Beefeaters win 4th straight; Mustangs drop road game; Jr. B hockey action

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Sept. 9-15) — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: Barry Field Photography).

* * *

London Beefeaters

Make it four wins in a row for the London Beefeaters junior football team, who took down the GTA Grizzlies, 56-0, in a lopsided affair last Saturday. With a pair of wins against Hamilton, and a victory each against Ottawa and the Grizzlies, the Beefeaters are undefeated since their season-opening loss to the first-place St. Clair Saints — who they will face this weekend in a rematch.

The offense was a juggernaut against the Grizzlies, but defense and special teams were equally impressive. London opened the scoring on a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown by Nick Szigetti. Quarterback Brody Fairbarn ran for an 8-yard touchdown, Semi Taiwo returned an interception 45 yards for a score, and Malik Williams hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass and the Beefeaters led 28-0 after just one quarter of play.

Running back LJ Dyer ran in two scores of his own later in the game, rushing 13 times for 145 yards on the day. Brady Miller threw the touchdown pass to Williams, and each quarterback on the London squad saw playing time. Now 4-1 on the season, the Beefeaters will try to get revenge on their season-opening loss to the Saints. This time it’ll be on the road in Windsor.

Up next:

Sat. Sept. 21 (7:00pm @ St. Clair Saints)

Western Mustangs

The Mustangs were handed their first loss of the season last week, losing 43-28 to the Laurier Golden Hawks on the road. In fact, it was their first regular season loss since 2021 — a remarkable span of 30 straight games.

But the Mustangs dug themselves an early hole by allowing an early turnover that led to a Laurier touchdown. The Golden Hawks added a second touchdown and a field goal to take a 17-0 lead. Western finally got on the board with 4:22 left in the 2nd quarter thanks to a Laurier safety. But the Hawks kept the pressure on in the second half, opening the 3rd quarter with a 23-yard touchdown to add to their lead.

Two minutes later, Western quarterback Evan Hillock threw a 37-yard pass to receiver Seth Robertson to give the Mustangs their first major of the game. From there, the two teams traded blows — although Laurier remained two steps ahead. Despite the loss, Hillock was 18 for 31 for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Dasani McIntosh had three receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a breakout game, while running back Keon Edwards had 13 carries for 80 yards. Backup QB Jerome Rancourt ran in a score.

Western is now 3-1 on the season, a half-game back of both Laurier and Windsor, who sit at 3-0. Guelph and Queen’s are also 3-1. The Mustangs get a bye week this week before returning to action with a home game against the Gaels.

Up next:

Sat. Sept. 28 (1:00pm vs. Queen’s Gaels)

London Nationals

The GOJHL season kicked off last week, and though the Jr. B London Nationals dropped their first two games, they picked up points in both contests. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, they were beaten 3-2 in overtime against the LaSalle Vipers. After a scoreless first period, the Vipers struck first at the 4:12 mark of the second. They doubled their lead less than a minute into the third, but London responded.

Philip Marcarian got the team on the board at the 9:27 mark, with Eddie Hickson and Connor Clark picking up assists. With time winding down in the game, Nolan Miller came up big with a game-tying goal with just 48 seconds left to force overtime. The extra frame, though, lasted all of 1:56 before LaSalle scored the game-winner.

In their home opener on Wednesday (Sept. 18), the Nationals fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Listowel Cyclones. All the scoring happened in the second period in that one. Listowel got on the board first 5:19 into the period. London’s Aydan Doyle tied things before the Cyclones re-took the lead, 2-1. Then it was Aiden McDonald tying the game again at two goals apiece.

After a scoreless third period — and overtime frame — the teams went to the shootout, where Listowel claimed the win on their fourth shooter.

Up next:

Sun. Sept. 22 (1:30pm @ KW Siskins)