Cats come to life with 3 wins in row
Five games into the Ontario Varsity Football League regular season and the Metro Toronto Wildcats have played like two different teams.
After starting the year with two straight losses, the Wildcats, who played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in the Bathurst and Finch area, are on a three-game winning streak. They currently sit tied for third place, with the Mississauga Warriors, in the central division of the Wettges Conference. The Etobicoke Eagles and Toronto Thunder are sitting atop the division with 4-1 records.
Prisco said his team came into their opening game against the Toronto Thunder with a lot of confidence, but the lack of practice prior to the start of the season caught up to the Wildcats. The Thunder won 45-11 on May 27.
"We came out really strong and held an early lead, but we started to make mental lapses," said Prisco. "We turned the ball over too many times and a good team like the Thunder will capitalize on those opportunities."
The Wildcats lost their second game and home opener on June 3, losing 14-8 to the Mississauga Warriors. The slow start soon turned around, as the Wildcats have won their past two games, defeating the York Storm 27-20 on June 10, the Oshawa Hawkeyes 30-14 on June 17 and the Steel City Ironmen 46-13 on June 24.
Prisco said he knows his players are upset with their slow start, but have responded in a positive way.
"It is fair to say we had high expectations coming into the year, so to lose our first two was disappointing," said Prisco, who is in seventh year as Wildcats head coach. "But we’ve definitely have been coming together as a team the past couple of games, so I think we have turned the corner."
According to Prisco, a big part of the Wildcats early season woes was their inability to hang onto the ball. They turned the ball over 13 times in their first two games.
"To be successful, you need to at least have an equal turnover ratio," he said. "If it’s equal, we can beat anyone, but if we beat ourselves with turnovers, there is no need to try and beat our opponent."
The Wildcats have 67 players on the roster, so Prisco said it took a few games to figure out who will see more playing time. He said he now knows who to play on a regular basis and who to count on for leadership.
On offence, Prisco looks to running back Cleon Holmes and top-rated OVFL receiver Michael Mizerski. Mizerski, a student at York Mills Collegiate, recently set a Wildcats franchise record for most touchdown receptions when he caught his 11th on June 17.
Prisco said his defence is the teams’ backbone, led by two of the best linebackers in the OVFL, Matt Adetuyi and Ari Doumouras. Prisco called Adetuyi one of the best players the Wildcats have ever had, while Doumouras is the team’s rock on the field.
As the team makes a drive towards the playoffs, Prisco hopes his team has a chance to redeem itself from their past two post-season performances. The Wildcats have lost in the conference finals the past two seasons, but Prisco believes he has the talent to make it to the OVFL championship.
"We have so many committed athletes, that reaching the championship final is a goal of ours," he said. "If we can stay focused and execute our game plan, we should be very successful for the remainder of the season."
The Wildcats sixth game of the season will be against the Ottawa Myers Riders on July 1. Game time is 2 p.m. at Esther Shiner Stadium.