The 2014 Joe MacDonald Youth Football League (JMYFL) season will be remembered as the year of the Blue Devils.
The talented bantam crew capped off a flawless campaign in style, posting a 60-14 win over the Mustangs Saturday night at the James Jerome Sports Complex.
Making their win even more impressive was the depth of the Blue Devils' attack, with no less than six different players accounting for the scoring in the final.
Joel Brunet (2), Ryan McDougall (2), Bryce Berard, Dylan McLaughlin, Bradley Patterson and Reece Irwin all reached the end zone, with McLaughlin adding another three successful point-after attempts.
Riley countered with all of the scoring for the Mustangs, registering two majors and a two-point conversion.
"We had a lot more players return than we usually do, so we had a lot more chemistry," noted McLaughlin. "And the people who came up from last year, most of us have played with them at some time."
For the core of this team, the triumph on Saturday represents a second JMYFL crown, having won once at the tyke-age bracket.
And while the offensive output was impressive, McLaughlin contends that at least as much credit should go to the Blue Devils defence.
"We were really trying to contain the outside, so that one one could get by," he said.
"Our coach (Dan Lane) told us to stay at home, which means to make sure that no one comes around, and that you are ready if they do. He was really proud of us, no matter what the outcome."
In the tyke final, the Demons had no more luck finding a solution to bottle up elusive Pirates running back Carter Will than did the Colts one week earlier.
After scoring a pair of majors in the opening half, Will took advantage of great field position provided courtesy of two turnovers by Jonah Sacchetto (an interception and a fumble recovery), scoring twice more in the second half to lead the Pirates to a 26-6 win over the Demons.
Eric Huneault capped off the scoring for the winners with a two-point conversion, while Declan Miller returned a punt all the way to account for the offensive output of the Demons.
Without a doubt, the most thrilling contest was the tyke consolation battle. Trailing late in the game, the Colts rallied from behind, scoring with only seconds remaining to force overtime, and then winning in the extra session.
The final score of this nail-biter would read Colts 60 Storm 54. Finally, the Hurricanes closed off their season on a winning note, taking the bantam consolation final with a 48-6 victory over the Raiders.
