CCH Crusaders dominate OFSAA Bowl 25-0 to finish as number one team in Ontario

The CCH Crusaders have won the provincial championships after blanking their opponent in the final.

The CCH Crusaders proved why the Ontario coaches poll had them ranked as the top high school football team in the province.

They dominated Bishop Ryan of Hamilton 25-0 in the OFSAA Western Bowl to win the title for the second consecutive season.

“It’s just amazing,” said Marcus Fleury, who scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal and three extra points.

“We’ve been here with grade thirteen’s here for five years and the last two years were dominant. 25-0 and the best defence in the country. These are my brothers.”

The Crusaders dominated time of possession but only had a field goal to show for it until the final seconds of the first half. Keyshawn Manning then punched in a score from the one-yard line to give CCH a 10-lead at the break. On the opening drive of the third, Manning slipped a few tackles and scored from midfield to extend the lead to 17-0 on his second TD of the game.

“We got it going after we came out a bit slow to start,” said Manning.

“Coming out of halftime getting that long one and then the boys started rolling. I got hurt last OFSAA, so this one was a big one, especially being our last one.”

The defence was stifling. The strong passing attack of Bishop Ryan – ranked fourth in Ontario – was under pressure all day. Edge rusher AJ Davis had a pair of sacks and narrowly missed two more.

“Our defense was so good all year,” said Davis.

“It comes down to the boys in practice. We do hitting drills all year. It means a lot going back-to-back and I’m looking forward to coming back and doing it again next year.”

The Crusaders are the first London school to win back-to-back Western Bowl titles since they accomplished the same feat in 2004-2005.

“It’s a special group and a lot of credit to our leadership,” said Alex Kurowski, Crusaders head coach.

“We have a great group of players. We have great coaching staff including teacher coaches and our volunteer coaches. So many alumni who come back to support our school and what we do here in sports. That makes it possible and really gives our student athletes the best experience. It’s a huge achievement.”