“Super Team” sputters to ignominious loss in OYMFL 2021 Covid Championship at Don Mills
Saints QB Heaney and WR Tiffany Hall named Finals MVPs
It was supposed to be a dream matchup for the finals of the OYMFL 2021 Covid-shortened season. But when the final whistle sounded, it was the Saints of Toronto West who recaptured the title with a dominating 40-22 beat-down of the talented Agape team.
“I did say we had a Super Team in terms of talent,” said Kevin Green, the Philly manager who joined forces with Agape, Kanisa and East. “However, it would seem as though chemistry and continuity won out on Sunday.
“T-West is a well-oiled machine and it will take a very organized team to beat them,” Green said following the game at Don Mills Collegiate Oct. 3.
Spoken like Captain Obvious. The Saints had just gone back-to-back for the second time and recorded their fifth championship – more than all other teams combined – since 2012.
“Winning is hard, winning consistently is even harder because it’s easy to get complacent,” said Saints team GM Darnell James.
“We’ve had to find ways to push ourselves each season. The fear of losing has always been a driving force,” he said.
When teams chirp at the defending champs it only makes it easier to get motivated and put on the championship cape again, James said. “We just want our respect!!”
It didn’t take long for Agape to realize they were up against an irresistible force on championship Sunday.
The Saints stopped Agape on their first drive, four and out, and responded with two deep strikes to Andrew Brimpong in the back of the zone for 5 points and the 2-point convert. 7-0.
Agape’s second series was a carbon copy of the first and the Saints scored again, this time, to the team’s on-field general Sheldon James. The convert failed, but it was 12-0.
Bad fortunes turned to worse when Saints recruit Loxley Prince picked off QB Carnel Baugh and before anyone could say, “turning point,” Darnell James plucked a Andrew Heaney pass and rolled in the end zone. Bruna Alencar snagged the convert and it was 19-0 before Commish Frankie Lazarus had settled into his chair on the sidelines.
It seemed every bit like déjà vu all over again. In the last OYMFL Final in 2019, with Carnel Baugh at QB for Toronto East, T-West jumped out to a 21-0 lead and that game was essentially over. Baugh was facing the nightmare again – this time leading a more talented roster that Green had labelled as unbeatable.
Desperate to find an answer, Baugh dialed up a double move to Jayde Rowe and the would-be pro prospect hauled in a 40-yarder to provide a spark. The convert failed and it was 19-5. The door had been cracked open.
Undaunted, QB Heaney carved up the Agape defence with tosses to Tyffany Ambrose, Bruna and Pingz before taking a few forays through the secondary, and finally, hitting Lox for a 10-yard score, pushing the lead back to 19 points – with five plays to go before half-time.
That’s when fortune seemed to smile on Agape. A last-play Hail Mary bounced off Brimpong and into the eager hands of a prostrate Nathaniel Pinto, near the end line. It was a gift from heaven. The convert failed but the score was 24-10 at the half. Agape had hope.
Covid wiped out the 2020 season, as it did everything else. But a determined group of players insisted on playing in 2021. With several teams unwilling to field a team, players grouped around 4 well-stacked teams – Agape, Apple Creek, Mt. Olive and Toronto West.
Agape was put together just days before the season. But it featured Toronto East stars Pinto, Baugh and Jazmine Phipps; and an amazing supporting cast of Mandisa Morgan, Raekwon Grant , Jayde Rowe, Durell Coleman, Gareth Johns and Green. Plus a large group of young players adding a lot of enthusiasm and hope for the future.
“I’m so impressed by this group,” said GM Coleman, following the loss. “We had about eight players (Tauge, Quin, Reiss, Jaiden, Josiah, Tres, Melissa and Bianca) who are new to the game. It was great to see them compete. They are hungry and really looking forward to next season.”
When T-West stalled on its first drive in the second half, the Agape newbies weren’t the only ones spoiling for a comeback. But Baugh threw a killer interception — to Lox again – the same Lox that the Agape sideline was trash-talking that his best days were behind him.
T-West unleashed Tiffany Hall for a bomb, followed by a Sheldon James convert and the score jumped to 33-10.
Pinto returned the kickoff to the house, but 33-17 seemed like a mountain too tall to climb.
Tiffany Hall made sure it was – taking a slant for a short score after Darnell James, Bruna and Heaney matriculated the ball down the field. It was now 40-17, with minutes to play.
Agape’s Josiah Patrick would haul in the final score of the day, but the romp was complete. 40-22.
Toronto West had won their second title in a row, three of the last four, and five since 2012. The Saints will go for an unprecedented three-peat in 2022. The last time the Saints almost achieved the three-peat was in 2014, but Apple Creek upset the favourites on the last play of the game, ending the bid or a perfect season and three straight titles.
Mt. Olive was perfect in 2016, but in 2017, T-West upset them to stop their bid for three straight.
Olive has won the title three times.
Choices for most valuable players were fairly easy. Heaney was named Male MVP after tossing six TDs to five different players. Tiffany Hall, who grabbed two of those TDs, took home the Female MVP trophy.
Keys to success for Toronto West is a collection of supreme talent who are prepared to sacrifice stats to spread the glory around in the form of a championship.
“There is room for everyone to shine. We are a family unit,” James said.
Don’t let the family unit talk fool you, said Green of the champs. “It’s definitely more than chemistry. It’s a lot of football knowledge on the team and top talent. The QB and Bruna are definitely at least top 2 at their respective positions.”
Green said Philly is “coming back next year in hopes of making a splash. We have some early commitments from players and we think the chemistry will be great.
“It’s time for the championship trophy to find a new home. T-West is beatable and I believe I have the formula for that. We will see what happens next year when teams have a full year to improve.”
In the semi-finals, Toronto West made short work of a Mt. Olive team missing key recruits who failed to finish the season. The second semi-finals was a nail-biter that Apple Creek seemed to have in control, until they allowed Agape a late touchdown to steal a berth in the finals.
Hail to the 2021 champs:
Hail to the 2021 champs:
Girls: Audette James, Avalon James, Chelsea Bartholomew, Cymonne Henry Roper, Ellen Bruna Alencar, Juvonne Jaddo, Michela Dennis, Sandi Senior, Tiffany Hall, Tyffany Ambrose.
Boys: Andrew Brimpong, Andrew Heaney, Chris Gordon, Darnell James, Isaiah Francis, Jeremy Alleyne, Lamar Ferguson, Loxley Prince, Mark Perrin, Roshawn Nunes, Royson James, Shaun Sorias, Sheldon James.
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