Metro Bowl

1996

Date: November 29th

Venue: SkyDome, Toronto

Clarkson Chargers defeated St. Michael’s Kerry Blues

East Bowl

Semi-final
Markham Marauders 28, Uxbridge Tigers 21
Trinity College Bears 34, Innisdale 21

Final
Trinity College Bears 27, Markham Marauders 13
(Trinity College advances to Metro Bowl Semi-finals)

Toronto Bowl

Semi-final
(November 12th)
St. Michael's Kerry Blues 21, Richview Saints 14 (four overtime periods)
Central Tech. Blues 6, Cedarbrae Colts 1


Final
(November 16th)
St. Michael's Kerry Blues 24, Central Tech Blues 21
(Both teams advance to Metro Bowl Semi-finals)

West Bowl

Semi-finals
Clarkson Chargers (Peel Region Champion) 37, Thomas A. Stewart 31
Waterdown 24, Lorne Park (Peel Region Finalist) 6

Clarkson Chargers 41, Waterdown Warriors 35
(Clarkson advances to Metro Bowl Semi-finals)

Metro Bowl

Semi-finals

Clarkson Chargers 20, Central Tech. Blues 13 (double overtime)
St. Michael's Kerry Blues 20, Trinity College Bears 6

Championship Game

Clarkson Chargers 27, St. Michael’s Kerry Blues 0

The Toronto Star published the following column by David Grossman on November 30th.

Marvin Brereton came to the SkyDome yesterday as a contender, nothing more, or so he says.

He wanted to play his best, score some points, enjoy his last high school football game and, hopefully, walk away with the championship hardware symbolic of the Metro Bowl senior football title. The 18-year-old fullback, who played most of the season with Clarkson Chargers as a superb linebacker, got his Christmas present a few weeks early - and it's one he'll cherish for the rest of his life.

A power runner, Brereton scored three touchdowns and galloped for 219 yards on 18 carries in a 27-0 rout of Toronto's St. Michael's Kerry Blues before an announced crowd of 3,497.

``We wanted this win, planned for it and I'm just a very proud person right now, proud of my team, my coaches and my family . . . this is a great feeling,'' said an emotional Brereton, who has letters of interest from Wake Forest, Ohio State, Michigan and New Hampshire.

Brereton credited guards Brennan Bastyovanzsky and Rob McKay, centre Ryan McGowan and tackles Daniel Schaer and Terrance Hack for creating gaping holes for him and Rob Wright.

``They did a job for us and they deserve the credit,'' said Brereton, chosen The Star's game MVP.

St. Mike's, which suffered one of the worst defeats in Metro Bowl history and is the only team to be held scoreless, could not get untracked. The Blues were stopped on four attempts inside the Clarkson 20-yard line.

``It was very disappointing not scoring . . . but (Clarkson) had one tight defensive squad,'' said Blues coach Paul Forbes. ``We knew they could move the ball and score. But we just couldn't answer back.''

Clarkson wasted little time putting up points, scoring on all three first-half possessions.

Brereton, with 129 yards on 16 carries before the intermission, capped an eight-play, 71-yard opening drive with a five-yard gallop.

St. Mike's appeared dazzled by Clarkson but had some success, with Brendan Cahill penetrating the Chargers zone for 138 yards on 23 carries.

On a fourth down and seven inside the Chargers 20-yard line, and down 6-0 at the time, the Blues chose to gamble rather than try a field goal. It backfired as pivot John Kielty, 8 of 22 and two interceptions, overthrew his receiver.

With 2:02 gone in the second, Brereton was back at it finishing an 11-play, 89-yard march with a three-yard TD run.

The Kerry Blues, hoping for a break, instead turned the ball over when a Kielty pass was picked off by Billy Malyk on the St. Mike's 41-yard line.

This time it was quarterback Angus Roy's turn to finish a drive with a two-yard TD. Brereton finished the scoring with an 89-yard third quarter major.

``It seemed like we were on track until we got deep in to their end . . . then nothing seemed to work,'' Cahill said.