Tiger title

If it's too cold for the other team, it's probably just right for the Westgate Tigers.

That's the motto the junior football team has lived by all season, one which ended on a chilly Saturday at Fort William Stadium with a 20-13 championship win.

Dillon Tataryn hit Sid McGinnis on a 62-yard score late in the third quarter for the decisive score, then ran one in from a couple of yards out to stretch the lead to 14 at the time, enough to cement the school's first title since 2006, the ninth in Westgate's storied history.

"It feels great," Tataryn said, moments after accepting the championship trophy with his other co-captains following the 20-13 triumph.

"Last year we came up a little short. This year it feels great to actually win. It was pretty tight, but we all had heart and we all knew we'd come out champions. It was tough at first. That first drive they did great, but we managed to pull it off," said Tataryn, who went 3-for-4 passing on a day reserved mostly for the run.

The play to McGinnis was a break from the norm, just enough of a shock to the Saints defensive system to catch them off guard.

That's just what they were going for, Tataryn said.

"As soon as I faked it, I saw the safety step up and I saw him wide open, so I just took the shot. He caught it and he was gone."
McGinnis said they caught on to the St. Patrick blitz, which is why the play worked.

"So coach called the play to run me straight out and I got the touchdown," McGinnis said.

"It's awesome. Hard work pays off. We worked hard and we got a championship."

Tigers coach Pat Smykalski said his team has been working hard toward this moment, running the table during a 5-0 regular season.

But until you win that final game, the title is anyone's to grab, and he wasn't taking any chances.

"You've got a lot more pressure and the pressure seemed to accumulate after every game," he said.

The pressure was on the Tigers after the opening drive, when Liam Coulter barrelled up the middle for four yards and a touchdown, giving the Saints an early 6-0 lead.

But Tataryn snuck through the Saints D on the final play of the first quarter and the Tigers took the lead for good.
The pressure didn't disappear completely, however.

Up 14, it began to mount again with a minute to go in the game, when St. Patrick quarterback Mike Dychko caught the Tigers defence napping, connecting with Jake McKee on a 79-yard touchdown down the sidelines that made it a one-score game.

But the Saints couldn't pull off the ensuing onside kick and when Cody Sheedy burst ahead for a first down Westgate could simply run out the clock.