The Burlington Spartans, despite capturing the elite title at the Canadian championships last year, didn’t have a great start to the season, for their standards. While they improved their squad in every aspect in the off-season, it was obvious during the early portions of 2009 that chemistry was lacking.

While the Spartans struggled, the defending Ontario elite champions, the Hamilton Piranhas, who kept much of their 2008 roster intact, prospered early on, completely dominating everyone in their path. The Piranhas eventually fell to surging squads, like the Trojans, but their early consistency allowed them to finish the year in first place. While they showed the vulnerabilities that every team has, the Piranhas were still the team to beat heading into the Trillium Cup.

The Spartans positioned themselves as their official opposition after the final tour stop in Unionville. There they rebounded, after a round-robin Montreal Hitmen upset (season turning point IMO), to capture the top title, confirming their second place finish in the Ontario standings.

At the Trillium Cup, The Spartans and Piranhas posted perfect records to face each other in the finals. While both escaped defeat until the final game, the Piranhas had to dig a little deeper in their elimination games, while the Spartans, on paper, cruised to victory.

Only the Piranhas knew if semi-final contrasts played a role in their championship contest, regardless, their 2009 Trillium Cup final was compelling from start to finish. Things really picked up late in the last quarter, however, making this one the finest finishes in recent memory.

Driving to score, the Piranhas were picked off in the Spartan red zone, but they rebounded quickly with a safety thanks to a quarterback sack. Regaining possession, the Piranhas marched the field to take back the lead, leaving the Spartans with little time to answer. The Spartans didn’t need much, however, as they scored in short order.

Converting that touchdown, the Spartans held a 6 point lead, leaving the Piranhas under a minute to make the comeback. In a matter of a few plays, the Piranhas were on the Spartans doorstep, the 20 yard line to be exact, with one play remaining. Using a rare half back option, the Piranhas launched a mini “hail Mary” that was caught, only to be called out of bounds.

The Spartan/Piranha rivalry is the best thing going in men’s touch football right now, as this Provincial final proved. Congratulations to both teams for leaving it all on the field, it was an incredible game to watch. With this win, the Spartans captured their first elite Provincial title since 2003, well done guys!

Quarter-Finals

Hamilton Piranhas 43 vs Miss Rebels 35

T.Litzen Spartans 35 vs Ham Dolphins 14

Ott Capitals 31 vs Toronto Trojans 16

Kitchener Gaels 27 vs Lightning Football 0

Semi-Finals

Hamilton Piranhas 29 vs Kitchener Gaels 26

T.Litzen Spartans 32 vs Ott Capitals 6

Finals

T.Litzen Spartans 36 vs Ham Piranhas 30

The Trillium Tour in 2009 was very forgettable for the Hamilton Hogs. Not only did this tightly-knit group fail to earn a title all season, they didn’t even compete for one. In fact, the Hogs were quarter-final losers in every tournament except for the Unionville stop, where they lost a 12 to 9 semi-final decision to the lower ranked Toronto X-Men.

Great seasons can be ruined by crappy endings, however, poor seasons can be erased with strong finishes. The Hogs fit into the latter of the aforementioned, as they ended their 2009 campaign with a dominating performance, and a coveted Provincial A championship.

The odds were stacked against the Hogs heading into the Trillium Cup though. With a meagre 6 and 10 Trillium Tour record, the Hogs were lucky to squeeze into 16th place, the last spot for the top tier. Like their entire 2009 Tour season, things didn’t look promising for the Hogs at the Trillium Cup. Posting a 1 and 2 round-robin record, the Hogs dropped to the A side where they finally started performing at the levels they’ve shown in the past.

Aside from a one point semi-final victory over the Bengals, the Hogs were on a different plane all-throughout elimination contests. They culminated this about-face with a 38 to 6 one-sided victory over the Ottawa Seminoles in the finals. This wasn’t an easy feat as the Seminoles not only routed the Gators earlier, they also upset the 4th ranked Ottawa Capitals in city championship play. Congratulations on a fantastic finish Hogs, good luck at the Nationals!

