NCAFA Minor Football
Unable to overcome early deficit, mosquito Panthers go down fighting
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Sahil Sharma takes off in the open field after taking a pass from Logan Ferry in the Cumberland Panthers 54-36 loss to the Nepean Redskins in the NCAFA A-Cup semi-finals on Saturday. Fred Sherwin/Photo

Before the playoffs began, the Cumberland Panthers mosquito team knew they had a Herculian task ahead of them if they wanted to make the A-Cup final.

As the fourth place team in the Eastern Conferencem they had to play the top seed in the West in the first round. And on the off chance that they won that game, they would have to get past another higher ranked team in the semi-finals to make it to the championship game.

Unbelievably they managed to somehow beat the odds in the quarterfinals by shutting out the previously undefeated Bell Warriors. But with the win came a heightened desire to make the A-Cup final, and a heightened level of desire can often come with additional pressure, especially when you're talking about 11- and 12-year-old kids playing what is a very emotional game.

The pressure was evident on Saturday as the same Panther defence that shut down the Warriors allowed four touchdowns on the first five servies against the Nepean Redskins, and just like that they had dug themselves a 30-point hole.

Ordinarily when a snowball becomes an avalanche, the team on the receiving end succumb to the inevitable, but not this Knights team. Led by the dynamic duo of Logan Ferry and A.K. Ismail behind center, the Panthers tried to battle back.

First they put together an eight play, 55-yard drive, capped by a touchdown run and a two-point conversion by Ismail. Then, with half a second remaining in the first half, Ismail heaved a 30-yard pass to Kodey Williamson, who ran the remaining 25-yards into the end zone to cut the deficit to 30-15.

The Panthers continued to move the ball at the start the second half until the Redskins forced a fumble and turned it into another touchdown on Honoreal Iloki's third long run of the game. The tall and elusive running back was the difference-maker in the contest, racking up more than 350 yards and scoring five of his team's six touchdowns.

Down 38-15, the never-say-die Panthers refused to give up. A 25-yard pass from Ismail to Sahil Sharma would set up another touchdown run by Ismail to make the score 38-23, and then Logan hitched up with Sharma for a 35-yard touchdown toss to make it a nine-point game.

But as quicky as the Panthers cut the deficit to nine, the Redskins just as quickly extended it to 17 by putting the ball in Iloki's hands.

The coup de gras came on the next series of plays. Facing a third down and inches on the Redskins' 20-yard line, the Panthers tried a quarterback sneak but were stopped cold. Iloki then scampered 90 yards on the Redskins first play from scrimmage tp put the game out of reach.

The Panthers managed to score another touchdown on a one yard run by Wesley Bailey late in the game, but by then it was a forgone conclusion.

Although the result was disappointing, Panthers head coach Rob Ferry refused to let it overshadow what was a very successful season.

"Nobody gave up at all today and when you get down to it, that is what football is all about. You guys fought hard. You stuck together and you went down fighting," Ferry told his young players."I'm very proud of the effort you gave all year. We had a great season. And you're a great group of guys."

The Panthers peewee team also lost on Saturday, falling 27-6 to the Myers Riders in the B-Cup semi-finals, leaving the tyke and bantam squads as the only two teams left with a chance at a Cup.

The tykes play the Gatineau Vikings for a spot in the A-Cup final at Millennium Park at noon on Sunday, followed by the bantam team which plays the Cornwall Wildcats for a spot in the B-Cup final.

(Posted 9 p.m., Oct. 27)

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