Blue Bombers heading into playoffs on strength of undefeated regular season

Ingersoll DCI Blue Bombers defensive back Ethan Butt knocks down a pass intended for Saunders Sabre Gavyn Laws with support from IDCI teammate Spencer Krajewski. (Jeff Tribe Photo).

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The Ingersoll DCI Blue Bombers were more than willing to take responsibility for self-perceived mistakes following a 7-7 Thames Valley Regional Athletics Williamson Division senior football tie against the London Saunders Sabres on Oct. 16 at IDCI.

In fairness however, accountability should not trump achievement.

“(Saunders is) a heck of a team,” credited Blue Bombers defensive end/right guard Carter Whitsworth after a battle of undefeated 4-0 squads ended in a draw. “We went all in, it was war today. We had 25 guys and 25 guys stood on their head.

“Not one gave up.”

Saunders entered the contest having given up only a single touchdown on the season, against 128 points for. The Sabres brought a team flag along with that impressive record, catching the attention of Bombers receiver/defensive lineman Qurron Kelly.

“The moment we saw that flag, we knew we had to stand our ground and let them know this was our field.”

That process was formalized as Blue Bombers quarterback Cameron Delwo linked up with wide receiver Spencer Krajewski on a second-quarter 19-yard screen and go. Although Krajewski prefaced his recollections with the admission he had ‘dropped a couple of balls’, he made a successful adjustment on a touchdown pass he expected over his right shoulder, instead travelling above his left.

“I ended up coming down with it anyway,” said the Bombers wideout, whose reception, converted with a point after try, gave IDCI a 7-0 lead standing into the dying moments of the fourth quarter.

There, a fumble on a punt return gave the Sabres a first down at the IDCI 11 with 5:34 left on the clock. An offensive holding penalty, Whitsworth and friends gang tackle for no gain on second-and-17, and a well-defended third-and-17 pass attempt saw the Blue Bombers take over on their own 19 with 4:07 remaining.

Following the game, IDCI head coach Nick DiCiocco would second-guess his decision to punt from there on third down with under three minutes left, rather than taking a safety. In effect, giving up two points for a resultant free kick and enhanced field position, trusting a defence which had held the Sabres offence pointless.

The 20-20 quality of hindsight was focussed with a Saunders punt return to the Bombers 25, a net gain of just six yards. Saunders running back Liam Haggerty got outside left to set his team up first-and-goal at the 10, and again, second-and-goal from the one. The Bombers defence made a huge goal-line stand, driving a quarterback sneak attempt back to the five, however Haggerty responded from there on third down, Braulio De Leon Garza kicking a game-tying point after try with 1:27 remaining.

Kelly returned the ensuing kickoff to his own 24, a first down option pitch (unofficially to running back Nathan Burton) from there around the right end and back to the middle of the field resulting in a big gain to the Saunders 45. Sabres’ defensive halfback Emerson McInerney picked off a pass with 50 seconds however, a ‘favour’ returned by Krajewski at the Bombers 35, which in conjunction with teammate Ethan Butt’s knockdown on the final play of the game, helped lock up the 7-7 result.

A win would have been nice conceded Whitsworth.

“But going toe to toe with a team like that is a good day.”

“We hung tough and proved a lot of people wrong,” Kelly agreed.

Saunders is a great team credited DiCiocco, well coached.

“And I think they’re expecting to see us again in the finals.”

Blue Bombers culture is ‘we expect to win,’ continued DiCiocco, whose post-season goal is replicating IDCI’s 1968 bowl championship, building on a 2025 regular season of growth and learning.

“We learned you can’t take anybody lightly,” he concluded. “And we learned we can play with anybody, we really can. In this division, we can play with anyone.”

Williamson Division quarterfinals were scheduled for Thursday, October 23, with the 4-0-1 Blue Bombers hosting the 2-3 Aylmer East Elgin Eagles at IDCI beginning at 2:15 p.m.

“I think it’s just keep playing as a team,” said Delwo. “All our guys want it, you can see that every day.”

Coincidentally, the 3-2 Woodstock College Avenue Knights (who closed out their regular season with a 35-21 win over Strathroy) were also slated to be on their home field against London Montcalm. Tillsonburg Glendale was scheduled to face London Clarke Road at City Wide field in London, with Saunders at home to London Beal.

The IDCI junior Blue Bombers were also fit to be tied against the Sabres October 16th, finishing with a 0-0 draw in what coach Ben Griffiths described as a ‘gritty game on a short week.’

The 3-1-1 junior Bombers were scheduled to open playoffs at home to Tillsonburg Glendale Thursday, October 23 at 11 a.m. Simultaneously, the 2-3 Woodstock St. Mary’s Warriors, who finished their regular season with the first-year program’s first on field victory (14-6 over London Montcalm on Oct. 15 in London, with Noah Simas scoring two touchdowns) were to take to the field in Aylmer against the East Elgin Eagles. The 1-4 Woodstock College Avenue Knights were scheduled to be on their home field on Oct. 22, hosting London Montcalm in a Tier II preliminary round bowl game opening at 11 a.m.