Outlaws win provincial championship
The Labatt Outlaws defeated the Harbour Gulls 28 - 18 to claim the provincial touch football championship and the right to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2005 national tournament.
Game MVP Craig Cooper led the Outlaws to victory over a tired Gulls team. Cooper had five interceptions and two touchdowns and seemed to be in the middle of every key offensive and defensive play. Cooper's biggest play was a momentum changing interception in the end zone when the Gulls were threatening to take an early lead.
The Outlaws went undefeated in the tournament. They earned a bye to the semi-finals with a 30 - 6 victory over the Wolverines and a 24 - 12 win over the Mud Pigs in division play on Saturday. On Sunday, the Outlaws defeated the Wolverines 20 - 0 to advance to the final.
The Gulls took a longer route to the final, playing five games in two days after pre-tournament rankings forced them to play in the quarterfinals. The Gulls defeated the Hurricanes 25 - 6 and then snuffed the allegedly-from-Lewisporte Red Dragons 32 - 6 in division play.
On Sunday, the Gulls won a quarterfinal rematch with the Red Dragons 24 - 0 to advance to the semi-final game against the defending provincial champions the Pack. In what may have been the best game of the tournament, the Gulls won a 30 - 26 shootout that saw at least four lead changes in the second half. The Gulls finally pulled ahead with just minutes remaining and made a defensive stand to advance to the final.
With the provincial trophy tucked snuggly under the bed of Outlaws captain Greg Woolgar, the men in black say their job is only half done. The 10 - 1 Outlaws turn their attention back to regular season play where they are heavily favoured to reach the league final.
News and Notes
Is that one G or two? Dave "The G is Silent" Rouagh gets to share the joy of a provincial championship with his teammates, but what name will be engraved on the trophy? Outlaws captain-founder-swagmaster Greg Woolgar couldn't get the spelling right when ordering team jerseys and inserted the unnecessary G into Rouagh's name. Will Woolgar get the nomenclature right when he visits the trophy shop?
Old habits die hard. Some retired touch football veterans returned to the field for the provincial tournament and picked-up right where they left off. Former Falcon Jason Crocker suited-up for the Outlaws and was ejected for arguing with the referee in the Outlaws 24 - 12 win over the Mud Pigs. Another former Falcon Mike "Cruiser" Carew suited-up for the allegedly-from-Lewisporte Red Dragons and was ejected for arguing and rough play in the Red Dragons 32 - 6 loss to the Gulls.
He didn't just intercept Gulls. Craig Cooper may have had his best game of the tournament in the final, but he made one of his biggest plays in the Outlaws 24 - 12 win over the Mud Pigs. With the score tight and the Mud Pigs pressing for a touchdown, Cooper intercepted a pass on his own five-yard line and sprinted the length of the field for the touchdown. The play led to a huge momentum swing and put the game out of reach.
The MHA is Tom Rideout. For a group of central Newfoundland All-Stars the allegedly-from-Lewisporte Red Dragons had a lot of familiar faces. Unsure of their self-proclaimed Bay-Cred, News and Notes quizzed the allegedly-from-Lewisporte All-Stars with a simple question: Who is the mayor of Lewisporte? Not a single Red Dragon answered correctly. The answer? Bill Hooper. News and Notes can report exclusively that Hooper's wife is named Thelma.
He should have held out for 50 bucks. Earlier this season News and Notes documented Mud Pig Kevin Casey's pathological aversion to doing lines for league games. Casey was so determined to not do lines he bribed teammate Sheldon Penman with 30 bucks to take his line duty. Casey's aversion to yeoman work was readily apparent again this weekend. Casey bribed Penman with 20 bucks this time to get out of line duty for the provincials.
Smeagol drops his precious. In regular season play, Dan Gulliver seemed headed for football glory in the Mustangs 46 - 0 win over the Rage when the unexpected happened. Gulliver intercepted a pass and had a clear path to the end zone for a sure touchdown when the ball squirted out of his arms and fell dead to the ground. On a positive note, the Mustangs did get to keep the ball.
Everyone's a winner - again! In the only women's game of the week the Sterling Syrens and the Renegades tied 6 - 6. It was the Syrens' second tie of the season.
Just like Gretzky. Shawn Gibbons of the Outlaws is the league's leading scorer with 99 points. Jason Kelly of the Gulls has the most picks with 17 interceptions. Paul Smith of the Edge has 21 sacks to lead the league.
Just like Gretzky's sister. Sue Hickman of Hickman Motors is suddenly running away with the women's scoring title. Hickman has 61 points to go with 10 interceptions and two sacks. Pam White of the Renegades leads all defenders with 17 interceptions. Karen O'Neill of the Republic and Krista Matthews of the Heat are tied with 17 sacks each.
Arms race update. Geoff Tessier of the Pack is the league's top-rated quarterback with 46 touchdown passes. Greg Woolgar of the Outlaws is second with 41. Jason Reynolds of the Gulls has 29 touchdown passes.
Sharon Gregory stat-watch. Republic quarterback Sharon Gregory continues to lead the league with 39 touchdown passes. Michelle Healey of Hickman Motors is second with 23 touchdown passes. Bobbi Benson of the Renegades is next with seven touchdown passes.
Obligatory Shayne Menecola Update. The Gulls captain was named tournament MVP for his strong play in the provincial championships.
