The Innisidale Invaders stormed back in the second half to defeat the upstart Maple Ridge Ravens on Thursday afternoon in senior boys football action in a battle of south-end Barrie schools.
The Invaders scored three late touchdowns, one of which was on an interception, in less than two minutes as the clock ticked down to secure the 26-8 win in Simcoe County Athletic Association (SCAA) action. With the victory, Innisdale improves its record to 2-2.
Mike Savoca scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown to put Innisdale up 14-8 at the time. He said he felt a sense of redemption after messing up a play last week in a 22-15 loss to the Eastview Wildcats.
"Seeing the end zone there, my eyes kind of widened," Savoca told InnisfilToday after the game. "I was just so glad our blocks were down pat on the play or else it wouldn't have happened. I have to give a big shout-out to everyone who blocked on it."
Heading into the second half down 8-1 on Innisdale's home field, Savoca said he thought his team returned to form.
"The discipline levels just skyrocketed up and we started playing how we should be playing every minute of that game," he said, while also crediting teammate Aiden Chalmers for a solid game. "Beast of a running back. He's probably one of our best players. Great leader, great athlete and great captain as well."
Going into the second half, Savoca said the mind set was just to play a mistake-free game.
"We can't take another loss. It's not who we are," he said. "We should be a winning school, by far. Going into the second half down (on the scoreboard), it really put in our mind that we need that chip on our shoulder."
Chris Cudmore, the offensive coach for the Invaders, said his team was able to rebound from a poor first half, which he also credited to a more disciplined approach.
"We ran the ball hard and actually did what we were supposed to do while staying away from penalties," he said. "In the first half, it was just too many penalties."
With the loss, Maple Ridge fell to 0-5 on the season and is still looking for its first win in school history. The school opened in September 2021 and this is the first year it has fielded a football team.
Cudmore commended the Ravens varsity squad for a solid game.
"It's great to have a new team in the league. We love that," he said. "They're just learning, but they're scrappy. They're not as big as other teams, but they probably gave us as much fits as any other team did on the line, so kudos to them. Hats off."
Chris Read, Innisdale's defensive coach, said he was happy with his players on that side of the ball.
"We've played solid football, I think, all season," he said. "Scores have always been close. We get a little too focused on the run sometimes and give up some passes we shouldn't give up, but we rebound well. With the boys, I'm really happy with the way they're playing again."
Read knows his team has a tough game in store for next week against the Barrie North Vikings (2-1).
"North is going to be a bar fight," he said. "So, now we are 2-2, which is nice for a change. We've been really trying to rebuild the program. Since about 2017, our record hasn't really reflected Innisdale football. Normally, we have a much stronger showing."
The Collingwood Fighting Owls and the Orillia Nighthawks also met this week, on Wednesday. The Nighthawks came away with a 14-12 victory at Orillia Secondary School. With the win, the Nighthawks improve to 2-3 on the season while the Owls now have an even 2-2 record.
Barrie North will host Eastview on Monday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. Both teams have 2-1 records.
Also next week, as the SCAA regular-season schedule winds down, Maple Ridge hosts the undefeated Bear Creek Kodiaks (4-0) on Thursday, Oct. 26, with the game getting underway at noon. It marks the last game of their inaugural season for the Ravens.
There will be two games on Oct. 27 at 1:30 p.m., as Innisdale hosts Barrie North, while Eastview will be in Collingwood to meet the Owls.
The playoffs are set to begin on Oct. 31, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 6. The SCAA championship game is scheduled for Nov. 10 at Maple Ridge Secondary School, located at 225 Prince William Way.
The winner of the SCAA title then takes on the winner of the Catholic School Athletics of Simcoe County (CSASC) champion at 5 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Georgian College's J.C. Massie Field. The winner of that game claims the Georgian Bay Secondary School Association (GBSSA) championship.
Meanwhile, in Thursday's junior game at Innisdale, the Invaders (1-2) hosted the Nantyr Shores Tritons (1-3). The final score was not available at the time of publication.
The Collingwood juniors were in Orillia on Wednesday to face the Nighthawks. Collingwood won, 24-9, to improve to 4-0, while Orillia dropped to 3-2.
In other upcoming junior action, Barrie North (3-0) will host Eastview (0-3) on Monday, while Bear Creek (1-3) will be at Nantyr Shores on Thursday.
The SCAA regular-season schedule for the juniors wraps up on Oct. 27 with Barrie North travelling to Innisdale, and Eastview making the trek to Collingwood.
The junior playoffs also get underway on Halloween, with the semifinals happening on Nov. 6 and the championship game set for Nov. 10 at Maple Ridge. The junior GBSSA title game goes on Nov. 14 at J.C. Massie Field.
For more information and scores, visit the SCAA website by clicking here.
