Sackville high school football team rolls to 4th consecutive title

A high school football team has won its fourth consecutive championship one year after controversy arose over the players' style.

Sackville's Tantramar Titans faced the Riverview Royals, one of the teams that filed a complaint against the Titans, for the New Brunswick high school football championship Saturday. The Titans beat the Royals 42-0.

The Titans went undefeated this season and held a 6-1 record last season, but their dominant performances raised questions about fair play from several opposition coaches.

Several players from opposing teams were injured in games against the Titans during the 2017 season.

The injuries prompted some teams to file complaints with the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association.

They accused the Titans of intentional violations of Football New Brunswick rules concerning fair play and intent to injure.

A panel of representatives from the NBIAA, Football New Brunswick, Football Canada and Football Canada's officials committee investigated the complaints. The Titans were cleared of any wrongdoing.

"After reviewing several game films, it was determined that Tantramar was playing [within] the rules and therefore would not be sanctioned," NBIAA president Andy Clark said in an email to CBC News.

Controversy fuels ambition

Scott O'Neal, the Titans head coach, said he tried to shield the players from the criticism last season but eventually they had to talk about it.

"I wanted them to know what other people thought of what we were doing and that we were doing nothing wrong except being really good coaches and pointing them in the right direction," O'Neal said.

"They were upset. But …we're still here."

In fact, O'Neal said the controversy just made the team more determined.

"It really fired me up in the off-season to be a better coach, to become even better at what I did, and the kids are super motivated about it now," he said.

"Whatever these people thought they were trying to do, all it did was motivate us."

CBC News asked Riverview Royals head coach Guy Messervier for an interview but he declined.