, he turned in a solid performance. This week O’Neal is more than a little hopeful that both de Jesus and Smith will be back, helping to solidify the squad.
The Titans earned the right to go for their fifth consecutive provincial high school crown on Saturday by whipping the Saint John Greyhounds 42-7.
“We just beat them in every way,” commented O’Neal. “We were better offensively, defensively and on special teams.”
And that is a fact. The Titans created massive turnovers from interceptions, blocked punts and fumble recoveries to on-side kicks.
It appeared as though the Greyhounds were unprepared to compete with such a well-coached squad as the Titans.
During halftime, one of the Greyhound coaches expressed awe and admiration over how well the Titans could execute under any conditions.
Owen O’Neal, while running wild every time he was on the field, gave way to teammates Colby Tower, Riley Estabrooks and Eliot Hicks in the tailback position. And each performed well.
Meanwhile, the defense, led by a powerful front four, kept things under control.
But for a moment or two things looked iffy. The Titans made the opening kickoff and were amazed when Kalen Kirkpatrick ran it to the house giving the visitors an early lead. But that’s all she wrote.
It continued as a series of Saint John miscues and Titan touchdowns. Riley Estabrooks notched a trio of TDs, including one on an interception, Owen scored a pair and Colby Tower had one, while Estabrooks notched a single on a long kick.
RELATED:
Titans battle to 23-14 win over Riverview Royals
