Tommies on their way to football final

Tommies take early lead, and score late to upset Rothesay to earn spot in NBIAA 9-man football final.

The James M. Hill Tommies will play in the NBIAA 9-man football final on Saturday, November 9th at BMO Field at UNB at 11 am.

The Tommies earned a spot in the finals against the Sussex Sonics with a thrilling 23-21 win on the weekend over Rothesay.  This is JMH’s 4th year in the league after a 47 year hiatus from football, and their first trip to the playoffs since their return.

In their win over Rothesay the Tommies got off to a great start with three touchdowns in the first half, leading at the break 20-15.  Rothesay roared back with three field goals in the second half to take the lead 21-20, but on their final drive of the game the Tommies got a key field goal from Drew Duplessie to take a 23-21 lead with two minutes left in the game.  

The Rothesay squad were on the move with only seconds left when Declan Doyle made an interception to seal the win.

Tommie touchdowns came courtesy of quarterback Bradley Robinson, and rushers Will Woods and Braden MacDonald.  Robinson said that MacDonald made several key runs for first downs throughout the game, and Doyle made great plays on both offence and defence.

In analyzing the win, Robinson said the Tommies really showed their heart and never gave up.  Rothesay beat the Tommies earlier in the season 28-6, and Robinson said he felt the team had a let down in the second half of that game, but felt the Tommies fought hard through the entire semi-final against the Red Hawks.

The Tommies finished the regular season 4-3, and will play the undefeated Sussex team on Saturday.   The Sonic’s defence was especially stingy this season, allowing only a total of 26 points against them in 7 games.

It will be a tough test for the Tommies, but their confidence should be high, and a strong Miramichi contingent is planning on attending the historic match.