Maritime Football League
2008 Game Summaries

Week 5: June 28

Riverview Mustangs honour the 'Boys in Red'

Sunfest Bowl raises $1,900 for fund in memory of basketball players killed in crash

The Riverview Molson Mustangs held their fourth annual Sunfest Bowl on Saturday at Dobson Field.

For the third year in a row the game was a fundraiser with all proceeds going to a charity. This year's charity was the Boys in Red Fund, which helps the families of the boys who died in the Bathurst High School tragedy, the seven $1,000 Boys in Red Scholarships given at BHS and the building of a memorial in Bathurst.

The Sunfest Bowl and after party raised over $1,900 for the fund which was created after seven members of the BHS men's basketball team, and a teacher were killed in a car accident near Bathurst on their way back from a game in Moncton on Jan. 12. Two of the Mustangs competitors, the Saint John Longhorns and the Dartmouth Knights, contributed to the fundraiser giving $500 and $100 respectively.

"It's a tragic event and we just want to recognize a fellow sporting team, and hope this never happens again," said Mustangs CEO Mark Crandall.

"We have four away games, and our boys are on the road. This could have happened to anybody. This is something that affected New Brunswick and Canada that we shouldn't forget, nobody should forget."

Crandall said because the tragedy hit so close to home, this charity was an obvious choice, adding that his god-son Tim Daley was also a survivor of the crash.

The Riverview football club also inducted the seven deceased basketball players as honorary Mustangs.

"We want to celebrate these young athletes lives," said Crandall.

Daley accepted token plaques on behalf of the Boys in Red Fund during a short presentation at half time.

Though this is one of many donations and gestures the Boys in Red have received, Daley said each one means a lot to his community.

"The whole province has been affected by it and everyone's willing to help," he said.

Daley said all the support they've received has really helped them get through the tragedy. But with that support has come a lot of attention.

"I'm not a big attention fan to begin with," he said. "It's not about me it's about the Boys in Red."

The accident broke Daley's wrist and his pelvis in five places.

He was in a wheelchair for six weeks then had a walker with two wheels for another six weeks, but has been able to walk fine on his own for some time now. He has what he hopes will be his last check up today in Saint John.

"Hopefully after that I'll be able to play basketball," he said.

Daley graduated from BHS a little over a week ago and will be training in Miramichi this fall to become a police officer. He hopes to someday be in the RCMP.

But last weekend he was just glad to see people supporting the Boys in Red, as was Crandall, who received a lot of positive feedback about the fundraiser.

"It's gone from a sobering effect just because of the magnitude of the situation, to a deep appreciation, and a sense of pride that these young men, who are no longer with us, won't be forgotten," he said.

Hundreds attended the game between the Mustangs and Dartmouth Knights which also counted as a league game in the Maritime Football League.

"It's great to see the people of Riverview come out to something like this," said Crandall. "It's not only showing that Riverview has great community support not only for the town, but for everything that affects us in the province."

Riverview moves into tie for first place in MFL at 4-0

The Riverview Molson Mustangs faced their biggest test of the season so far and passed it with flying colours.

They turned in an outstanding performance on defence en route to a 21-7 win over the Dartmouth Knights in an entertaining Maritime Football League contest on Saturday in front of 970 fans at Dobson Field.

Dartmouth entered the weekend with the second best offence in the league, scoring an average of 42 points per game.

Riverview shut down its high-flying opponent with a hard-hitting defence that came up with big plays to change the momentum of the game.

Riverview and the Saint John Wanderers, both 4-0, are tied for first place at the midway mark of the regular season. They're the only remaining undefeated clubs and they will clash on Friday at 7 p.m. at Dobson Field.

Dartmouth, 3-1, had two squandered scoring opportunities. The visitors had the ball inside the 20-yard line in the second and fourth quarters, but defensive backs Matt Kenny and Johnathan Forbes made interceptions to stop those drives and keep Riverview's 14-point lead intact.

"They have an explosive offence so our defence definitely took it as a challenge," said Forbes. "We think we're the best defence in the league and I think this game is something for us to feel good about.

"Our defence bends, but doesn't break. That's what we like to say. This was our home opener and it was two undefeated clubs so we were pretty excited for it. We wanted to show the league that we're for real."