Quarter-Finals

Pinkofsky’s Gators 30 vs Scar Raiders 26

Hamilton Hogs 33 vs Hamilton Hornets 13

Hamilton Bengals 35 vs Ott Tailgators 21

Ott Seminoles 18 vs Ottawa Express 13

Semi-Finals

Ott Seminoles 39 vs Pinkofsky’s Gators 6

Hamilton Hogs 19 vs Hamilton Bengals 18

Finals

Hamilton Hogs 38 vs Ott Seminoles 6

2009 was a rollercoaster ride for the newly formed Ottawa Underdogs. The “U-Dogs” are primarily a group of friends who decided to put a team together in the off-season. Their goal for the year was to have fun and acquire a tier two title. Despite a series of injuries, and having to nearly iron-man their way through the entire Trillium Tour, the Underdogs advanced to a couple of finals, where they just fell short of their championship goal.

Things didn’t look good for the U-Dogs heading the Provincials, as they, and their short bench were caught in the midst of a draw that forced them to play an extra game. Luckily for them, most of their opponents in elimination play had the same fate, so the odds were pretty much even come play-off time.

In quarter-final action, the U-Dogs earned the biggest win of their season when they upset their rival Ottawa Spartans in a spirited contest. They held on to beat a late-game surging Enforcers in the semi-finals to advance to a final for the third time this year. There they faced Kingston’s top team, the Vikings, who pulled off an upset of their own, defeating the tournament favourite Toronto Dirty Birdz in the semi’s.

In the finals, the U-Dogs and Vikings exchanged early stoppages. With the U-Dog offense and defence being one and the same that weekend, they were able to carry their strong defensive play (Lead by C.B. aka Carl Brown) onto the “O”, allowing them to eventually pull away from the Vikings and win the game.

The Underdogs always had fun on the Tour, especially off the field, but at the Provincials they finally earned the second part of their 2009 goal, a tier two championship, congratulations guys!

Quarter-finals

Toronto Dirty Birdz 16 vs Miss Gators 8

Miss Enforcers 25 vs Kitch Stampeders 13

Ott Underdogs 25 vs Ott Spartans 13

Kingston Vikings 21 vs Toronto X-Men 12

Semi-Finals

Kingston Vikings 27 vs T.O. Dirty Birdz 20

Ott Underdogs 24 vs Miss Enforcers 18

Finals

Ott Underdogs 29 vs Kingston Vikings 14

The Ottawa Devils didn’t enter the Trillium Cup to just defend their elite Ontario title, they also were hoping to keep their perfect season intact. This internal battle was the only serious stressor the Devils have faced since their close battle with Toronto Wolverines in Hamilton many moons ago.

Posting a flawless 3 and 0 result in round-robin play, the Devils enjoyed a preliminary bye when fellow Ottawatonians, the Jets, couldn’t field a team due to injuries. Capitalizing on their fresh legs, the Devils shut-out the Toronto Rockets in the semi’s to advance and face the only team to beat them in the last two seasons, the Toronto Rebels.

The Rebels didn’t have a great start to the Ontario’s, as they posted a 1-2 pool result. Preliminary and play-off action saw the Rebels play to their potential, however, as they dominated the London squad of the same name (Rebels). The Rebels controlled the Toronto Shock, 15 to 6,  in the semi’s to make their second straight Provincial final.

The Devils and Rebels competed at last year’s event for the same title, which saw the Devils win a contested 26 to 14 decision. Even though this year’s score was very one-sided on paper, the atmosphere made it seem much closer. The Devils would post a convincing result though, and to no one’s surprise, earn a third consecutive Ontario elite title.

Congratulations on your perfect Trillium Tour season ladies!

