An administrative snafu was not about to derail a very memorable season for the Lively Hawks junior boys football team. Nor was a banged up St Charles College Cardinals team apparently.

With the Hawks firing on all cylinders and Cardinals’ work-horse running back Obaro Great Origbo hobbling noticeably, the end results was somewhat predictable as coach Reg Bonin and company claimed their first junior banner since 2014 and only the third, all-time, in the history of LDSS.

After building up a 22-0 first half lead in the semi-final against the St Benedict Bears and then holding on for dear life (and a 22-20 win), the Hawks were not about to make the same mistake twice, keeping their foot on the gas from start to finish of a 35-7 triumph.

A defender with his GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) soccer team, Koen Palmquist accounted for the Hawks final 15 points, on the receiving end of a pair of touchdown passes from QB Ian MacDonald and converting no less than five TDs on the day. Ironically, it wasn’t one his end zone snags that were the highlight but rather an impressive over the wrong shoulder haul that brought the large crowd to their feet.

“That last catch, where I was looking up to the sky, that was my favourite,” noted the 15 year old kicker/receiver. “We do those in practice all the time, looking over your shoulder.”

As for the possibilities of football squeezing out soccer on his sporting priority list, Palmquist acknowledged that it's a whole lot closer now. "There's a lot more padding and for me, a lot more running," he said.

"In soccer, I just play defense. Here, I play everwhere. It's really fun; I'm taking a real liking to it."

One of several key cogs in an impressive Hawks defensive unit, teammate Andrew Dore suggested the team clearly refocused after being stripped of a pair of victories due to the use of an ineligible player midway through the fall.

“We had to work really hard in practices to make sure that we win those two games so that we could move on to the semis,” said Dore, who started as a running back last year, then moved to linebacker and finally defensive tackle in 2022.

Aiden Fauteux and Ian MacDonald also picked up six-point scores for the Lively crew, who will travel to Sault Ste Marie on the weekend for the NOSSA final. Ashton St Germain broke the shutout late for the Cardinals, with Braxton Ragogna kicking the convert.