Dartmouth quarterback Vince Williams was under pressure throughout the game and looked uncomfortable while being forced into many hurried passes. Riverview defensive lineman Dwayne Ells had four sacks.

"We had opportunities, but we just didn't make plays," said Williams. "There were some dropped balls. The guys weren't concentrating as well as they usually do. There was a lot of hype coming into this game, but I think we just didn't come prepared to execute.

"They're the defending champs and they're definitely the toughest team we've played so far this season. They have talent from top to bottom -- offence, defence and special teams.

"You definitely need to execute and make plays to beat a team like them. By far, this was not our best effort at all. I mean if we get a second chance to meet these guys in the playoffs I think it will be a better outcome."

Riverview piled up 520 yards in total offence, the breakdown being 310 yards rushing and 210 yards passing. Steve Cormier was the workhorse along the ground with 210 yards rushing.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter on A.J. Gallant's one-yard quarterback keeper. Gallant connected with Francis Best on a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to make it 14-0 at halftime.

Riverview recovered its own kickoff to begin the second half and took over on the opposition's 31-yard line. That set the table for Gallant's 28-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Boucher to put the Mustangs ahead 21-0.

Dartmouth pulled to within 21-7 on an eight-yard touchdown reception by Michael Squires in the fourth quarter.

This was the only weekend action in the league and defending Maritime Bowl champion Riverview won its 14th consecutive game, a streak that dates back to Aug. 5, 2006.

"We knew that Dartmouth is a tough team," said Boucher, who led Riverview with 105 yards receiving. "They've been scoring a lot of points all season, but we came in mentally prepared and executed well.

"I thought this game had the potential to be an offensive slugfest, but our defence really stepped up and shut them down. It says a lot about our defence to hold that team to seven points."

Stage set for much-anticipated MFL battle

Riverview hosts Dartmouth today at 4 p.m. at Dobson Field

It's fitting there's just one game on this weekend's schedule in the Maritime Football League. It will be a marquee matchup that deserves the spotlight when the Riverview Molson Mustangs host the Dartmouth Knights today at 4 p.m. at Dobson Field.

The Saint John Wanderers (4-0), Riverview (3-0) and Dartmouth (3-0) are the only remaining undefeated clubs.

"It's a tough way to start the season playing your first three games on the road so that makes our 3-0 record even more special,'' said Riverview head coach Rob Weir. "I think travelling every weekend and winning on the road has brought us together closer as a team. We're excited for our home opener and we're looking to put on a good show for our fans.''

The Mustangs will accept donations at the gate with proceeds going to the Boys in Red Trust Fund, which was established after the Bathurst High boys basketball team tragedy in January. Seven players and one adult died when the team's van lost control and collided with a transport truck.

Tim Daley, a player who survived the accident, will be on hand for a halftime presentation when those who lost their lives are inducted into the Mustangs Hall of Fame. Dartmouth has already said it will make a donation.

The Mustangs and Molson Canada are hosting a post-game party tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Manhattan Bar & Grill. There will be a $5 donation at the door, which includes a free beverage, and these proceeds will also go to the Boys in Red Trust Fund. There will be door prizes and live entertainment.

Dartmouth and Riverview are second and third best offensively in the MFL. The average points per game is 42 for the Knights and 32 for the Mustangs.

"Dartmouth has a very strong passing attack,'' said Weir. "I expect it will be an exciting game with plenty of scoring. I know our defence is very, very strong and they'll have to earn every point they get, but they do have an offence that's able to put points on the board.''

Riverview, a fourth-year club, has a lifetime record of 25-4 in the regular season and playoffs combined. The defending Maritime Bowl champion is currently on a 13-game winning streak and it hasn't suffered a loss since Aug. 5, 2006.

Dartmouth general manager Bobby Tink considers today's game a measuring stick for his club.

"I would say for sure Riverview has to be considered the team to beat until someone knocks them off their horse,'' he said. "We obviously want to play our best and see where we stand. This is definitely one of the marquee matchups in the league this season.''

Dartmouth is coming off a 49-48 win over Capital Area last weekend.

"We have a high-flying offence,'' said Tink. "We're scoring a lot of points, but we're giving up more against than we would like. I don't imagine we'll score 49 points against Riverview so we're going to have to be much better defensively. They've got some players that we've got to focus on and shut down.''