Massey ready for Murdoch in quarterfinals
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The Vincent Massey varsity football team will take on Murdoch MacKay in the Winnipeg High School Football League quarterfinals at Doug Steeves Field today at 4 p.m.
“It’s been an exciting week to prepare,” said head coach Mike Steeves. “We’ve had a light week to rest our bodies after the regular season, and we’ve put together a good game plan.”
The Vikings (5-2) finished second in the Potter Division with an identical record to the Vincent Massey Trojans, who finished first thanks to a win over the Vikings in the first week of the season.
Quarterback Charlie Gauthier (11) of the Vincent Massey Vikings looks to make a pass during high school football action against the Elmwood Giants at Vincent Massey High School. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
Playoff matchups are determined by taking the top four teams in the Potter and Vidruk Divisions and creating cross-division matchups where first plays fourth and second plays third.
The matchup against Murdoch MacKay was actually guaranteed before the final matchup of the season since Murdoch had the tiebreaker over Steinbach, meaning whether they beat Crocus Plains or not, they would finish third.
Knowing this, the Vikings coaching staff and a large portion of the players attended the game between Murdoch and Crocus on Oct. 23.
“It’s great to see them live to see their size,” said Steeves. “To see them up close is always a great opportunity, and it’s just nice to see them against a similar defence.”
RECORDS
The Vikings started the year with a brutal 41-0 loss to the Trojans that ultimately kept Massey from finishing first in the division. Through Week 4, they hovered around .500 with a win against Steinbach in Week 2, followed by a loss to St. Paul’s and a win over Sturgeon Heights.
In the back half of their season, the Vikings found their stride, winning three straight against Crocus Plains, Elmwood and Miles Mac.
Murdoch MacKay also opened the season with a hefty loss, falling 58-0 to the Dakota Lancers. However, victories over Elmwood and Grant Park brought the team to 2-1.
From there, they were thumped by Oak Park 33-0 before sweeping the rest of the season with wins over Sturgeon Heights, Steinbach and Crocus Plains.
Haiden Samuel (3) of the Vincent Massey Vikings tackles Seth Ducharme #15 of the Elmwood Giants during high school football action at Vincent Massey High School. The Vikings defence allowed just 12 points against during their last two games. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
UNSTOPPABLE
These two teams find success in opposite ways. While the Vikings lean on their defence to make critical stops and put their offence in favourable positions to complete drives, Murdoch MacKay uses a dynamic offence to take big leads and hold their opponents at arm’s length.
This season, Massey has scored only 140 points compared to 196 for Murdoch. However, on the defensive side of the ball, Murdoch has 183 points against while Massey has allowed 120.
“Our defence should match up pretty well,” said Steeves. “They have a big O-line … so we just need to slow down the run.”
The defence drives Vincent Massey’s success. Since the loss to St. Paul’s on Sept. 26, they haven’t allowed more than 13 points in a game, and in the last two weeks of the season, they limited their opponents to just six points in each game.
Murdoch is averaging 44.3 points per game over the last three weeks. With an efficient offence, it’s very easy to make big leads and coast to victory.
Murdoch quarterback Jack Jaworski committed to the University of Manitoba earlier in the season. He will be a target for the potent Vikings defence, which thrived on pressuring quarterbacks in the back half of the season.
“He’s a gamer … a big kid who has a great arm and can scramble,” said Steeves. “For us, keeping (Jaworski) contained is such an important part. Keep him in that pocket and put a bit of pressure on him so he’s hurried in his throws.”
Jack Jaworski looks for a passing option while running back Mishael Onafowora positions himself for a block during the game against Crocus Plains on Oct. 22. Jaworski and the Murdoch MacKay offence averaged 44.3 points per game during the final three games of the season. (Rowan McCarthy/The Brandon Sun)
You can pick and compare the respective teams’ games against Steinbach or Crocus, depending on whether you believe Massey or Murdoch is favoured in this matchup, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to whether the Vikings’ defence or Murdoch’s offence comes out on top.
The winner will face the victor of series one between the Oak Park Raiders and Miles Mac Buckeyes.
That game concluded in a 62-0 victory for Oak Park. It will be an incredibly difficult matchup for whoever wins between Murdoch and Massey, but neither team is thinking about that now.
“We’re excited any time we get a chance to host a playoff game at home,” said Steeves. “Win or lose it’s been a great season for us, so it’s exciting to put the pads on one more time.”
» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com