JMH is good as soccer.  Both the Girls and Boys teams went to Fredericton this weekend and returned home with the AA Championship banners to cap off outstanding seasons.

The girls team, coached by Kate McGraw, had a 5-1 regular season and were perfect through the zones and provincials.  On Saturday they defeated LJR High (Shediac to earn a place in the final.  That game was a scoreless draw that ended in penalty kicks.  Lauren Swayne, the team’s goalkeeper, was named the MVP of the game, and played a key role in the final as well.

The final was played Sunday against École Clément-Cormier of Bouctouche.  It also went full time with no scoring and penalty kicks were agin needed.  The team was 4 for 4 in shoot-out games this year.  Swayne was chosen to take one of the penalties and made no mistake putting the pressure on ECC right away.  Both teams missed 2 of their 5 kicks, requiring a 6th kick.  Emily Kingston buried the winner, and ECC missed, giving the banner to JMH.  Emily Wishart was named player of the game for JMH.

The last time the girls won a provincial title was in 2018, also under coach McGraw.  This team has six seniors and will draw from a talented bench to fill the starting roster in 2025.

The Boys’ Season

JMH Boys, under coach Sean Legassie, was flawless.  The team went 13-0, only giving up two goals in the process.  The Tommies were the top seed heading into the tournament and dispatched Hampton in the semi-final by a score of 1-0.  The game was in the second extra time period with only 4 minutes remaining when Emmitt Marsh got behind the defence on a give-and-go and scored a  beauty from a sharp angle.  He was named player of the game.

In the final, JMH played cross-town rivals, the MVHS Pulamoo.  The Pulamoo also had a terrific season and only experienced losses when they played the Tommies.  The Tommies beat them twice in the regular season, once in zones, and again in the Provincial final.  After an earlier match this year, Pulamoo coach Alan Menzies complimented the Tommies and told his team “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best”.

In the final JMH scored early only 4 minutes into the game off the boot of Richmond M.  The Tommies withstood withering pressure in the final ten minutes of the game as MVHS had several close-range free kicks and chances to score.  The game was hard fought but clean, a real testament to the sportsmanship of both teams and coaches.

The player of the game for JMH was Curtis Dignam, but it could have been any one of the stalwart back line of the Tommies that played so well all year.

After the girls won their title they stayed around, despite the cold temperatures, and watched the boys bring home the gold.  The Miramichi Fire Department facilitated a short parade around Chatham after the teams got back in town.

MVHS beat Woodstock to make the final on goals by Matt Lirette and TJ Everly.

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EFKkJmLV0Q