BY JOHN DECOSTE
The Advertiser
NovaNewsNow.com
In the closest and most entertaining Valley Touch Football League final in years, Tim Kendrick hit Dave McDowell with a touchdown pass with 50 seconds to play to give the Raiders a 28-21 victory over a game Wolfpack Dec. 2 in Kentville.
The league championship was the seventh straight for the Raiders, whose reign of VTFL supremacy continued, but it was by no means easy.
Kendrick (who suggested afterward that this time he may retire for good) termed it “the best final I’ve ever played in, and I’ve played in a lot of them.”
The Raiders jumped out to an early lead when Kendrick connected with Greg Wheeler on a touchdown strike. The Wolfpack responded with a long, time-consuming drive culminating in a TD pass from Scott Dunthorne to Dave Sollows.
The Raiders appeared to take control when Kendrick – not exactly known for his mobility these days – took off on an option play and ran in a 20-yard touchdown.
Undaunted by Kendrick’s heroics, the Wolfpack battled back with a touchdown pass from Dunthorne to Pete Morse.
The Raiders then retook the lead on a touchdown by Wheeler that made the score 20-12 Raiders at halftime.
Wolfpack takes the lead
Seemingly not to be denied on this day, the Wolfpack again fought back. Dunthorne engineered a drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Aaron Long. Morse then kicked a field goal to pull the Wolfpack into the lead at 21-20 with time running down.
Kendrick led the Raiders down the field to score the winning touchdown in the final minute of play, and McDowell’s two-point convert put the game out of reach.
Gair MacInnis kicked a pair of converts to round out the scoring for the Raiders. Defensively, Wheeler, Dale Hancock and McDowell all had interceptions and Bruce Ward recorded a sack.
For the Wolfpack, Garrett McCully had two sacks and Mike Sinclair picked off an interception. Devin Balsor had a stellar game for the ’Pack with several pass knockdowns and Roy Sanford had a great game offensively with 12 pass receptions.
At the league banquet following the game, the VTFL awards were handed out, with Greg Wheeler of the Raiders receiving the league’s overall MVP award.
The offensive MVP went to Aaron Long of the Wolfpack and the defensive MVP to Dave Keddy of the Jets. Jeff Zettler of the Capital was the top rookie, and the Unsung Hero award went to Garrett McCully of the Wolfpack.
The playoff awards went to Bruce Ward of the Raiders as overall MVP, Dunthorne as offensive MVP and Mike Sinclair as defensive MVP.
The game marked the end of the 38th season for the VTFL. More information on the league and for players looking to join is available on the league website at www.valleytouchfootballleague.piczo.com.
BY JOHN DECOSTE
The Advertiser
NovaNewsNow.com
In the closest and most entertaining Valley Touch Football League final in years, Tim Kendrick hit Dave McDowell with a touchdown pass with 50 seconds to play to give the Raiders a 28-21 victory over a game Wolfpack Dec. 2 in Kentville.
The league championship was the seventh straight for the Raiders, whose reign of VTFL supremacy continued, but it was by no means easy.
Kendrick (who suggested afterward that this time he may retire for good) termed it “the best final I’ve ever played in, and I’ve played in a lot of them.”
The Raiders jumped out to an early lead when Kendrick connected with Greg Wheeler on a touchdown strike. The Wolfpack responded with a long, time-consuming drive culminating in a TD pass from Scott Dunthorne to Dave Sollows.
The Raiders appeared to take control when Kendrick – not exactly known for his mobility these days – took off on an option play and ran in a 20-yard touchdown.
Undaunted by Kendrick’s heroics, the Wolfpack battled back with a touchdown pass from Dunthorne to Pete Morse.
The Raiders then retook the lead on a touchdown by Wheeler that made the score 20-12 Raiders at halftime.
Wolfpack takes the lead
Seemingly not to be denied on this day, the Wolfpack again fought back. Dunthorne engineered a drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Aaron Long. Morse then kicked a field goal to pull the Wolfpack into the lead at 21-20 with time running down.
Kendrick led the Raiders down the field to score the winning touchdown in the final minute of play, and McDowell’s two-point convert put the game out of reach.
Gair MacInnis kicked a pair of converts to round out the scoring for the Raiders. Defensively, Wheeler, Dale Hancock and McDowell all had interceptions and Bruce Ward recorded a sack.
For the Wolfpack, Garrett McCully had two sacks and Mike Sinclair picked off an interception. Devin Balsor had a stellar game for the ’Pack with several pass knockdowns and Roy Sanford had a great game offensively with 12 pass receptions.
At the league banquet following the game, the VTFL awards were handed out, with Greg Wheeler of the Raiders receiving the league’s overall MVP award.
The offensive MVP went to Aaron Long of the Wolfpack and the defensive MVP to Dave Keddy of the Jets. Jeff Zettler of the Capital was the top rookie, and the Unsung Hero award went to Garrett McCully of the Wolfpack.
The playoff awards went to Bruce Ward of the Raiders as overall MVP, Dunthorne as offensive MVP and Mike Sinclair as defensive MVP.
The game marked the end of the 38th season for the VTFL. More information on the league and for players looking to join is available on the league website at www.valleytouchfootballleague.piczo.com.
