Bancroft T-Hawks football team ends the regular season undefeated

By Bill Kilpatrick

On Saturday, June 10 the Bancroft T-Hawks minor football team hosted the Trent Hills Titans at North Hastings High School in their only home game of the year. Coming into this game the T-Hawks were undefeated with a record of 3-0-1 and the Titans were 3-1-0. The field was packed with spectators supporting their home team. The T-Hawks, who were first in offence coming into the game, continued to dominate both offensively and defensively as they downed the Titans 18-8 ending the season undefeated. Touchdowns were scored by Troy Hetu, Cameron Roy and Reid “speed” McEathron who leads the league in touchdowns and scored his 10 touchdown of the season. Matt McTrash, one of the coaches, said that he's hoping to bring home the second ‘A' championship in three years. The T-Hawks last won an ‘A' championship in 2019 and were hoping to add another in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from getting back-to-back championships and shut down the league until 2022. Prior to 2019 the last ‘A' championship that the T-Hawks won was 2001 when the founders of the T-Hawks, Daryl Carleton and Todd Postance, were coaching. Both coaches have since passed away, but McTrash is confident that they are smiling down on the team as they head into the playoffs.

The players and coaching staff were overwhelmed at the turnout for their home game and also had some surprises. One such surprise was when members of the Bancroft Lions Club showed up to debut their new mobile barbecue truck and then donated all their profits to the T-Hawks. Mike Murphy, of Murphy's septic service, donated portable toilets for the game. Miranda Mitchell, a parent of one of the T-Hawks defensive captains Liam Mitchell, also organized a bake sale complete with a popcorn maker, a snow cone machine and a cotton candy machine. Mitchell and some student volunteers from the high school managed to raise $2,300 in about an hour with all the proceeds going to the T-Hawks.

McTrash, who coaches offense, could not be happier with the team's performance as well as the exceptional coaching staff including Lance Conlin who coaches defense, John Riley who is the offensive and defensive line coach, along with two “phenomenal” student coaches Nick Liedtke and C.J. Dillabough. McTrash is so thankful for all the parent support, along with all volunteers including the Bancroft Pentecostal Church and their team sponsor M. G. Daly Funeral Homes. The T-Hawks will be playing their semi-final playoff game Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Mary Ann Sills Park in Belleville and the finals will be held at Mary Ann Sills Park on Saturday, June 24 beginning at 11 a.m. for the ‘B' championship and 1 p.m. for the ‘A' championship.