By Sam Laskaris
The majority of the players on the Malvern Black Knights are new to football this season.
But the Black Knights managed to improve their record to 2-0 on Oct. 12 when they defeated the host Newtonbrook North Stars 21-2.
The contest had been dubbed as Football Toronto’s Game of the Week.
Malvern and Newtonbrook are two of the three entrants in this year’s Tier 2 category of Toronto’s public high schools league.
“To be honest our team is pretty inexperienced,” said Malvern head coach Carter Livingstone. “We only have 3-4 guys that have played football before. We’re pretty new, as was Newtonbrook.”
The Lakeshore Phoenix is the other squad participating in the city’s Tier 2 loop this season.
Malvern had downed the Phoenix 20-14 in its season opener back on Oct. 6, in a match held at Scarborough’s Birchmount Stadium.
The Black Knights managed to get rolling rather early in their contest against Newtonbrook.
“Early on we had a couple of big plays,” Livingstone said.
Malvern scored the first of its two touchdowns in the opening quarter when quarterback Cole Raino connected with slotback Ethan MacMillan for about a 30-yard TD strike.
Black Knights’ kicker Adam Elmounjid successfully booted the convert to give his side a 7-0 lead.
Shortly afterwards the North Stars then put a lengthy drive together in the hopes of scoring a touchdown as well. But Malvern linebacker Noah Rogers ended those hopes when he recovered a Newtonbrook fumble deep inside the Black Knights’ zone.
Malvern scored another touchdown when Raino teamed up with slotback Adrian Wing for a major. Elmounjid’s point after attempt was unsuccessful this time and the Black Knights led by a 13-0 count at that point.
Rogers also ended another Newtonbrook drive with an interception.
The North Stars scored what proved to be their only points of the match when Malvern conceded a safety in the second quarter.
The Black Knights increased their lead in the third quarter when fullback Daylon Guan-Armit scored via a two-yard run.
Malvern then attempted a two-point convert. After taking the snap Raino ran into the end zone himself to make the score 21-2.
Livingstone is obviously pleased his charges have managed to register victories in both of their matches so far this season.
“It’s an inexperienced team,” he said. “Their football IQ isn’t where we want it to be. But we’re getting there.”
Malvern’s next game is Oct. 24 against Lakeshore. That contest, which will be held at Etobicoke’s Centennial Stadium, has an opening kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
