July 18, 2007

The Oakville Longhorns shook off some bye-week rust to score 23 straight points in the second half on their way to a 26-6 victory over the Toronto Raiders Sunday at Birchmount Stadium.

The win was an important one for the Longhorns, improving them to 4-2 on the season and moving them past the Raiders into fourth place in the Northern Football Conference standings. Toronto dropped to 4-3.

The Longhorns, idle last week, managed just three points on a 27-yard Dana Segin field goal in the first half. However, their defence held Toronto scoreless, delivering their biggest play of the opening half by not only stopping the Raiders on a second-and-goal from the one-yard line, but also recovering a fumble when Sean Wilson stripped the ball and recovered it.

"There was a little more rust than we anticipated," said Longhorns coach Barry Emo. "We missed a couple of opportunities. We practiced all week but it's not the same as a game. It was a little sloppier than we've played in the past but our defence kept us in the game."

The Longhorn defence completely shut down the Raiders' running game, allowing just 14 yards on the ground. It also created five turnovers, including a pair of interceptions.

The play of the defence bought some time for the Longhorn offence, which got rolling with 14 points in the third quarter.

"We got back into the flow and the timing came back," Emo said. "Sometimes after the bye it takes a half to get going."

Kirby Ginn got the Longhorns into the end zone, catching a 14-yard pass from Tom Denison in the third quarter. Denison then hooked up with Will Mayhew for a four-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 17-0.

Mayhew and Denison were an effective duo, teaming up for 136 yards, including a pair of 40-plus yard strikes. Denison finished the game with 220 yards, completing 14 of 26 attempts.

Dan Seymour almost equaled Toronto's entire running attack on one play, running for a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 24-0 Oakville lead. A safety added to the Longhorn lead and only a 74-yard touchdown reception by Toronto's Andy Taylor in the final two minutes spoiled the shutout bid. It was the first big play allowed by the Longhorns, who had allowed just 143 passing yards to that point.

Oakville, which has now won three straight, plays its final regular season home game on Saturday at Bronte Athletic Field at 7 p.m. against the Sarnia Imperials (3-3). The Longhorns wrap up the season the following week on the road against the first-place Tri-City Outlaws (6-1).