Wildcats to play in Central Bowl

It appears that the Widdifield Wildcats are in the middle of a political football controversy that they had nothing to do with and because of that the Wildcats will be playing Eastview Secondary School in the Central Bowl on November 26th, instead of playing in the Northern Bowl, which is normally the spot where the finalists in NOSSA meet the Thunder Bay champion.

Wildcats head coach Sean Mullan knew about the switch made by OFSAA a couple weeks ago after Thunder Bay made a request to have the bowl game’s rotated each year.

“The fact is that we are playing in a bowl game,” said Mullan who’s been fielding numerous calls even from Sault Ste. Marie media about this bowl swap.

“Soo is upset because the Central bowl in their eyes is a bigger prize but a bowl game is a bowl game.”

Yes, the St. Mary’s Knights are very upset. They were looking to become the first school ever to win four Central Bowl titles and now they have to settle for a Northern Bowl victory, in what some Soo media are calling the “Loser Bowl.”

"I wonder if we've been given this at the eleventh hour so we wouldn't appeal," Smith told SooToday.com, BayToday.ca’s sister site.

"We don't understand why. We're not too happy with it and we want to continue in the Central Bowl. Our team has won three times. We wanted a chance to win a fourth time."

Smith says he and his players are upset by OFSAA's decision and he's been working the phones trying to get it reversed.

"It could easily be switched back," he says.

However Mullan, who’s talked with Knights head coach Marty Smith about this Bowl mess and he sympathizes with the NOSSA champs that defeated his squad 35-14 last Saturday in North Bay.

“I feel bad for the Soo if that’s what they had their sites on then that’s too bad,” he said.

However the change may actually make sense. There has been rumours that Barrie is applying to take part in the Metro Bowl games next season which in turn could make the Northern Bowl the only bowl game for the NOSSA champs to compete in.

For more details on the Central Bowl controversy check out the link below to the SooToday’s story.


Sootoday story