The 2005 Trillium Tour for the men’s elite will be remembered as one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory. Despite our message boards sporting pre-season chatter of a three-team-deep division only (ONC, Spartans and Piranhas), the notable performances by teams such as the Trojans, Mustangs, Maroons, Argos, Rhinos and Hellcats quickly changed people’s perceptions. Although ONC, the Spartans and the Piranhas finished the year ranked one, two and three respectively, their standings had to be earned.

The Trillium Cup was a fine showcase for the parity in our men’s elite. Let’s take a look at some of the close scores from this exciting weekend, starting with the quarterfinals.
--

Quarter Finals

T.Litzen Spartans 23 vs Ottawa ACC Argos 14

Ottawa Nepean Canadians 37 vs Hamilton Hornets 0

Burlington Piranhas 34 vs Magellan Mustangs 12

Ottawa Valley Hellcats 33 vs Toronto Trojans 28

Two games from our quarterfinals saw some incredible action. The Ottawa ACC Argos, lead by the Hughes and Hughes show, took the number one ranked T.Litzen Spartans to the limit. Despite their efforts, the Spartan machine would find a way to pull out a hard-fought 23 to 14 decision.

For the Trojan and Hellcat game, a Hail Mary reception from Hellcat Derek “Giz” Manning, and a controversial call against Trojan, Wayne “the real” Mckoy, would be among the main memories from this one. Although the Hellcats came out on top, it was another extremely close and exciting contest between these two teams.

The semifinals featured another pair of close contests. After defeating the Canadians for the first time on the Trillium Tour at the last stop in Unionville, the Piranhas looked to do the same this time around. Although ONC walked away from this game victorious, it took everything in their arsenal to pull out the three-point decision.

In our other semifinal match up, the surging Hellcats, despite carrying the lead at half time, found themselves ousted after a series of red zone blunders and an 80yard plus kick return td from the infamous Spartan Phil Dixon.

Semi Finals

T.Litzen Spartans 32 vs Ottawa Valley Hellcats 14

Ottawa Nepean Canadians 28 vs Burlington Piranhas 25

Championship games usually result in un-fun to watch blow-outs. Many factors come in to play when this occurs. Sometimes one team has an easier ride then the other, or one team might suffer a few more injuries. With ONC and the Spartans having to earn their right to play in this game, and with both teams carrying deep rosters, the stage was set for a fair contest. Couple these factors with the fact that neither of these teams had yet to face each other this season, and throw in the fact that the Spartans had revamped their roster to defeat this Ottawa dynasty, a better script could not have been written.

The script actually improved as the game progressed. With both squads playing aggressive man-to-man defenses, with the occasional zone thrown in to the mix, both quarterbacks were engaged in a chess match for the ages. This incredible battle of wits, and third and fourth reads, continued to the very last play in which the Spartans were stopped in consecutive downs, resulting in ONC’s third Provincial crown in four years.

If there were ever a contest to choose that would showcase our beautiful game, this one would be among the top of the list. Both teams should be very proud of what they left on the field! Congratulations to both teams for putting on such a memorable championship game.

Finals

Ottawa Nepean Canadians 35 vs T.Litzen Spartans 34

This year was a great one for men’s elite football. On-field competitiveness increased, as did on-field sportsmanship. Our community has grown tighter, resulting in very favorable interactions at our beer tents and socials. I can’t watt o do it all over again as TFO opens its doors to the rest of the country at our prestigious Tournament Of Champions over Thanksgiving weekend.