Rain bowl 2008.

This was last Saturday’s high school tier one senior football league championship game as a steady rain fell throughout the game. Fortunately, the game was played on the artificial turf at Minto Field at the Nepean Sportsplex, so that despite the wet conditions, the field did not turn into a muddy quagmire.

The 3:30 p.m. game was also played under the lights at the field to ward off the descending darkness, with umbrellas very much an accessory of choice among much of the crowd which watched the game between the perhaps appropriately named South Carleton High School Storm and the St. Peter Catholic High School Knights.

The final score of 32-7 for the Knights did not reflect the closeness of the game, at least for three quarters. Indeed, South Carleton even held the lead briefly in the second quarter and went into half time down by only a 10-7 score.

South Carleton had kicked off to open the game, with St. Peter’s driving downfield but stalling at the Storm’s 25 yard line. A 30 yard field goal made it 3-0 for St. Peter’s early in the game. This is how the first quarter ended, 3-0 for the Knights.

Just before the halfway mark in the 12 minute second quarter, the Storm defense came up with a big play. St. Peter’s was back at its own eight yard line and tried to pass. The ball was picked off by Storm defensive back Nolan Hill at the 18 yard line who ran it back to the St. Peter’s five yard line. After a five yard penalty and a four yard run up the middle, Storm running back Dave Sabourin took the ball around the right end into the end zone for a touchdown. A Danny Menard convert made the score 7-3 for the Storm with just over six minutes to go on the scoreboard clock.

St. Peter’s got nothing going on its next possession and was forced to punt. There was a fumble on the return and St. Peter’s got the ball back on the Storm’s 30 yard line. The Knights drove the ball into the end zone from there, scoring a converted touchdown with 3:33 showing on the clock and re-taking the lead by a 10-7 count.

There was no more scoring in the second quarter, with the team’s heading into half time with St. Peter’s ahead by 10-7.

With the steady rain continuing, most of the third quarter saw the two squads seesaw back and forth, with the Storm helped by a number of St. Peter’s penalties including a roughing the kicker call on a third down punt.

But after recovering a Storm fumble, St. Peter’s marched downfield from the Storm 45 yard line and scored a touchdown with only 58 seconds to go in the quarter. After the convert, it was 17-7 for St. Peter’s at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was not kind to the Storm. St. Peter’s scored another converted touchdown, making it 24-7. This was followed by a single on the ensuing kickoff, adding another point to the St. Peter’s total.

Another Storm fumble that St. Peter’s recovered on the South Carleton 15 yard line led to another St. Peter’s touchdown and convert, running the score up to 32-7 for the Knights with 3:45 still left on the game clock.

With less than a minute to go, the Storm offense started to move downfield but by this time the St. Peter’s bench was starting to celebrate, dunking their coaches on the sidelines and starting to savour their victory. The Storm ended up losing the ball on downs with 16 seconds left on the clock and St. Peter’s claimed a 32-7 victory and the National Capital Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s high school tier one senior football league championship.

While the St. Peter’s squad whooped it up at centre field, South Carleton head coach Paul Gowans addressed his squad off to the side, after which the teams shook hands and then lined up on the field for the presentation of the championship trophy and medals to the winning St. Peter’s Knights.

The South Carleton High School Storm had reached the championship final by defeating Glebe Collegiate Institute 21-0 in quarter final playoff action and then beating the defending champion St. Mark Catholic High School Lions 24-0 in semi-final playoff action. This semi-final playoff victory over St. Mark was immense, as St. Mark had won the championship in both 2006 and 2007 and had been a finalist in the four years before that.

The South Carleton Storm had a record of four wins and two losses in the regular season, including a 30-6 loss to the St. Peter Knights.

The St. Peter Knights, for their part, went through the regular season undefeated and then after a quarter final playoff bye, had beaten Sir Wilfred Laurier High School 22-17 in a semi final playoff game.

Playing for the South Carleton High School Storm senior football team this season were quarterback Jon Shaw; running backs Dave Sabourin and Bobby Jinkinson; receivers Brandon Shaw, Danny menard, Zack Rennick, Connor Lee and Wes Habgood; offensive linemen Brian Moore, Alex McCready, Shane Wattie, Greg Schuurmans, Evan Nightengale and Nathan Reeves; defensive linemen Jordan McConnell, Brian Ainger, Kris Klinger, Ben Donaldson, Jon Marshall, Justin Schilt and Matt Simpson; linebackers Sam Sabourin, Kyle Norris and George Economo; and defensive backs Iain Pope, TJ Pasieka, Ben Freeman, Chris Steuwe, Eden Hughes, Nolan Hill, Russel Prevost, Cory Keenan and Shawn Westerlaken.

Paul Gowans is the head coach while the assistant coaches are John Buck, Mitch Osborne, Brent Rennick and John Sunstrum.

The team’s manager is Cody Rennick. Looking after video for the team are Tyler Fitch and Noah Hoselton.