BY SCOTT
HADDOW
One last shot at redemption.
This is the situation facing the Sudbury Northerners senior
squad this Saturday.
The team has gone winless (0-7) in its first seven games, last
dropping a 58-0 loss to Huronia in Week 8.
The team takes to Queen's Athletic Field at 7 pm for their
final 2007 Ontario varsity Football League (OVFL) match against
Markham (1-6).
The juniors squad will also play, versus the junior Markham
team at Queen's at 2 pm.
Both Northerners teams were in jeopardy of not being able to
play their final games due to league fees not being paid.
The OVFL has sanctioned the games, allowing both teams to
finish the season while the money is being paid up.
Coaches and players have put the off-field mess behind them and
are now concentrating entirely on the game.
"The guys have come out and had spirited practices," said head
coach Frank Rocca. "They're focused on Saturday's game and
playing well in front of a home town crowd. Our No. 1 priority
is winning this last game. The boys are ready to go."
The Northerners don't want to end their season with zero
wins.
"It would mean a lot to us if we can earn that one win," said
quarterback Andrew Kirkwood. "Especially for the guys leaving,
so they can go out on a good note. For the guys coming back, it
would be a good thing to build on and from next year."
Despite the struggles and the losses, the Northerners aren't
feeling blue.
"I'll be back and I'm looking forward to it," said Kirkwood.
"We built a lot of strong team chemistry...going through such a
rough season. We're a better team than our record shows. We
have good guys on this team and what we went through, we're all
better players because of it."
The keys to winning are straightforward.
"Our leaders must step up and really show what they can do,"
said Rocca. "Big players make big plays in big games.
 There's no bigger game this year for us for these
leaders to shine. We must come out strong and make no mistakes.
If we can just play good, clean football, we'll be in it."
Sudbury's coaches have been impressed how the players handled
themselves this season.
"Adversity is a good thing...and we met it head on," said
Rocca. "We took leaps and bounds this year regardless of our
record. I think we laid a good foundation to build from. These
kids have a lot of character."
The juniors take to the field at 2 pm against the junior
Markham squad. The juniors are 1-6 on the season and also
looking to win. They sit in last place in the Wettges east
Division. Markham is also 1-6.
