BY JOHN DECOSTE
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Valley Minor Football took time Dec. 8 to celebrate another successful season for the three Bulldogs teams, and to hand out year-end awards.
The Atom Bulldogs went 7-0 in the regular season before being upset by Truro in the first round of the Tier 1 playoffs.
Both the Peewees and Bantams made it to the Tier 2 playoffs, with the Peewees losing in the provincial Tier 2 final.
The Peewee Bulldogs, according to head coach Reg Ogilvie, improved as much as any team in the province from the start to the end of the season.
“I said when we started that I’d probably learn more from them than they did from me,” he said, “and that ended up being the case.”
As a group, the team “ended up going far beyond any expectations we set for them. It didn’t always translate into points on the scoreboard or wins in the standings, but we’re all better players and better people for it.”
“Our goal at the start of the year was to develop 30 football players, and we did that,” Atom head coach Dave Ross said in his remarks.
“Everyone on the team worked hard all season and, though the season didn’t end like we hoped it would – after holding a team to 90 yards of offense all game, one play for 70 yards beat us – it was a really exciting year for football in the Valley, and a great time to be a part of it.”
The Bantam Bulldogs, who went 1-7 in 2009, started off this season with four straight victories and three straight shutouts as the first-year players, according to head coach Trenten Simmonds, “made quite an impact.”
The Bantams “ended up playing the top two teams in the league “in their final two games, and “only lost 10-0 to the top team.”
Bantam award winners
Rookie of the Year: co-winners Matt Bureaux and Nick Aalders
Most Improved: Elijah Ells
Most Sportsmanlike: Michael Boylen
Outstanding Lineman: Michael Acker
Unsung Hero: Cameron Davidson
Outstanding Defensive Player: co-winners Chad Schofield and Brandon Berry
Outstanding Offensive Player (shared equally by the five members of the offensive line) – Kirklyn Levy, Nicholas Gerrard, Tanner Ward, Brock O’Brien and Brandon Vaughan
Peewee award winners
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Kelley
Most Improved: co-winners Noah Graves and Michael Cook
Outstanding Special Teams Player: Allan Bond
Offensive Lineman: Duncan Hill
Defensive Lineman: co-winners Waylen Leenhouts and Mason Rice
Top Offensive Player: Jon Main
Top Defensive Player: Michael Ogilvie
Overall MVP: Ben Best
Atom award winners
Rookie of the Year: Tyler Corbin
Most Improved: co-winners Kaleb Winter and Chesley Winter
Top Lineman: co-winners Alex Adams and Dyton Blackett
Defensive MVP: Keir Frank-Roger
Offensive MVP: co-winners Caleb Melanson and Connor Ross
BY JOHN DECOSTE
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Valley Minor Football took time Dec. 8 to celebrate another successful season for the three Bulldogs teams, and to hand out year-end awards.
The Atom Bulldogs went 7-0 in the regular season before being upset by Truro in the first round of the Tier 1 playoffs.
Both the Peewees and Bantams made it to the Tier 2 playoffs, with the Peewees losing in the provincial Tier 2 final.
The Peewee Bulldogs, according to head coach Reg Ogilvie, improved as much as any team in the province from the start to the end of the season.
“I said when we started that I’d probably learn more from them than they did from me,” he said, “and that ended up being the case.”
As a group, the team “ended up going far beyond any expectations we set for them. It didn’t always translate into points on the scoreboard or wins in the standings, but we’re all better players and better people for it.”
“Our goal at the start of the year was to develop 30 football players, and we did that,” Atom head coach Dave Ross said in his remarks.
“Everyone on the team worked hard all season and, though the season didn’t end like we hoped it would – after holding a team to 90 yards of offense all game, one play for 70 yards beat us – it was a really exciting year for football in the Valley, and a great time to be a part of it.”
The Bantam Bulldogs, who went 1-7 in 2009, started off this season with four straight victories and three straight shutouts as the first-year players, according to head coach Trenten Simmonds, “made quite an impact.”
The Bantams “ended up playing the top two teams in the league “in their final two games, and “only lost 10-0 to the top team.”
Bantam award winners
Rookie of the Year: co-winners Matt Bureaux and Nick Aalders
Most Improved: Elijah Ells
Most Sportsmanlike: Michael Boylen
Outstanding Lineman: Michael Acker
Unsung Hero: Cameron Davidson
Outstanding Defensive Player: co-winners Chad Schofield and Brandon Berry
Outstanding Offensive Player (shared equally by the five members of the offensive line) – Kirklyn Levy, Nicholas Gerrard, Tanner Ward, Brock O’Brien and Brandon Vaughan
Peewee award winners
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Kelley
Most Improved: co-winners Noah Graves and Michael Cook
Outstanding Special Teams Player: Allan Bond
Offensive Lineman: Duncan Hill
Defensive Lineman: co-winners Waylen Leenhouts and Mason Rice
Top Offensive Player: Jon Main
Top Defensive Player: Michael Ogilvie
Overall MVP: Ben Best
Atom award winners
Rookie of the Year: Tyler Corbin
Most Improved: co-winners Kaleb Winter and Chesley Winter
Top Lineman: co-winners Alex Adams and Dyton Blackett
Defensive MVP: Keir Frank-Roger
Offensive MVP: co-winners Caleb Melanson and Connor Ross