Semi-Finals

Ottawa Devils 19 vs Toronto Rockets 0

Toronto Rebels 15 vs Toronto Shock 6

Finals

Ottawa Devils 34 vs Toronto Rebels 8

The Landell Lightning became the Cinderella squad last year when they upset the Toronto Rockets to win the A Trillium Cup. They looked poised to defend their title this season when the Ottawa Jets had to drop out due to injury. This worked to the Lightning’s favour as they earned a semi-final bye and a free trip to the finals. Lying in wait for the Lightning were the Toronto Wolverines, a team they handed a lopsided 33 to 7 loss to in the round-robin.

With the Lightning as the fresher of the two, being the defending champs, and owning some early tournament domination over their opponents, no one would fault the Wolverines for second guessing their chances before they stepped on the field.

Only the Wolverines can say what was going through their heads before the championship game, but their on-field play suggested two things, revenge and Ontario gold.

The Lightning were definitely up to the challenge, which gave the crowd a very compelling contest to watch.  Both teams played hard, but ultimately the Wolverines, thanks to the quick feet and ever improving passing game of their maturing quarterback, edged out the Lightning to capture the title.

If the Lightning were considered the most improved squad on the Tour last season, the Wolverines have to be in contention for that spot this year, especially after their provincial result. While the Wolverines were the only team to put a serious scare into the Devils undefeated plans this year, they also earned several titles, the Provincial championship highlighting those. Congratulations on your stellar season ladies!

Semi-Finals

Landell Lightning 1 vs Bye

Toronto Wolverines 26 vs London Rebels 6

Finals

T.O. Wolverines 25 vs Landell Lightning13

You’d be hard pressed to find a championship game that the Scarborough Lady Raiders weren’t a part of in 2009. This veteran squad were finalists in three consecutive Tour stop appearances before the Montreal Warriors ended their streak in the semi-finals at the Unionville Invitational.

Posting a respectable 2 and 1 pool result, the Raiders blasted past play-off matches, shutting out the Thundercats and Fury and to make a fourth championship appearance. There they faced the Toronto Venom for the second time in the tournament, the only team to beat them thus far.

The Toronto Venom, who entered the Provincials as the defending champions, didn't enjoy the Trillium Tour success of their championship-game counterparts, the Lady Raiders. The best effort for the Venom this season was in Hamilton, where they competed in the BB semi-finals, only to lose to the Raiders 19 to 6. With a round-robin win over the Raiders under their belts already, the Venom were able to carry that confidence into the finals, seemingly ignoring the pressure a defending champion feels. Earning revenge via a similar score once again, the Venom emerged from the Trillium Cup as the two time BB Ontario champions, congratulations ladies!

Quarter-Finals

Toronto Venom 20 vs Ottawa Pirates 0

Ottawa Fury 27 vs Ottawa Angels 0

Scar Lady Raiders 21 vs T.O. Thundercats 0

Landell Thunder 7 vs T.O. Jaguars 0

Semi-Finals

Toronto Venom 24 vs Landell Thunder 6

Scar Lady Raiders 18 vs Ottawa Fury 0

Finals

Toronto Venom 19 vs car Lady Raiders 7

Aside from a one-side loss to the King Gators, the Southern Ontario Cobras were competitive in round-robin play, in spite of their 1 and 2 record. They carried their solid play into elimination battles, stringing together a series of impressive victories.

The most important achievement in that series of wins was in the final game, where they held the Hamilton Hitmen to a single score to help earn the B title.

While the Cobras earned the CC title at the Hamilton Bowl, they just couldn't advance beyond the quarter-finals, until they found their stride at the Provincials of course. Congratulations on a strong finish to the year Cobras, it must have felt good to finally get over that hump!

Quarter-Finals

Ottawa Knights 26 vs Markham Mustangs 12

S.O. Cobras 21 vs West Park Jaguars 20

Ham Hitmen 26 vs Kingston Jakk Tuesdays 12

Miss Gridiron 26 vs Burl Broncos 0

Semi-Finals

S.O. Cobras 23 Miss Gridiron 9

Hamilton Hitmen 15 vs Ottawa Knights 0

Finals

S.O. Cobras 21 vs Hamilton Hitmen 6