Bulldogs Insider - A Season in Review

Each week Bulldogs wide receiver, running back, place kicker and even quarterback Matt Gordon, has been giving you an insightful look at the North Bay Bulldogs. Enjoy!

After suffering a heartbreaking 4th quarter comeback loss to the Oakville Longhorns (3-2-2) in their final game of the 2008 regular season, the Bulldogs (1-6) were asked by the NFC to participate in the playoffs to replace a team that had not met their financial requirements on time. After a meeting of the team executives and a subsequent player meeting the team decided to turn down the offer and maintain their 9th place position.

That now allows us to look back and although our record was disappointing this year, the season in general was not. Even after such a tough loss to finish the season, morale was still high when we met for our practice/meeting on Tuesday night.

Before we sat down to discuss the playoff situation our team played a game of Chinese Football. A Bulldogs tradition, I would describe it as a mix of Football, Rugby and Ultimate Frisbee; it is extremely fun, an excellent workout and allows the entire team to be involved. While I was watching from the sideline on Tuesday evening, I noticed that everyone was still smiling and having a great time despite our lack of success this summer. As I stood there I began to think about all the bright moments we have had this year and I thought it would be a good idea to talk about those moments in my last article.

The first memorable moment for me came long before the season starts during training camp. In one of our first full scrimmages our rookie receiver Kwadwo Adusei was asked to run a reverse. On this play my job was to be the lead blocker, but just as I set up to throw my block I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Kwad was not only past me but he was already flying down the sideline unabated to the end-zone. Never in my life have I ever felt so slow, and Kwad was not done there. In our first game of the year, on his first ever touch of a ball in the NFC Kwad caught a punt, turned on the after burners and ran 50 yards for a touchdown. It was a great way to start the season and a showed the whole team a bright spot for our future.

Another young player had a play I will always remember; Anthony Wood a 17-year-old linebacker who still has another year left at West Ferris S.S. was thrust into a starting role against the #1 team in the country in Sault Ste. Marie. Anthony not only stood his ground throughout the game, but early in the second half his number was called on a blitz and he took full advantage; crashing through the line he took a straight line for the QB and took him down with a textbook tackle. It was his first sack in the NFC and one I am sure he will always remember. I really don’t envy the offensive co-ordinators in the NDA that will have to deal with Anthony.

Just as with Kwad, another great moment came in a practice late in the season when our defence decided to run a hitting drill. Defensive lineman Nick Greaves decided he would challenge offensive lineman Ron Penasse to go against him in the drill. Keep in mind we are talking about two of the biggest players on our team. So with Nick lined up as running back and Ron as the tackler they went to battle. The outcome was a sound so loud that even those not in the drill took notice of it. With Nick on the ground and Ron doing his pseudo-helmet-bowling celebration, all of the onlookers cheered quite loudly.

Take nothing away from Nick, he has played running back in the past and any other player on our roster would have faired much worse than he did.

A personal favourite moment for me came with the return of two of the best nicknames in Bulldog history. Deep River boys Jason “Sludge” Pichette and Nick “Freak” Hallett returned to the Bulldogs mid season after a few years off. Both impacted the team immediately, helping with a young team that needed a boost. “Sludge” picked up where he left off making gigantic holes for our running backs to run through and “Freak” took on a new position at slot back catching several passes in his debut including a clutch touchdown in our only win of the season.

Youth and rebuilding was definitely the theme of this year’s team and two of those young players really made an impact on me. Both may not have a wealth of statistics to show for their efforts but the grit, determination and “never say die” attitude they showed was far more valuable. Both were winners of our MVD (Most Valuable Dog) helmet and it is scary to think how good they could be in a few years. They are Chris Dicht our nose-tackle and Kevin Godin our fullback and both had excellent seasons.

Kevin had never played fullback and right from our first game on he showed no fear in crashing through the line to make his blocks. He caught on very quickly and was always eager to learn and that made him better every time he stepped on the field. Unfortunately Kevin’s season was cut short due to injury in Sault Ste. Marie.

Chris was forced to take on double teams all year long playing at a very demanding position. He fought hard and never once complained about fatigue or injury, he even played both ways in the Soo when we were short offensive lineman. Hopefully Chris will be a staple on our defence for years to come.

In closing I would like to thank our dedicated coaching staff who donate their time to the sport they love so we can play each year. Marc Mathon, Kelly Lloyd, Stu Jackson, and Jason Partridge all did and excellent job and I know I speak for the entire team when I say, without you there would be no North Bay Bulldogs. Thank you also to Jason Ferreira and Duke Schrek for your added help on the sidelines.

I also would like to extend a personal thank you to Chris Dawson who gave me the opportunity to write this column. He has done an amazing job covering our team over the years and also does a wonderful job bringing exposure to all our local sports.

Lastly, to the fans and sponsors; thank you very much, your continued support year in and year out is what keeps our team alive. We are extremely lucky to have the most supportive community out of any in the NFC and we will continue to do our best to show our appreciation on and off the field. Hopefully we will see you all back next year for another summer of Bulldogs Football.