Ghosts Grab Top Spot

Jonas Emilsson
www.KramMag.com

The Bishop Grandin Ghosts delivered exactly what their head coach Dave Holowaychuk wanted on his birthday – a win.

But Friday night’s 16-2 victory over the Crescent Heights Cowboys wasn’t just any regular season win, it was a game that would decide which team gets to sit alone atop the senior boy’s division two standings, albeit there are still a lot of games left to play.

Coming into the game both teams were about as even as could be, at least on paper.

They each sported a perfect 3-0 record and their offensive and defensive numbers were pretty much identical.

The similarities continued into the game as both teams put together a fierce, hard-hitting first half of play that ended with the Ghosts holding a miniscule 3-2 advantage, leaving spectators wondering if the second-quarter field goal would be the difference maker.

That thought ended in the third quarter when Ghosts’ offense found an extra gear, especially along the ground where they were able to chew up plenty of yards while taking valuable time off the clock.

“We started slow but we really came alive in the second half and had a couple of long drives that were definitely sustained by some good ground running,” said Holowaychuk. “We are a physical team and when we show it we can be pretty dominating, but we need to get going in the first quarter.”

The Ghosts’ powerful running game set up their first touchdown of the game when receiver Trent Joseph finished a long drive by pulling in a 10-yard pass thrown by quarterback James Thompson to give the Ghosts a 10-2 lead.

The ground and pound style continued into the fourth quarter leading to Thompson’s short run into the end zone for six points, followed by failed extra point attempt, for the game’s final score.

“They are a very good football team and it just took us a couple of quarters to wake up, and once we did we finally started moving the ball,” said Holowaychuk.

The win put the Ghosts alone at the top of the standings, at least for now, and they can set their sights on the championship title that cruelly eluded them last year thanks to late field goal by the St. Mary’s Saints in the Div II city final.

According to Holowaychuk, the sting of painfully losing the city title has definitely been a motivating factor for this year’s squad.

“There are some grade-12s that have that bitter feeling from last year. They still have that bitter taste in their mouths and they’re not going to get rid of that until they make the necessary changes.

“There’s a great group of kids that last year were very disappointed and they’ve sort of taken it upon themselves to not let that happen again this year.”

Last year’s final game was also the last game the Ghosts played under the tutelage of long-time head coach Peter O’Gorman, who retired from coaching after last season.

His success has left big shoes to fill for first-year head coach Holowaychuk, who definitely feels the pressure and excitement that comes with stepping into the role of head coach.

“I think that expectations were pretty high coming into this year for our program so stepping into that role, it’s been exciting,” said Holowaychuk. “He’s (O’Gorman) a long standing member of this program and he’s still out at games and stuff, so yeah, I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

Four games into the season it’s clear that this year’s version of the Ghosts football squad is relishing the idea of living up to expectations carried forward by the achievements their team had last year.

A lot of that can be credited to the foundation built by O’Goreman, but credit should also be given to Holowaychuk for managing to keep the team’s momentum going in the right direction.

“They are a pretty close-knit, rambunctious group,” said Holowaychuk when talking about his players. “They like to celebrate their successes and I have no problem with that. They deal with adversity pretty well and we’re definitely a second-half team.”

They also know how to celebrate birthdays.

“The win is a nice present , I guess” said Holowaychuk with a smile.