Metro Bowl

1995

Date: November 29th

Venue: SkyDome, Toronto

St. Patricks 37, Mayfield 34

Preliminary

Petro Bowl
Semi-finals
Brampton Centennial (Peel) 28, Waterdown (SOSSA Zone 1) 24
Mayfield 21, St. Thomas Aquinas (Halton) 15
 

Quarterfinals

Durham Bowl
Dunbarton (Durham) 18, Barrie North (GBSSA) 16

West Bowl (Petro Bowl)
Mayfield 26, Brampton Centennial 0

Toronto Bowl: Semi-finals
Etobicoke Rams 13, Northern 8
St. Michaels College 14, Agincourt Lancers 6

Toronto Bowl
St. Michaels College (TDCCA) 26, Etobicoke (Etobicoke) 6

Far West Bowl
St. Patricks 31, Central Tech. 21

Semifinals

Mayfield 29, Dunbarton 14

St. Patricks 29, St. Michaels College 14

Final

St. Patricks Fighting Irish 37, Mayfield Mavericks 34 (OT)

David Grossman provided the following game report in the November 30th edition of the Toronto Star:

One of the most exciting high school football games in decades may now be in the history books but the bitter pain of defeat lingers for the Mayfield Secondary Mavericks.

The Caledon-based team came so close to capping a Cinderella playoff round only to lose a thrilling season-ending Metro Bowl championship that required four overtime periods and took an incredible three hours and 27 minutes to play last Friday.

Sarnia's St. Patrick's Fighting Irish won their second title in the past three years, a 37-34 nail-biter, but this one wasn't as easy as the others.

In fact, the teams frequently exchanged leads while huffing and puffing their way through a physically exhausting and emotionally draining playoff for bragging rights and the coveted William G. Davis Trophy.

Some observers, including the coaching staffs on both teams, had even expressed concern about the safety of teenage athletes playing such a long game in a state of fatigue.

``Sure I was worried,'' said Mayfield's Bob Honey, who has been a coach for the past 26 years. ``These athletes aren't used to this kind of pressure and playing in the SkyDome which was very dry and different from what they had been used to in games outside.''

However, the game went on and was finally decided after Brian Devlin kicked his third field goal of the game, an easy 16-yarder, which had been set up on an interception off Mayfield quarterback Jay Hayashi.

Mayfield had an opportunity to go for the tie in the closing seconds but the coaching staff, aware the kicking game was a concern, instead issued instructions to gamble from the St. Pat's 26-yard line on fourth down.

It almost worked as Hayashi's pass in the end zone was wrestled away by defender Steve Mahue from all-star receiver Sean Forrest.

``It was beyond our dreams to get this far and while (St. Pat's) got the trophy as far as the coaching staff is concerned, we're also the champions,'' said Honey.

For some players, like all-star linebacker Darryl Rundle, the Mavericks' showing confirmed their appearance was no fluke.

``I'm proud and so are the rest of the guys . . . we played as good as we could and we know where we stand,'' said Rundle, an intimidating 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker. ``We were never blown out of a game this year. Then we had defeated three unbeaten teams and still got no respect. Maybe now things will change.''

Mayfield's 17-year-old running back Drew Barnhouse, who had a career game rushing for 146 yards on 29 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Metro Bowl, had some difficulty wrestling with the loss.

``At the start of the year, we never even thought about Metro Bowl,'' said Barnhouse, who missed a few season games with a separated shoulder. ``People could see us coming together as a team and then to get this far . . . that final game meant the world to me.''

While Peel Region rules stipulated that all Division One high school teams advanced to the post-season playoffs, Mayfield embarked on its' playoff success beating Lorne Park in the quarterfinals and later Clarkson in the semis, after losing five games during the regular schedule.