Hilltops stand between Cougars and national title

[JDM]

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Hilltops stand between Cougars and national title
HERB ZURKOWSKYThe Gazette
Saturday, November 03, 2007

The St. Léonard Cougars are 10-0 this season. But their impeccable record could be nothing more than a footnote in history should they be unable to follow that up with an 11th victory today in the Canadian Bowl.
The Cougars meet the Saskatoon Hilltops for the Canadian Junior Football League championship today at Canad Inns Stadium. The Hilltops, a perennial junior football powerhouse, have won the title 12 times, including three straight, between 2001 and '03. The Cougars are seeking their first championship. Indeed, no Quebec-based team has won the CJFL crown since the N.D.G. Maple Leafs in 1965.
"You always want a bigger season. But we got the monkey off our backs two weeks ago. And it was a big monkey," Cougars head coach Tony Iadeluca said.
The Cougars, ranked first nationally, have won the Ontario Football Conference title eight consecutive seasons. But when they defeated the Vancouver Island Raiders, the defending Canadian champs, on Oct. 20, it marked the first time in eight attempts St. Léonard had disposed of a western-based team. That includes the national championship in 2002, when they lost to the Hilltops, and the 2003 semifinal to Saskatoon. Both games were at Stade Hébert.
Iadeluca, in his ninth season coaching the Cougars, hopes the third time will be the charm against Saskatoon. St. Léonard boasts a fast team capable of capitalizing on big plays. Ismael Bamba scored on a 103-yard kickoff return, while Jesse Lacle had a 74-yard touchdown reception against the Raiders.
"We're the fastest team in Canada, probably. Is it our best talent? No. But character-wise, discipline and unity, it probably is our best," Iadeluca said.
This week, Raiders general manager Matthew Blokker called the Cougars a "bunch of gangsters," accusing them of coming over to the team's bench before the game and attempting to provoke a fight. But yesterday, Iadeluca brushed off the accusation as sour grapes, noting his team was assessed fewer penalty yards during the semifinal.
"They came to our field. They were last year's champs. They flew in on Friday for a Saturday afternoon game. They were arrogant and overconfident. Everything around them made them lose," he said.
The Cougars boast an array of talent on both sides of the ball.
Running-back Lenn Gittens led the Ontario league in rushing, with 623 yards. Receiver Tony Testa had a league-leading six touchdowns, while Bamba led the league in punt returns, with a 28-yard average. He returned two for touchdowns. And quarterback Jason Hogan, in his first season with the Cougars, passed for 14 touchdowns and 1,248 yards.
"Obviously, this is a big game. I've waited for this opportunity all my life," said Hogan, 21.
"I have what it takes to take them to the promised land. If the rest follow me, we're unstoppable."

© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007