The margin of victory was razor thin for the Barrie North Vikings to become kings of the local gridiron this afternoon.
A closer-than-expected battle saw the Vikings blank the St. Joseph’s Jaguars, 13-0, to win the Georgian Bay Secondary School Association (GBSSA) senior football title at Maple Ridge Secondary School in the city's south end on Nov. 14.
A chilly wind made it feel colder than the 8 degrees Celsius that it was, as the two teams butted heads back and forth throughout the game.
If it weren’t for several turnovers by the Jaguars, this game may have gone down to the wire to decide a champion.
The Vikings capitalized when they needed to, with both of their touchdowns scored by Christian Giguere. It would have been three TDs for him on the day if not for one being called back due to a penalty on the play.
“It was a great game for me,” he told BarrieToday. ”I think I hit all my goals coming into this week. It was awesome.”
Giguere said his team entered the game focused on what they needed to do.
“We just wanted to win because North hasn't won in a long time … this is like Christmas Day for all of us," he said. "It's just an absolutely amazing experience. We each play for each other, so I know I gave it my all, and everyone gave everything they had.”
Barrie North head coach Burke Erwin said he knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game to play.
“Respect to St. Joe's. They put up a hell of a fight and a great football game,” he said.
Erwin said it was a “big team effort” and his players fought their way to the win.
“Our running back always plays well, and you know, when he goes out (of the lineup), we're still solid. I think our offensive line has been the heart of our team this year, and our defence has played great football,” he added.
At the other end of the field, a solemn-looking Jaguars team watched the celebrations unfold after the final whistle, but they certainly have nothing to be ashamed of after their historic upset victory last week over the powerhouse St. Joan of Arc Knights to earn a spot in the Georgian Bay championship game.
“We played really hard and our defence battled all day. We hung tough and we just couldn't find a way,” said Jaguars head coach Erik Scott.
“It has been a great season and I'm happy that we were able to at least make this a football game that was still, you know, potentially in doubt going into the fourth quarter … It was good today to show that we deserved to be here," he added.
With the title victory, Barrie North earns a spot in the provincial championship Nov. 25-27 in Windsor.
