North Bay Bulldogs

Recap

The North Bay Junior Bulldogs almost notched their first-ever playoff victory Saturday, twice tying the game 14-14 in the final quarter at Steve Omischl Field. However, both times the TD was called back, first on a holding violation, the second for having an ineligible player on the field as the Cambridge Lions held on to win 17-8.

It was the team’s first-ever playoff game.

“It took three years to build this group,” head coach Marc Mathon said after the heart-breaking loss.

Cambridge got off to a strong start, taking a 14-1 lead in their first two possessions. The first was a drive down the field, then taking advantage of a turnover to romp in for a score.

The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with a single point just as the first half came to an end.

Both teams displayed strong defence in the third quarter, keeping the score unchanged going into the final 15 minutes.

Anthony St. Jean scored North Bay’s first major five minutes into the quarter, shedding defenders from the 17-yard-line to put the Bulldogs within range. The ‘Dogs took over at the Lions’ 30, with Jonathan Warren seeming to tie up the game after running in from the six-yard-line, only to have the play called back on a holding call Mathon termed “questionable.”

“I didn’t think it was holding,” he said. “”We were playing very aggressively, though, and we continued to push. But the official, from whatever angle he was at, decided it was holding and that cost us a 10-yard penalty.”

St. Jean bulled in from the 17-yard-line on the next play, only to have that erased by the ineligible player infraction.

Mathon said St. Jean had gone out of bounds two plays earlier, and didn’t know officials had deemed him injured on the play.

“It was miscommunication between officials and the coaching staff,” Mathon said. “He had to sit out three plays, and he went back in one play early.

“It was, ultimately, a coaching issue.”

The Bulldogs weren’t able to overcome a 28-yard deficit, turning the ball over to the Lions long enough for the visitors to salt the game away with a three-pointer before North Bay regained possession with under three minutes to play.

Mathon praised the boys on his team, as well as the volunteers and families who helped field a team opposing coach Chris Kent praised for their work ethic.

Kent admitted he was “really worried” in the final quarter, noting the Bulldogs “beat us the last time in the last seconds of the game.

“This was a hard-hitting, back-and-forth game,” he said.

“Other than the drive, I love playing in North Bay.”

Mathon told the players they gave a good showing of themselves in their first-ever playoff game, and their effort proved Bulldogs football is “very much alive and well.

“At the end of the day, the players shouldn’t judge themselves by the final score.,” he said, pointing out they played “provincial-level football” in their final game of the season.

“I can’t speak highly enough of them,” he said.