SIX NATIONS – Coach Jay Smith has a big problem, but it’s a problem coach would love to have. Too much talent, not enough spots.
The 2017 Warriors are winning no matter who Smith suits up to put on the floor, the results will be the same — another Six Nations’ win. Smith and his staff, in his first year of coaching at the Jr. C level, have created an immediate contender for the Meredith Cup.
Last summer, the Wilmott Wild eliminated the Warriors from the playoffs. But this season, Smith wants the Championship to rest on Six Nations territory.
The Wild lost to the Clariton Shamrox in four games to win the 2016 Meredith Cup.
This season’s Six Nations Warriors are nothing short of dominant, winning all six starts and many by ridiculous scores.
They opened the season with a 10-7 win over the new Brantford Warriors, a 19-8 win over Caledon, a 10-9 win in Oakville, 17-8 over Mimico, 23-7 over Halton Hills and 17-3 over Whitby.
There really wasn’t much to report on Sunday’s 17-3 blasting of Whitby at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA), other than Marshall Powless’ six goals and two assists, Trent Martin’s nine assists, with input from Jaxon Martin (2G,1A), Tyrese Staats (4G), Todd Thomas Jr., (3G,1A), Ryan Johnson (1G, 3A), and Owen Martin (1G,2A).
After a rather benign first period, the Warriors outscored Whitby 9-2 in the second period alone, Whitby started to show signs of life but the Warriors quickly euthanized any thoughts of a Whitby comeback, shutting them out 4-0 in the third period for the 17-3 final score.
The biggest player for Whitby was it’s smallest player, No. 17, Matt Andersson. Head and shoulders shorter than anyone else on the floor, Andersson took a beating from his check, Riley Jamieson No. 7, who towered over him but Jamieson gave back just about as much as he got.
“He’s got a lot of heart,” said Smith about his opponent.
Sometimes when a team is so good, and creating huge score differentials, they can be accused of “running up the score” on the other team when they clearly were going to win.
Smith explains to those few critics, “At the end of the season goals for and against might matter. I just don’t want to take any chances.”
Coming up will be the Fergus Thistles at home to the Warriors, May 25, and then a battle of the Warriors as the Six Nations takes on Brantford at the Brantford and District Civic Centre, for a Sunday afternoon matinee at 3 p.m.
