Mt. Olive goes for 3 straight on Sunday @ 10 am

Classic Mt. Olive v T-West showdown

worthy highlight to end 2017 season

Kanisa v Toronto East in consolation final 

Three-peat anyone? 

The Mount Olive Triumph are the defending champions in the OYM Football League. They have won back-to-back championships. Last year they went undefeated in conquering the league. And now they are back for one more title to complete the magnificent three-peat. 

Only their nemesis Toronto West Saints stand in their way, setting up a thrilling finals on Sunday. 

OYM Football could not ask for a more compelling finale to the season – unless it was the undefeated Agape Avengers trying to unseat the Mt. Olive champs by matching their perfect 2016 season. Alas, T-West took care of that last Sunday, handing Agape its first and fatal loss of 20-17, in one semi-finals, 22-20. 

Olive showed they are not ready to concede anything after a less than stellar regular season. Last Sunday, in the other semi-final game, they smacked the sophomore squad from Woodbridge, 27-12, to set up Sunday’s classic matchup at Northview, 10 a.m. 

The Championship game is followed by the Redemption Bowl, featuring Toronto East versus Kanisa. East got three by dominating Malton 24-0.  Kanisa outlasted Ghana 24-17 for a second straight trip to the consolation finals. 

Sunday’s championship game features two familiar foes from Rexdale. Their churches share an Albion Road address, just five stop lights apart. Olive’s perennial MVP Karl Brown spent two years playing with T-West. Until this year both teams played in the same division – T-West routinely spanking Olive until David slew Goliath in 2015 and went on to snag the title.  

Last season Olive won the lone regular-season game against the Saints and T-West lost to Mississauga in the semis so there was no playoff showdown as Olive steam-rolled to a perfect season.  

This year T-West moved to the East division to balance out the number of teams. Saints beat Triumph in the lone regular season matchup. Now it’s come down to a one-game winner take all showdown.  

Will Olive, a tiny church with a roster of 13 players, continue their championship run? Or will the behemoths from Toronto West, the largest SDA church in the province, return to the winner’s circle after falling short the past three seasons? 

For Olive to win they must contain the brilliance of Toronto West’s girls – especially Sherri Pierce, Keisha Alexander and Alysha Emerson. And Olive must do so without Petagaye McIntosh, the league’s most outstanding female player in 2015. (Petagaye did not play this year). 

Opponents of Toronto West have used boys to cover the magnificent 3 girls – and still got cooked. Olive are expected to have a plan. But the dilemma that T-West presents is if you shut down the girls with boys then who will stop the James Boys?  

After five years of using a girl QB, teams started pressing the T-West offence so the Saints added veteran male QB Jay Steinberg and speedster Dan George to the James staple for 2017. Now, it’s pick your poison. 

For Olive, QB Karl Brown is still the most difficult cover of any QB in the league. He can still beat rushers to the edge. He still slows down the game to a crawl, eating clock on offence. They don’t make mistakes. And his defence is still formidable. Plus, there is the amazing kick-return team. 

In last Sunday’s semi, Nick Deslandes scored three TDs and Craig Farrier took a long one to the house. Farrier is always in the mix and Germaine Clarke is Brown’s favourite target. Then, there is always Ezekiel  Marksman, if he decides to show up with booming kicks and timely scores. 

In the other game on Sunday, both teams are indeed seeking redemption. East had a horrendous start to the season bewfore ending on a bit of a roll. Kanisa lost the Redemption Bowl final last year and hope to go home with at least a smile in 2017. 

Games on Sunday August 27 at Northview: 10 a.m. Toronto West v Mt. Olive for the Championship. 11.30 a.m. – Toronto East v Kanisa for the Redemption Bowl.