Maritime Football League
2009 Game Summaries
  

Week 2: June 5-6

 
Shockers sink Privateers
P.E.I. club unable to hold on to late lead in Maritime Football League action

Published in the Guardian on Monday June 8, 2009

A strong fourth quarter helped the Halifax Shockers post a 16-9 come-from-behind victory over the P.E.I. Privateers in Maritime Football League action Saturday in Charlottetown.
The Privateers (0-2) put themselves in a position to pull off a major upset against the highly-touted Shockers (2-0) in their home opener after taking a 9-8 lead into the final quarter.
“It was disappointing to lose, but great to be able to compete with a team loaded with former pros and university players,” said Privateers co-captain Mitch Murphy.
The Shockers finally got their passing game together in the fourth quarter as quarterback Chris Livingston hit A.J. Tafford for a touchdown. 
He added two more points on the conversion to close out the scoring.  
The Privateers controlled the ball for the rest of the half but couldn’t get it into Halifax’s end zone. 
The Shockers and Privateers traded single points in the first quarter, but Halifax added to their lead with a three-yard touchdown run by R.J. Gerrior to go up 8-1 at the half as defence dominated on both sides.
The Shockers opened the second half with a strong drive, set up by a halfback option pass to Robbie Tufts inside the Privateers’ five. Again, the Privateers’ defence stepped up with great line play, allowing no yards on the ground. 
The Shockers’ attempt to score in the air was stopped by defensive back Ryan Richardson, who picked off an end zone pass and ran it back to the Shockers’ 30-yard line.     
The Privateers were forced to punt at the Shockers’ 50, but punter Mike Miller dropped the ball deep in Halifax’s end. That resulted in a fumble recovery on the three-yard line by Keigan Scott. 
Two plays later, Dave Clarke ran the ball in from the three-yard line for a P.E.I. major. It was Clarke’s second touchdown of the year. 
Quarterback Chris Mutch hooked up with Murphy for a spectacular two-point conversion and a 9-8 lead. 
The Privateers return to action on Saturday, visiting the Moncton Marshalls (0-2).
    
Longhorns blank Port City rivals

 Published in the Telegraph-Journal on Saturday June 6, 2009
Appeared on page C11

SAINT JOHN - Maritime Football League history was made Friday night as the Saint John Longhorns shut out their Port City rivals the Saint John Wanderers 20-0. It's the first time since the league formed in 2002 that the Longhorns have beat the Wanderers, and also the first time the latter team has been shut out. "Prior to tonight, in the last three years we'd scored a total of seven points against the Wanderers," Longhorns coach Eric Sabean said. "This (win) is pretty monumental for us." Jordan Blizzard reeled in a pass from Reece Roach to land the first touchdown of the match. The conversion was blocked. Roach fired another TD pass to Justin Cavan for the second, and John Phillips made the conversion. Blizzard fielded a second pass from Roach to score the Longhorns' final touchdown. Phillips kicked again for the conversion to bring the score to 20-0. Sabean said the Wanderers have such an intimidating history that it was a psychological feat on behalf of his team in defeating them. "We knew it was going to be very tough, but the guys got over (the intimidation)," Sabean said. Sabean said the Wanderers responded to their first defeat at the hands of their Port City rival in true sportsman fashion. "As tough as it was to lose to us, (the Wanderers) were very gracious," he said. The Wanderers now sit at 0-2.

  
Gladiators make short work of football Marshals

By Chris Fox

Published in the Daily Gleaner on Saturday June 6, 2009
Appeared on page B8

A full year away from competitive football hasn't left much rust on Andrew Hickey.

The former Fredericton High School pivot, who red-shirted for the Waterloo Warriors this season after transferring from Mount Allison University, played well and at times spectacular in guiding the Capital Area Gladiators to a 42-0 shellacking of the Moncton Marshals in Maritime Senior Football League action at Chapman Field last night.

Hickey split quarterbacking duties with Leo Hayes product Brandon Cornford, tossing two touchdown passes, racking up several first downs on the ground and helping his team to a 28-0 first half lead before subbing out.

"I missed it last year," Hickey said. "I wasn't able to play come weekends and it sucked to not be out there on the field with all my teammates, so it was good to be out there tonight.

"I felt alright. I practised all last year and I am just here to work on some things, and I felt pretty good."

Last night it was a tale of two halves for the Gladiators. In the first half it was the offence getting things done with the two touchdown passes from Hickey and rushing touchdowns courtesy of Tommy Broad and Josh MacArthur.

In the second half, however, it was the Gladiators' defensive and special teams units making the highlight reel.

Andrew Hubbard returned a kickoff about 60 yards for a touchdown to open up the second half, Ben Thompson recovered a fumble at the Moncton 30 and steamrolled his way in for the defensive touchdown and the entire defensive unit limited Moncton quarterback Matthew Theriault to no more than a handful of completions the rest of the way.

