Metro Bowl 1988

Noteworthy:
Due to scheduling conflicts with TDCAA playoffs, Michael Power, a team which was eliminated in the TDCAA semi-finals, represented TDCAA in the Metro Bowl quarter-finals.
Halton also did not participate due to scheduling conflicts, although Halton champions White Oaks almost had a team revolt in that their players wanted to participate.

The Toronto Star published the following column by David Grossman on November 19th:

Leave it to the Central Tech Blues, already known for their magic on the gridiron, to pull another victory out of the hat.

Yesterday the Blues rallied to capture their second consecutive Metro high school football championship - something never done before in the brief seven-year history of the multi-league playoffs.

The Blues, playing some gutsy football, came from behind with 16 unanswered points to post a 16-10 victory over the Pickering Trojans before a jubilant crowd of more than 1,200 at Esther Shiner Stadium.

With the game tied 10-10 and just under three minutes left to play in the final quarter, Pickering went for the go-ahead single on a 45-yard punt that trickled into the Central end zone.

Sam Mouratidis, however, managed to escape to the Blues' one- yard line. Three plays later on a third-and-nine gamble, quarterback Cosby Jackson dropped back into the end zone and hooked up with Joe Campanico for a 66-yard gain.

Then with 1:19 left on the clock, Jackson again showed no signs of buckling under pressure and handed the ball, on a reverse play, to speedster Patrick Burke.

A national interscholastic champion in the 110-metre hurdles, Burke became an instant hero by running 43 yards to pay dirt for the winning points.

Pandemonium broke loose with cheerleaders hugging anyone in sight, parents snapping pictures and overjoyed Central players going berserk on the field.

"I didn't expect 109 yards on two plays so late in the game, you have to hand it to them and especially Cosby (Jackson) for throwing into the wind," said winning coach Chuck Wakefield, who admitted later that the aerial play was sent in from the sidelines. "It's one thing to call it but another to pull it off." The victory capped a perfect 11-0 season for Central.

Burke - who is being sought by schools such as Indiana and Northern Arizona for his ability on the track - was ecstatic.

"That was a play I'll never forget," said Burke, who also was chosen as The Toronto Star MVP of the game. "I saw the open field and took off."

The Trojans, who finished the season with an impressive 11-1 record, took a 3-0 lead when Stuart Brindle booted a seven-yard field goal after Pickering had controlled most of the opening quarter.

Pickering added to its lead when quarterback Glen Clark hit Brett Mathers for a 20-yard touchdown which Brindle converted.

Scoring Summary
Central Tech 16	Pickering 10
Patrick Burke TD	Brett Matthars TD Stuart Brindle FG, C