The Montreal Hitmen made some tier one noise at the Early Bird. Not only did they sweep their pool, they won their quarter-final contest to make a semi-final appearance, and 46 guaranteed points.

The Toronto Trojans would knock the Hitmen out in their semi-final match-up, however, advancing to their second straight AA final. There they faced the Burlington Spartans, also coming off a AA championship (missed previous stop).

An earlier promise saw the Trojans make a quarterback switch for the championship game. For the first third of the match, it looked as though the decision was a poor one, as the Spartans mounted an early lead.Thanks to settled nerves and some stellar catch-and-runs by veteran ace Tony Stewart, however, the Trojans turned this game into an attention-grabbing affair.

The Spartans saw their lead dwindle, but scored late to take back control of the game. The Trojans had last second chances to sway things in their favour once more, but the Spartans held on to secure their second straight elite title, congratulations guys!

The Piranhas finished the 2009 Trillium Tour as the top ranked team in Ontario, but with the Spartans and Trojans playing such stellar ball lately, predicting a Provincial winner at the next stop is more difficult than it ever has been.

Quarter-Finals

Kitch Gaels vs T.O. Gators

Mtl Hitmen 35 vs Scr Raiders 22

T.O. Trojans 28 vs Lightning Football 0

Burl Spartans 22 vs Ham Piranhas 6

Semi-Finals

Burl Spartans 22 vs Kitch Gaels 6

T.O. Trojans 26 vs Mtl Hitmen 8

Finals

Burl Sparans 26 vs T.O. Trojans 19

The Hamilton Piranhas were going to finish first in the Province regardless of their Unionville performance. With little to no pressure on their shoulders, it’s no surprise that they captured another title to finish up their season.

Despite having to face the fourth ranked ranked Capitals and the talent-laden Lightning in the finals, the Piranhas toughest play-off battle came from the Hamilton Dolphins, a game that required converts to decide.The Piranhas head into the Provincials as the two time defending Ontario elite champions, riding a Trillium Tour best 21 and 4 record, good luck guys!

Quarter-Finals

Ham Piranhas 25 vs Ott Capitals 6

Scar Raiders 17 vs Miss Enforcers 8

Lightning Football 24 vs Miss Rebels 12

Ham Dolphins 21 vs T.O. Gators 18

Semi-Finals

Ham Piranhas 20 vs Ham Dolphins 14

Lightning Football 25 vs Scar Raiders 13

Finals

Ham Piranhas 36 vs Lightning Football 19

It seemed like everyone in the TFO community questioned whether the X-Men could exist as an entity, let alone compete in any noteworthy matchups.

Veteran leadership and a solid core kept the X-Men above adversity, allowing them to cap a competitive season with their second championship title of the year. Congratulations on your impressive 4 and 1 Unionville result guys!

Quarter-Finals

Dirrty Birrdz 18 vs Kitch Stampeders 12

Ham Hogs 24 vs S.O. Cobras 15

T.O. X-Men 19 vs Ham Bengals 0

Kingston Vikings 32 vs F.C. Fury 20

Semi-Finals

King Vikings 18 vs Dirrty Birdz 14

Toronto X-Men 12 vs Ham Hogs 9

Finals

T.O. X-Men 26 vs King Vikings 13

The Burlington Renegades were seemingly asleep for their first two games at the Unionville stop, where they scored only 12 combined points in an 0-2 start. It wasn’t until their third game that their offense came to life, which thankfully, for their sake, stayed alert for the rest of the tournament.

The Renegades strung three straight victories together, where they averaged four scores a game to earn their first title of the season, congratulations guys!

Semi-Finals

Jakk Tuesdays 21 vs Burl Hardknocks 12

Burl Renegades 24 vs Burl Broncos 21

Finals

Burl Renegades 27 vs Jakk Tuesdays 0

Undefeated, and practically uncontested all season, the Ottawa Devils pulled off the unsurprising at the Unionville stop, their fifth consecutive elite Trillium title via a perfect 5 and 0 result.

I can only recall one team recording an undefeated Trillium Tour season at the highest level, and that was the Ottawa Nepean Canadians in 2003.

The Devils dominance all season almost makes this incredible achievement seem like an after-thought, but I thought I’d throw it there for you all, if only to give myself something else to say about this stellar season for them.

Suffice to say, the Devils were very impressive in Unionville and look more than primed to defend their 2008 Provincial title in Belleville, congratulations on your amazing season ladies!

Semi-Finals

Ottawa Devils 26 vs Toronto Rockets 0

Mtl Fleur De Lys 28 vs Toronto Shock 14

Finals

Ottawa Devils 26 vs Mtl Fleur De Lys 6

The Toronto Wolverines and Rebels faced off twice in Unionville, once in round-robin and again in the A finals. The first match saw the Wolverines edge out the higher ranked Rebels 15 to 12.

Both teams dropped AA preliminary contests, slipping into the A semi’s where they earned victories to advance and face off in the finals.

The game’s final score was near identical to their round-robin result, however, the Rebels would be the ones edging out the Wolverines this time, earning their first title of the year, congratulations ladies!

Semi-Finals

T.O. Wolverines 14 vs London Rebels 0

Toronto Rebels 12 vs Landell Lightning 9

Finals

Toronto Rebels 14 vs Toronto Wolverines 13

The Montreal Warriors opened the Unionville Invitational with a subpar 1 and 2 round-robin record. They completely turned things around for next day play-offs, however, beginning with a close 20 to 14 quarter-final victory over the Toronto Jaguars, one of the teams that beat them earlier.

The Warriors carried their momentum into following matches, easily capturing their first tile of the season. Congratulations ladies, good luck at the Quebec championships!

Quarter-Finals

Mtl Warriors 20 vs T.O. Jaguars 14

T.O. Thundercats 7 vs Landell Thunder 6

Toronto Venom 22 vs Ottawa Warriors 0

Scar Raiders vs Toronto Sting

Semi-Finals

Mtl Warriors 28 vs Scar Raiders 0

T.O. Thundercats 19 vs Toronto Venom 13

Finals

Mtl Warriors 31 vs T.O. Thundercats 0

The Hampton Rogues may have been 1 and 1 in championship contests heading into Unionville, but they looked like a different team in Unionville. Not only did the Rogues compete in a higher division for this championship, they were far more effective on both sides of the ball all weekend.

The most impressive aspect of their Unionville performance was their championship victory over the newly formed Mississauga King Gators,  a team oozing with experience, talent and potential. Congratulations Rogues!

Quarter-Finals

Hampton Rogues 17 vs W.P. Jaguars 12

King Gators 27 vs Hustlin’ Owls 8

Killer Beezzzz 7 vs Ham Hitmen 6

Markham Mustangs 14 vs Miss Pyhoms 13

Semi-Finals

Hampton Rogues 19 vs Markham Mustangs 6

King Gators 12 vs Killer Beezzz 1

Finals

Hampton Rogues 26 vs King Gators 12