HT Does Do It Better
It was Holy Trinity’s time to prove what they were really made of. The Titans’ dominated all day long at Ron Joyce stadium in Hamilton. The senior football team marched to a 42-28 victory over Assumption in the Halton Tier 1 Senior Football Championship game on Thursday. From the opening kick-off, the boys in black and gold showed why they went 7-0 leading up to the big dance at McMaster. Here's how they got ready for the biggest game of their season.
The Titans’ first play of the day after returning Assumption’s kick-off resulted in a Tevin Doyley touchdown. Doyley caught quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass and ran over 70 yards for the major. Although kicker Graham Maskins could not convert the extra point, the Titans made up for it later with a single point when they tackled Crusaders star Jordan Lyons in his own end zone. Assumption came back fighting, with a strong first quarter mirroring their effort in the Pink Game at HT in October. They scored twice and had the lead at the quarter pole.
With the score 14-7 for the Crusaders, the second quarter started with a bang. Will Ellis caught another 70-yarder for a touchdown before Rourke scampered into the endzone to open up a new lead for the Titans. And they weren’t done there. Speedster Matt Creelman caught another bomb from Rourke and took it in, making the score 28-14. Closing out the quarter was Jason Uleryk-Carvalho’s short run to the house for another touchdown.
The Titans were cheered on throughout the day by over 600 Holy Trinity students. A motorcade of 13 school buses helped the supporters make the trek from Oakville. The student section was heard throughout the game, as chants of “H what? H-T!” thundered from the stands and an explosion of sound met each Trinity score. The students, joined by parents, Holy Trinity alumni, and staff- including legendary custodian George, joined the wall of sound and sea of black and gold. Holy Trinity’s support dwarfed the small student section of Assumption. It was the ultimate show of Titans spirit, despite the sub-zero temperatures and blowing snow during the game.
The game resumed with Reggie Hyacinthe’s fumble recovery that led to Uleryk-Carvalho’s second TD of the game, which capped off a 38 yard drive down the field. Now leading 42-14, the Titans had their sights set on a championship. Despite their concerned and often successful efforts at shutting down Assumption’s running game led by Lyons, the Crusaders clawed their way back just enough to keep the fans on the edge of their seats, as the game finished 42-28. AC quarterback Adam Van Kooten led the late surge, but their two touchdowns in the fourth quarter were still not enough to cancel out Trinity’s exceptional offensive output. Putting an exclamation point on the win was Trinity’s sack of Van Kooten.
Following the game, the fan support did not waver, in fact, it got even louder! As the final seconds on the clock ran out, hoarse renditions of “Kiss Him Goodbye” and “We Are the Champions” echoed through the stadium.
Coach Moscato, the leader of the Holy Trinity football program, who led the Titans to appearances in the finals in 2009 and 2010, got emotional after the game when he addressed the team; “Thank you. Thank you so much for this moment. You guys are such a great football team, such a pleasure to coach, we believed in you, and you believed in yourselves- and you came out here and you proved it… You should remember this forever.” He later summed up the win with one word; “Awesome.”
Defensive end Khalil Olasimbo pointed out how much this game meant to the Holy Trinity community; “This is not for us, this is for the whole (of) HT and everybody coming! We thank God!” Rourke also mentioned that, “It’s great to do this for the school… It’s the first time in history. I’m so proud of this team… We love each other- we’re brothers. Words can’t really describe it right now.” Offensive tackle Renato Sologuren, when asked how he would describe the post-game feeling; “Greatness. That’s what we are, that’s what we did, it’s our game, our league, our championship. Nobody’s gonna take this from us.”
UPDATE: The boys’ season continues, as they face the Hamilton Catholic league champion Cardinal Newman Cardinals at HT. The game was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 20th but has since been rescheduled for Monday, November 24th. Stay tuned for more coverage of this golden season. GO TITANS!
