It was deja vu all over again Thursday as the high-octane St. Joan of Arc Knights over-powered the Barrie North Vikings 26-11 in the Georgian Bay Secondary School Association (GBSSA) senior boys' football championship for the second consecutive year.
It was the Knights' sixth GBSSA title in the last eight years. During that run, the Barrie school has also captured a provincial title.
On a blustery, snowy afternoon Thursday, the Knights started fast. They pushed the Vikings back for a safety early in the first quarter and, by the end of the first half, it was 19-1 for St. Joan of Arc thanks to a pair of touchdowns - one by quarterback Daniel Hawthorne and another by running back Liam Harrison.
Harrison scored a second-half major as well, as the Knights extended their lead.
The Vikings attempted to make a comeback late in the fourth quarter, trying to feed off a touchdown from Joe Gabor.
However, with the wind blowing across the snowy terrain at JC Massie Field at Georgian College, it proved impossible for the Vikings to catch up.
Harrison, who was named the game's most valuable player, said the team had its sights set on this game when the season started.
“We had a goal at the beginning of the season and we knew we were going to be here,” said Harrison. “We were focused on today all season and didn’t want to get here and not capitalize.”
Knights head coach Nick Nicoletta has been with the team for 13 years and is proud of his team's recent string of sucsess.
“The players and my coaching staff have ramped it up so we can be one of the dominant teams in Simcoe County,” said Nicoletta. “We have heard that Eastview and North were the dominant teams, but I think we are setting the standard in the region.”
The Knights will play Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute in the Simcoe Bowl on Tuesday Nov. 26 at McMaster University at 10 a.m. That game serves as the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship.
The Knights have managed to win one OFSAA title and Nicoletta is eager to add another banner to the collection.
"We only have the one OFSAA banner and we will do everything we can to bring another one back after Nov. 26."
