The Champlain Requins junior girls flag football team have now joined their senior counterparts as proud holders of a SDSSAA Division "B" Championship banner - and they could not have done it in a more exciting fashion.

With the St Benedict Bears registering touchdowns on each of their first two possessions, both on runs from Olaterere Awosika, the first place squad from the south end clung to a 14-8 lead with time winding down in the second half.

Down to their final five plays of the game, the Requins drove the field and deadlocked the contest at 14-14 on a scramble run to the outside from quarterback Emilie Beaulieu.

Unfortunately, with no gifted kickers in their lineup (coaches indicated they tried for weeks to develop a place-kicker who could drill a convert through the uprights from ten yards out - to no avail), the Requins were forced to attempt a two-point conversion - only to be denied.

The Junior Division B final would be going to overtime.

Taking the ball first and looking to score from the opponent's thirty five, Champlain strung together a pair of first downs, mixing in quite successfully both passes and runs, with Beaulieu enventually finding favourite target Malika Grenon right in the midst of three St Benedict players on an 8 yard TD pass.

A two-point conversion, also on a pass to Grenon (who also scored the first Champlain TD) would give the Chelmsford reps some breathing room, but knowing that the Bers certainly had the firepower to answer.

After an offside penalty to Champlain extended the initial St Benedict drive, a pair of incompletions and some outstanding defending by the likes of Chloé Tremblay and Téah Corriveau would thwart one last attempt for the Bears as the Requins completed the comeback with a 22-14 OT victory.

"We have practices three times a week and our coaches (Miguel Bélanger and Véronique St-Jean) are very positiove and help us out a lot," said Beaulieu in the noisy aftermath of the win.

Blessed with the ability to contort her body to haul down passes in full flight, Malika Grenon was also quick to direct the credit to the folks who guided her development this fall.

"I just listen to what my coaches tell me," said the 14 year-old grade nine multi-sport athlete. "If they tell me how to catch a ball, I do exactly whatthey tell me to do; put my hands in the right spot, in a diamond."

As for the routes that most lead to success, Grenon again does not veer far off-script. "I run the plays the coach tells me," she said with a smile. "If she tells me to go straight and cut to the left, I do exactly that."

"After my first three to five steps, I look at my quarterback and look at the ball when she throws it."

And if it's anywhere close, Grenon likely hauls it in.

"She always catches it," beamed Beaulieu. "She's amazing."

Mind you, this one-two punch can beat you in more ways than one.

"If I see that nobody is open, I run," said Beaulieu. "If I see someone is open, then I will throw it. It's literally a split second decision."

The SDSSAA Junior A flag football final also featured plenty of split second action. The fact is that it doesn't take a whole lot more for Lo-Ellen Park Knights speesters Annablle Richardson and Abbey Dagostino much more than a split second to cover the length of the field.

And when the Knights aren't sprinting their way to the outside, it's the dual-threat tandem of Lia Gallo and Gia Rocca (both are adapt at QB and WR) who are moving the chains for LEP.

Throw in a defensive unit that asbolutely stifles the opposition and you are left with a convincing 28-1 triumph in the city final over the Lasalle Lancers.

Richardson paced the Knights attack with three majors while Gallo chipped in with a TD and four conversions, with Lasalle's only scoring coming courtesy of a rouge from Amelia Belland, a standout in all areas of the game for the Lancers.

The Senior flag football finals are set for Friday with St Benedict and Champlain (Division B) taking to the turf at the James Jerome Sports Complex at 6:00 p.m. while the Bishop Carter Gators and Lasalle Lancers meet at 8:00 p.m. in the "A" encounter.