Longhorns rout NFC rival Milton
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Labelled as the Battle of Halton Grudge Match, Saturday's contest between the Oakville Longhorns and Milton Marauders was compelling for most of the first half. Then the Longhorns pulled away, turning a two-touchdown halftime lead into a 54-15 rout at Bronte Athletic Field and improving to 3-2 on the Northern Football Conference season. The two teams already had a fierce rivalry prior to this season, but, when head coach Barry Emo moved from Milton to Oakville and was followed by a couple dozen players, it heated up even more. The biggest crowd of the season was on hand to witness Longhorns' quarterback Tom Denison and receiver Vaughan Swart enjoy one of their finest outings of the season. Oakville got off to a slow start, going three and out on its first two possessions, but got on the board first when Milton surrendered a safety to get out of a hole deep in their own end. On the next possession, Denison and Swart went to work, and Denison topped it off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to former Marauder Mike Long. Milton came right back on its next possession when, on a fourth-and-two deep in its own zone, it faked a punt and handed the ball to George Baiden, who broke free and went 82 yards for the major. A few possession changes later, after Cyrus Sadeghian recovered a fumble, Denison connected with several long passes to Will Mayhew, and then found Swart in the end zone. Oakville went up 21-7 just before halftime as Denison and Mayhew teamed up for a 16-yard touchdown with 41 seconds remaining. The second half was all Oakville. TD connections were Denison to Kennedy, Denison to Swart (again), and backup Josh Spanik to quarterback-turned-receiver Mike Hyatt. Oakville then added interception return touchdowns by Dion Clarke and Jeff Hardiman. Denison was the Hec Crighton Award winner as the best Canadian university football player in 2002 and 2003, and was with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. As for life in the Northern Football Conference? "It's a fun time," said Dennision. "I had a chance at the pro level, but it's always stressful, never knowing if you're going to play or not. Here, I'm just finishing my career and enjoying the camaraderie with the guys." |
Denison played at Queen's and Swart at McMaster, where the receiver was twice a first-team all-star, but the two talked about playing together and got that opportunity with the Longhorns. The connection is remarkable at times, especially when long passes land softly in Swart's hands as if they had been delivered from a few feet away. Denison was 20 of 30 for 374 yards and five touchdowns in just three quarters of play, while Swart caught six passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Denison praised Swart as "a great receiver," but also credited the other receivers on the team and isn't shy about spreading around the passes. Mayhew and Hyatt each had four receptions, while running back Long had five. The Longhorns are 3-2, but Emo believes they could just as easily be 5-0, pointing to a bad start against Oshawa and a fumbled fourth-quarter punt return against Sault Ste. Marie that cost them the game. The Longhorns get a bye this week before traveling to meet the Toronto Raiders in the Hall of Fame game, and then return home July 21 to face Sarnia. |
