GOTW NB: Championship rematch between CFC50 No. 33 Tantramar and Riverview

We head to New Brunswick for our final game of the week with the CFC50 No. 33 Tantramar Titans facing a familiar challenge from the unranked Riverview Royals on Saturday afternoon.

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The last time these two met on the field, there was no tomorrow with Riverview failing to bring a halt to Tantramar’s march for a fourth straight provincial title. You’re forgiven if it’s feels like the Titans have always ruled the roust, but before claiming glory in 2015 against Riverview for the first time, you’d have to flip the calendar back to 1997 to find their last provincial run. The Royals on the other hand have a long history of heartbreak playing the supporting role seven times in the finals, but if they need any sort of inspiration, Tantramar’s long awaited dynasty is evidence that cycles always have a way of coming back around, and 2019 provides a new opportunity to claim the ultimate prize after knocking on the door for decades.

Past results indicate it’ll be a tall task, but Class of 2021 defensive back Sam Melanson is ready to see what the Royals are made of this season,

“Top three points are speed, playing aggressively and finishing every play at maximum effort. The Riverview High School football program is what some may say undersized, but as our Head Coach Guy Messervier says, we are fast and that is what we focus on. Expect speed at every position on the field.”

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How tall is the task? Well Tantramar enter undefeated after a 27-10 victory against Moncton in their season opener, and a 35-7 blowout against Fredericton last week. When you combine the total score from their two matchups against the Royals from a year ago the Titans overwhelmed them 100-1, so there’s nothing but room for improvement with a new crop of prospects. They didn’t begin the year on the right foot with a tight 28-25 loss to Saint John, but thankfully they built some confidence going into the big rematch after downing Leo Hayes 30-6 a week ago.

One of the main speedsters Tantramar will need to watch is Spencer Hau, who some defenders may sleep on because of his size, but they’ll need to limit his production behind fullback Ryan Carson if they want to slow down the Royals’ offence. Joining Melanson in the defensive backfield will be Joon Kim, Brett Currie, Jaden Currie and Jarrett Barter, while you can expect to see Kai LeBlanc flying around at linebacker, who’s another Class of 2021 prospect.

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Barter says they’ll be looking to keep it simple and try to limit splash plays to help give their offence a chance,

“Take away their time and space, come out hard and start off strong, stopping the runs and not giving up the big plays.”

That’ll be much easier said than done with Tantramar featuring a star studded lineup headlined by dual athletes Owen O’Neal and Mason Prescott carrying the load in the backfield. They should find a lot of room behind Class of 2021 CFC100 lineman Chase Clayton, while Riley Estabrooks can do it all playing receiver, linebacker and returning kicks. He’s already caught a touchdown pass from the younger Jesse Estabrooks under centre, and another familiar name to watch will be Class of 2022 dual athlete Ethan Cormier, who’s the younger brother of current Mount Allison defensive back CFC100 Lucas Cormier. If you’ve still got some ink left in your printer, you’ll also want to take a look at defensive back Colby Tower, defensive end Thomas Allen, and dual lineman Jory Parsons.

Kickoff is set for 11:30am on Saturday at D.A. Jardine.

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