The Newmarket Huron Heights Warriors football program emerged with its second provincial bowl victory of the week with the junior squad defeating Peterborough 42-3.
The team won the Junior Metro Bowl invitational, an unofficial provincial championship featuring many teams from throughout southern Ontario, according to head coach Paul Placko. The victory in Toronto Nov. 30 was the program’s second big win of the week, with the senior team winning the the Golden Horseshoe Bowl.
Placko said it is hard to describe the feeling of coming out on top.
“Awesome, obviously. Winning a junior Metro Bowl is fabulous,” he said, “A lot of the success is based on how hard the kids work.”
The tournament involved schools from Toronto, Peel, Durham, Niagra and Brantford, with Newmarket’s squad emerging on top.
The win is a vindication for the team, Placko said. It was also a comeback, with the team getting edged out by one point, 9-8, in last year's Metro Bowl.
“It’s the pinnacle of all the hard work they’ve been putting into the program,” he said. “To have both teams have a bowl victory, it’s just an unbelievable feeling at the school right now.”
Placko highlighted the performance of running back Luke Mercuri, who had four touchdowns for the team, along with quarterback Trent Seton and receiver Parke Baker, who had two touchdowns. He also said the entire defence placed excellently, extremely limiting the opposing offence.
“We did shut them down,” he said. “Our entire defence deserves a shout-out.”
After the two bowl wins, Placko said a celebration event could be in the works, but details remain to be determined.
He added praise for the assistant coaches and volunteers that also boosted the team.
Although both football teams will lose same players for next season, Placko said they should still remain in a good position for next year.
“We got a good group of kids that are going to move up to Grade 10, and they’re going to have to step up and carry the torch,” he said.
