Blue Bombers seniors and juniors qualify for TVRA football championship games

Ingersoll junior Blue Bombers Jacob Gutierrez (left) and Logan Walters (right) put he pressure on Gemini quarterback Carver Schott. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

Both the Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute junior and senior Blue Bomber football teams are down to their final kickoff of the 2025 season — one tough victory away from capturing the Thames Valley Regional Athletics Tier II championship.

Familiarity has built respect for both of their opponents.

The senior Bombers are scheduled for a rematch with the London Saunders Sabres Fri., Nov. 7, at 1Password Park in St. Thomas, beginning at 5:15 p.m. The two teams finished tied in the Williamson Division regular season standings at 4-0-1; the tie was a 7-7 draw on Thursday, Oct. 16 at IDCI.

“This is a classic matchup of an offence that runs the ball well versus a team that passes well,” said Blue Bombers head coach Nick DiCiocco. “Both defences are stout and I think this game will be extremely close again.

“They are well coached and very disciplined and we are excited for a rematch that can’t end in a tie this time around.”

The senior Bombers opened playoffs with a comfortable 26-1 win over the Aylmer East Elgin Eagles on Thursday, Oct. 23, at IDCI, punching their ticket to the final with a 33-7 semi-final victory over the London Montcalm Cougars a week later at 1Password Park.

The Cougars opened scoring on a 60-yard quarterback scramble on their first offensive series.

“That was the wakeup call we needed to turn it on,” said DiCiocco.

IDCI reeled off three consecutive touchdowns in response, a 30-yard rushing major courtesy of Nate Burton, a 35-yard pass completion from Cam Delwo to Gavin Laidman, and a Laidman sweep that went for 65 yards, the Blue Bombers ball carrier weaving in and out between would-be tacklers.

Delwo linked up with Liam Thompson for a 20-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, the balance of the Blue Bombers scoring coming on two safeties and three rouges.

The previous week, the ‘more and bigger’ Cougars scored on their opening and closing drives at Woodstock College Avenue, downing the homefield Knights 20-13. CASS battled back to tie the game at 13 late in the fourth quarter, but Montcalm responded with the game-winning TD with 1:07 left against a Knights’ lineup thinned by injuries.

Teshaine Peach scored the first CASS touchdown on a five-yard quarterback keeper. Kaleb Krupp added the second on a second-and-goal jet sweep from the Montcalm four, the PAT tying the game at 13 with roughly two minutes remaining, cueing a possible comeback.

“Thought we were back in the game, thought we had the momentum,” Krupp said. “But injuries got the best of us.”

The Cougars were big said CASS fullback/defensive end Kaiden Malott, but the Knights hadn’t played their best game either, particularly in the first half.

“Started to come back, just couldn’t finish it off.”

“I can’t say we played the greatest,” agreed Peach. “But we left it all on the field. We were fighting to the last minute.”

The College Avenue junior Knights finished their season on a winning note, defeating Montcalm 29-6 in a preliminary round consolation bowl final on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at CASS.

The junior Blue Bombers are set for a rematch with East Elgin in the TVRA Tier 2 title game, set to kick off at 1Password Park on Friday, Nov. 7, at 2:15 p.m.

“We expect the game to be a battle,” said IDCI coach Ben Griffiths. “East Elgin is a very good team and we know we’ll need to bring our best.

“Our team is full of passion and determination which we look forward to showcasing on the field Friday.”

The Eagles shut IDCI out in their regular season meeting in Aylmer. The junior Blue Bombers finished the regular season with a 4-1-1 record in the TVRA Walzak Division. East Elgin, which was 4-1-0, edged Strathroy DCI 8-7 in their semi-final. The Eagles opened the playoffs with a 34-7 quarter-final win over Woodstock St. Mary’s on Thursday, Oct. 23, at CASS.

The Blue Bombers qualified for the Tier II final with a ‘gritty, back and forth’ 15-14 semi-final win over the junior Sabres Thursday, Oct. 30 at London’s City Wide Field #1. Griffiths was proud of the character displayed as Ingersoll did not give up despite trailing 14-9 with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Offensively, Deacon Janess scored an early rouge, which would provide the key. IDCI added two points on a safety early in the second half, which coach Griffiths says helped turn the momentum in the Bombers’ favour. Grayson Burton and Hayden Edwards scored Ingersoll touchdowns.

The Blue Bombers scored three second-quarter majors en route to a 20-6 quarter-final win over the Tillsonburg Glendale Gemini on Thursday, Oct. 23, at IDCI. Jacob Gutierrez opened the scoring on a four-yard plunge, Aidan Thomson covered a Rhys Johnson fumble in the end zone, and Gutierrez ran an option pitch/pass to Edwards for the third.

“He was wide open,” said Gutierrez. “Everyone came to me.”

Although separated aesthetically, each accounted for the same six points.

“We always say a touchdown is a touchdown,” said Johnson. “Ugly, pretty, doesn’t matter.

“Just trying to put up points.”

Janess kicked two of three point after tries to give IDCI a 20-0 shutout lead that stood up to the game’s final minute. Defensively, the Blue Bombers keyed on Gemini quarterback Carver Schott, a dual threat they kept pressure on, Gutierrez recording a career high five sacks.

“He can really run and throw, throw really far. We just wanted to get to him as fast as we could.”