Trojans edge Vikings on last-second field goal

Musa Aldresse is a pretty cool customer.

On Friday, with the game on the line and his team trailing by a point, the Sir Winston Churchill placekicker calmly booted a 24-yard field goal at the buzzer, vaulting the Trojans past the stunned Hammarskjold Vikings 23-21 in senior boys football action at Fort William Stadium.

It was Aldresse’s third field goal of the contest, to go with a pair of extra points, as the Trojans improved to 3-2 on the season.
The Vikings, who had taken the lead midway through the fourth quarter when quarterback Keenan Postans connected with Derek Pucci on a 23-yard scoring strike, fell to 2-3.

Aldresse said he didn’t really feel any pressure as he lined up for the game-winning kick.

“Not too much,” he said.

“I got lots of support from my teammates.”

The win, which lifted the Trojans into sole possession of second place in the senior high school football standings, was huge.
“It feels great. All my teammates thanked me for it and it was a good time. We were the underdogs this year so it was great coming back.”

It was quarterback Tallon Morris who orchestrate the drive, Churchill retrieving the ball with about two minutes to go after the Vikings decided to punt rather than seek a new set of downs with the ball buried deep in their own territory.

Morris sought out dependable receiver Tienhaara on his first attempt, but couldn’t connect. Then Hammarskjold’s Brandon Law sacked him for a loss, setting up a third-and-long, a do-or-die play. This time he found Tienhaara for 16 yards, depositing the ball on the Vikings 24, well within Aldresse’s range.

Morris, who finished the day with 243 yards passing and two touchdowns, called it a great win.

“We fumbled with three minutes left, but everybody just kept their heads high and we battled back to win,” Morris said.

He knew they were all but out of chances on that final drive.

“On third and 10 the middle just opened up. He was wide open and I just stepped and threw it. They gave it to us the first game, but our defence really stepped up this game big and gave it to them.”

Morris hit Scott Lawson early in the first for an eight-yard major, but the Vikings struck back late in the second, Postans finding Kai Knudsen for the tying touchdown, a 34-yard play.

But less than 90 seconds later Morris responded, completing a 29-yard scoring pass with Kyle Levesque with 2:22 left on the clock. Aldresse connected from 40 yards out on the final play of the half, to make it 17-7.

Postans cut into that lead in the third, scoring on a four-yard run, before Aldresse hit from 23 yards out to extend the lead to six.

St. Ignatius 49, Westgate 2: Jake Puskas scored on runs of 54 and three yards and Thomas Walser threw for a touchdown and ran one in from 22 yards out for another score as the Falcons improved to 5-0 and clinched a playoff spot. Dray Theriault had a 52-yard interception return for St. Ignatius.