THUNDER BAY – Last year the Churchill Trojans stumbled and tripped over a hurdle one step away from the senior football final.
This season’s squad was determined to not repeat the same mistake.
Quarterback Tallon Morris threw for three scores, including a 77-yard go-ahead hookup with wideout Braeden Prochnicki as the Trojans punched their ticket to next week’s championship contest with a 32-7 semifinal victory over the Westgate Tigers.
Heading into the contest as the No. 1 seed after compiling a 6-1 regular season mark, Churchill head coach Mike Doromko said he stressed the importance of not looking too far ahead and failing to get the job done.
“We’re happy to keep playing. Our season is extended and we’re having a great time. We want to make sure we were going as long as we could,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure we weren’t going to disappoint like we did last year and we want to play (next) Saturday.”
The Trojans asserted themselves early, taking a 10-0 first half lead powered by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Paul Bystrican followed by a 24-yard field goal from Dyk Tow.
The Tigers showed signs of life, driving the length of the field capped by a goal line major from Darian Fuchs.
Churchill restored the double digit advantage before the end of the half with the connection from Morris to Prochnicki for a 17-7 lead.
The aerial threat of Morris, who threw for 205 yards, paved the way for the Trojans ground attack to amass 145 yards, led by Bystrican’s 101 yards on 16 carries.
“It’s an important part of the game to be well-balanced. We want to make sure we can both throw the ball and run the ball to keep defences on their heels,” Doromko said.
“(The passing game) forces those linebackers to be honest and our run game pays dividends.”
The Tigers had opportunities to carve into the lead but had trouble holding onto the football, losing two fumbles and throwing two interceptions.
“It’s playoff football. We talked about it going in,” Westgate head coach Mike McNally said. “You can’t turn the ball over. You can’t take penalties. Those things will come back to bite you and they did (on Friday). But I was proud that they kept fighting right to the end.”
The Trojans defence kept the Tigers off the board while the offence increased the lead through the second half as the game ended on a sour note for both teams.
With a minute to play and a three-score lead, Doromko kept his offensive starters on the field and Morris threw a 33-yard touchdown strike to James Basalyga. That didn’t sit well with the Tigers as one player took a shot at Morris while he held the extra point attempt. A brief skirmish ensued that was quickly broken up.
At the horn Doromko directed his team to head straight to the bus, standing up the Westgate squad by skipping the customary post-game handshake.
Both coaches declined to comment on what happened at the end of the game.
The Trojans will take on the defending champion St. Ignatius Falcons in the final, who rallied from an early 11-point deficit to take down the St. Patrick Saints 40-20.
Nick Cull rushed for 151 yards while Dray Theriault added another 110 yards on the ground to lead the Falcons attack, with each finding the end zone once. Thomas Walser found the end zone in the air and on the ground in the fourth quarter to put the contest out of reach.
Kellen Steudle led the Saints with 166 rushing yards, including an 83-yard touchdown, to go along with seven tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