"We switched up the defence and went to a four one in the second half - we were playing a three two before then - and it worked," said coach Mike Casey. "The Marshals have a really good running back in 25 (Rob Murray) and it was important that we stopped him."

The win improved the Gladiators record to 1-1 after suffering a season opening 28-14 loss to the Riverview Mustangs.

Casey said he thinks his team has the right pieces to be among the top teams in the league, provided they put them all together.

"If the guys step up we could be good," he said. "We have a lot of depth and a lot of talent on the team and as long as the guys play the way we hope they can we should be all right."

The Gladiators will be on the road next Friday against the Saint John Wanderers. Kick off is 8 p.m.

 
   
Mobile quarterback: Former Fredericton High School Black Kats’ quarterback Andrew Hickey brings his mobility to the Capital Area Gladiators of the Maritime  Football League. Hickey, who will be vying for a starting role at the University of Waterloo, Ont. in the Ontario Universities’ Conference in the fall, scored a touchdown and passed for another as the Gladiators lost their season opener to defending league champion Riverview Mustangs last weekend. They host Moncton Marshals in their home opener Friday night at Chapman Field with game time being 8 o’clock.
 
Hickey hones his game
Gladiators | Ex-Kats' star to direct offence for Capital Area team in Maritime league

By Bill Hunt

Published in the Daily Gleaner on Wednesday June 3, 2009
Appeared on page B1

Andrew Hickey will celebrate his 20th birthday Sunday.

He hopes he's celebrating a victory for the Capital Area Gladiators, too.

Hickey and his Gladiator teammates host the Moncton Marshals in their Maritime Football League home opener Friday night at 8 p.m. at their new home, Chapman Field, anxious to get back on even terms after a season-opening 28-14 loss to the Riverview Mustangs last week.

"It was our first game...the defence played pretty well most of the game," said Hickey, who, of course, was in charge of the offence as the team's quarterback and went 15-for-28 for 235 yards.

He passed for one touchdown, a 70-yard pass and run to Andrew Hubbard, and dashed 10 yards on his own for another - a pretty fair representation of what the six-foot, 195 pounder brings to the position, actually, if you remember his time with the Fredericton High School Black Kats.

He'll bring it to the Waterloo Warriors next year as one of four candidates for the starting job with the Ontario Universities Association entry. Hickey switched from Mount Allison University and a Sciences program to kinesiology at Waterloo.

He sat out the required year to regain his eligibility and figures to be in the mix for the starting job under head coach Dennis McPhee, the former head coach at St. Francis Xavier, and offensive co-ordinator Joe Paopao, the former CFL quarterback and head coach of the now defunct Ottawa Renegades.

"They recruited me pretty hard out of high school," recalled Hickey. "I almost went there, but I didn't for whatever reason. But Dennis coached my brother at X and I knew he was a great coach. Joe Paopao had a huge CFL career...he knows everything. He's such a smart football guy. He's probably the best coach I've ever played for."

Well, he hasn't played for him yet, but you get the idea.

For now, at least Hickey is still a weekend Warrior.

"I practiced with the team all last year and ran the scout offence, but it's just not the same," he said. "But come weekends, I wasn't able to play. But at the same time, I learned the offence and I was able to get a head start for next year."

The Gladiators help in that process as well.

For Hickey and his mates, it's more than just recreational ball.

"Everyone's really competitive," he said. "They want to win. For some guys, it's the only football they ever play, so they take it seriously. Other guys, maybe not so much. But guys want to win, they want to play hard, they want to compete."

The depth isn't there on the summer rosters, the game isn't as fast, "but there are a lot of really good players out there," he said. Case in point: Steve Cormier, who shredded the Gladiators for 237 yards and three touchdowns in the opener last week.

But, see above: it's still early.

Hickey looks at the summer schedule as valuable prep time in his bid for the starting job at Waterloo this fall.

"I'm able to work on my timing and getting the ball out quick and stuff I wouldn't be able to do on my own," he said. "Two of the guys are still at school and have receivers to throw with. I think it's going to be a battle...the starter from last year is back and there are actually four guys who could be the starter, come day one. I'm not the starter right now, but that's the goal. That's where I want to be."

He comes from pretty good football stock, of course. Sean Hickey took the Mounties to the Vanier Cup final and was named the outstanding offensive player in the 1991 game. Brother David Hickey starred as a running back at X.

Andrew hopes to help the rebuilding Warriors improve on their 2-6 record of a year ago. There's a young nucleus in place, including CIS rookie of the year Jordan Verdone of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and only one player graduates. Hickey is in his second season of eligibility.

He expects understudy Brendan Cornford, the former Leo Hayes High Lions QB, to share the job Friday night.

"I'm OK, but we'll probably mix it up a little bit," said Hickey. Cornford brings a different look to the huddle. Whereas Hickey is a scrambler, Cornford is more a drop back passer type. It's a different look.

"I probably run quite a bit more than he does," said Hickey. "I run quite a bit more than most quarterbacks."