Valley Heights comes from behind to win 29-26

Valley Heights’ Joel Driedger (26) celebrates his game-winning touchdown on Friday. 

Chris Abbott

Editor

A large crowd watched Friday’s AABHN Varsity Non-CWOSSA football game at Valley Heights Secondary School.

In the first quarter alone, they saw two touchdowns in the first 3:23 with Valley Heights Bears scoring on a 25-yard pass and Holy Trinity Titans quickly responding – after a surprise onside kick attempt – with an electric run on the next play. VHSS added to its 7-6 lead punting into the end zone. Thrilling action continued when the Bears intercepted a Titans’ bomb that was called back on pass interference.

Valley Heights led 22-14 going into a back-and-forth third quarter, but Titans’ running back Sean Cross scored on a 10-yard run to cut the gap to 22-20.

Holy Trinity then took its first lead with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter, going up 26-22.

“We came from last year, I think the score was 35-7 or something like that,” said Holy Trinity quarterback Logan Mark, recalling a 2024 season finale exhibition win at Valley Heights. “Today, we did not score on our first drive… and they came back and scored on their first drive. We knew they were coming for it - they took a bye week so they had some time to prepare for us. That’s what they planned to do and I think they executed pretty well.

“I think we did pretty well down the stretch, thought that was the game-winning drive (with 4:20 left),” Mark added.

“Honestly, I reckon our team has to build on discipline,” said Cross. “Listening and doing what we’re supposed to do. Definitely some more fitness conditioning, making sure we don’t get tired out in the fourth quarter. I’m gassed, we’re all gassed.”

Both Mark (safety halfback) and Cross (corner/linebacker) played both sides of the ball, all game. Both are nursing injuries from the first week.

“Honestly, I just think we need to build on teamwork,” said Mark. “That’s our big thing, teamwork. We just don’t have the numbers sometimes (at practice), things don’t mesh well. And we have great athletes.”

“It’s assignments,” Cross nodded.

***

On the edge of their seats since the opening minutes, Bears fans were treated to some last-minute heroics.

“We knew that we could come back,” said Valley Heights quarterback Brady Smith. “We just had to hype everyone up, get this offence moving… because we weren’t really moving that good in the second half. Injuries happen – it is what it is. But we figured it out. We were trying to get the pass play going, but every time I would just get smoked. So… let’s get these short passes.”

With just 52 seconds left, VHSS tight end Joel Driedger - with good blocking - raced 40-plus yards down the right sideline for a game-winning touchdown that was converted to give Valley Heights its 29-26 lead. It would stand as the final.

“It was a double reverse,” said Smith. “We’ve done it a few times – we did it last year when we weren’t in the league, we’ve done it in practice. It was one of our good plays that we kind of perfected. It’s just so much motion, right? It gets you confused.”

The Bears quarterback, one of Driedger’s lead blockers on the play – had to shift into high gear.

“You normally don’t see a quarterback as lead blocker,” he laughed. “I looked back and was like ‘where is he?’ Then all of a sudden he (Driedger) is right there! I thought, I’ve got to turn it on high.”

The third game of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk season had playoff vibes.

“It was huge,” said Valley Heights coach Joel Smith. “It’s our first year back in the league so every game is going to have that intensity to make it look like we belong in the league… and we’re 2-1 (with a forfeit to Delhi rather than playing twice that week).

“Last year we played Cayuga here and they scored with a minute-and-a-half to go up,” said the Valley Heights coach. “We scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to walk away with a tie. So we’re never out of it.

“Neither team quit today,” he concluded.