Photo courtesy of Joanna Kurowski

Hamilton Hurricanes 19

London Beefeaters 16

An exciting match-up between these two Ontario powerhouses that came down to the last quarter with the Canes squeezing out a three point victory on Saturday night.

Hurricanes new quarterback Ethan Belbeck was 19 of 31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Six different receivers caught passes and Keyshaun Jordan and Jevante Stanley got into the end zone.

Defensively the Hurricanes put pressure on the Beefs’ offence all night collecting seven sacks led by Richie Williams who had three. Terrell Theberge intercepted a pass and Raven Lafromboise blocked a kick.

The Beefeaters offence was led by veteran quarterback Clarke McCallum in their new red uniforms. He found seven different receivers for 18 completions and 238 yards. His lone touchdown pass was to Bailey Holmes who finished with three receptions for 35 yards. McCallum also scrambled six times for 50 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side the Beefs held the Hurricanes run game to just 49 yards. Willie Mboko led the way with seven tackles and Spencer Foster and Brandan Gallant each picked off a pass.

This weekend the Hurricanes (2-0) will host the GTA Grizzlies (0-2) on Friday night while the Beefeaters (1-1) will visit the nation’s capital on Saturday to face the Ottawa Sooners (0-1).

Niagara Regional Raiders 22

GTA Grizzlies 14

The visiting Raiders scored six points in the fourth and shutout the hometown Grizzlies to secure their first win of the season.

The Raiders used their ground attack as Robert Rusby rushed 27 times for 156 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns while quarterback Ethan Stokes scored a major on five carries.

Defensively the Raiders were solid with seven sacks led by Sebastian Gottfredsen who had three of them. They also forced seven turnovers.

The Grizzlies on the other hand got their 14 points courtesy of their special teams. Harvey Mafuta returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. Not to be outdone Nick Clarkin also returned a punt, 56 yards for a major.

This weekend the Raiders (1-1) travel to Windsor to face the Fratmen (1-0) on Saturday night. The Grizzlies have a quicker turnaround facing the Hamilton Hurricanes (2-0) on Friday night.