It is a matchup everyone expected and, after months of build-up, simply can’t wait to watch.
And it features two Winnipeg High School Football League heavyweights who have been on a championship game collision course dating back to this time a year ago.
The Vincent Massey Trojans and St. Paul’s Crusaders have been the elite programs in the WHSFL for a couple of seasons now, and after meeting in last year’s final, will line up across from each other again in Thursday’s Anavets Bowl title game.
The defending champion Trojans lost only one game this year, a 21-20 setback to the Crusaders in Week 1 which they blew a 20-0 lead. And the Crusaders have lost only one game in two years – last year’s championship game, 22-12, to the Trojans.
“That game is something most of our players have kept in our minds the whole season,” said Trojans star quarterback Andreas Dueck (who led the Potter Division in passing) of their only loss this year. “I mean, it was a great game. St. Paul’s really fought hard but it was a game we certainly needed to learn from about how to finish.”
The Trojans’ program is only eight years old, but Dueck has been part of a team that won in junior varsity and last year in Grade 11. St. Paul’s meanwhile, has been doing the football thing since the days of leather helmets.
“This is a big moment for these boys,” said Crusaders head coach Stacy Dainard. “They also see that it’s a big moment in a long history at our school. This is the 85th year of football at our school, our school is 90 years old. I bring alumni back to talk to them about what their days were like and their impressions.
“They’re in their bubble and see it from their point of view, but it’s our job to give them a greater perspective as well. And when they walk down the hallways our our school, they see 84 years of football photos on the wall and it’s not too hard for them to get a feel for that history.”
The Crusaders will be looking to capture their 14th varsity championship, already the most in WHSFL history, while the Trojans will be after their second in as many seasons.
“A lot of the credit has to go to our coaches,” said Dueck. “They are always putting us in a position to be successful, always pushing us every day in practice. And our guys work hard. We’ve come to practice every day prepared to work our asses off every day.
“Huge credit to Coach MacKay. He started this program and it’s become very successful in a short amount of time. He’s built a great program and I’m proud to call myself a Trojan.”
The other bowl games feature some intriguing matchups.
- The CTV Bowl will feature a Steinbach Sabres team that has been in a final for three straight years and is seeking its second title overall against a Kelvin Clippers squad that started 0-6 but has rattled off three straight wins when it has mattered most.
- The WHSFL Bowl showcases two programs who haven’t been to the big game in a while – 16 years for the St. John’s Tigers, six years for the Kildonan East Reivers.
- The Canad Inns Bowl pits two Currie Division powerhouses, as the still-unbeaten Dryden Eagles face the Portage Trojans, who lost only one game – to the Eagles back in Week 2.
And for those fans who can’t make it out to Investors Group Field on Wednesday and Thursday, take note: all the games will be streamed at http://www.lrsd.tv/lrsd.tv/
ANAVET BOWL
ST. PAUL’S CRUSADERS (9-0) vs. VINCENT MASSEY TROJANS (8-1)
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Investors Group Field
The Crusaders
Regular season: Finished 7-0 in the Potter Division (AAA)
How they got here: Defeated Dakota Lancers 68-0; Sturgeon Heights Huskies 46-0 in the Anavet Bowl playoffs.
The Trojans
Regular season: Finished 6-1 in the Potter Division (AAA).
How they got here: Defeated Garden City Gophers 37-14, Murdoch Mackay Clansmen 51-2 in the Anavet Bowl playoffs.
CTV BOWL
KELVIN CLIPPERS (3-6) vs. STEINBACH SABRES (6-3)
When: Thursday, 5 p.m., Investors Group Field
The Clippers
Regular season: Finished 1-6 in the Potter Division (AAA); moved to CTV bracket for postseason.
How they got here: Defeated Sisler 34-19, River East 38-35 in the CTV Bowl playoffs.
The Sabres
Regular season: Finished 4-3 in the Vidruk (AA) Division.
How they got here: defeated Miles Mac Buckeyes 31-0, St. Paul’s Crusaders 8-7 in the CTV Bowl playoffs.
WHSFL BOWL
KILDONAN EAST REIVERS (5-2) vs. ST. JOHN’S TIGERS (6-3)
When: Wednesday, 5 p.m., Investors Group Field
The Reivers
Regular season: Finished 4-2 in the regular season in the Currie Division (A).
How they got here: Had first-round bye, then defeated Tec Voc Hornets 22-6 in the WHSFL Bowl playoffs.
The Tigers
Regular season: Finished 4-3 in the regular season in the Currie Division (A).
How they got here: Defeated the Fort Frances Muskies 40-6, the Beaver Brae Broncos 23-15 in the WHSFL Bowl playoffs.
CANAD INNS BOWL
DRYDEN EAGLES (9-0) vs. PORTAGE TROJANS (8-1)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Investors Group Field
The Eagles
Regular season: Finished a perfect 7-0 in the Currie Division (A).
How they got here: Defeated the Neelin Spartans 46-12, the Churchill Bulldogs 28-6 in the Canad Inns Bowl playoffs.
The Trojans
Regular season: Finished 6-1 in the Currie Division (A).
How they got here: Defeated the St. Norbert Celtics 22-14, the Elmwood Giants 35-14 in the Canad Inns Bowl playoffs.
HOMERUN BOWL (Junior Varsity Championship)
Vincent Massey Trojans (7-0) vs. Oak Park Raiders (6-1)
When: Wednesday, 6 p.m., Eastside
The Trojans
Regular season: Finished 6-0 in the regular season.
How they got here: Defeated Sisler Spartans 56-0 in the semifinals.
The Raiders
Regular season: Finished 5-1 in the regular season.
How they got here: Defeated St. Paul’s Crusaders 5-0 in the semifinals.
