By Larry Moko
A couple of veteran gridiron coaches from St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School are convening boys' and girls' tournaments for a sport that's exploding in popularity worldwide.
Last week, eight Hamilton and area high school teams took part in a girls' invitational touch football tournament at More. And next week, six boys' teams will vie for top honours at the same site.
Touch is a form of non-contact football. In many ways it resembles its cousin, flag football, which will be making its 2028 Summer Olympics debut in Los Angeles.
A recent development also saw NFL owners vote in favour of allowing one player from each of its teams to play Olympic flag football.
"I never thought it would get to that level (Olympics)," said Rob Fuciarelli who, along with More's Joe Burke, has organized Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic touch competitions for the past decade.
"The game is growing," Fuciarelli added. "When I was a kid and even when I started coaching I never would have expected it. But with the growth of touch and flag over the past 10 years or so, I guess it has kind of led to that progression."
One of More's current tackle football stars -- Caleb Kowalchuk -- recently travelled to Ottawa as a member of Team Ontario to play in the Football Canada Elite National Flag Football championship. His team won the bronze medal.
According to Fuciarelli, progress is being made in making touch football an OFSAA sport.
"Joe and I have been trying to get this going at the provincial level for years. We were the first ones that did anything. This spring is the most we've ever seen for touch football tournaments in Southern Ontario."
In the girls' final, the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals defeated Oakville's Holy Trinity Titans, 20-19.
Cardinals quarterback Julia Romano drove the attack by rushing for some big gains and throwing multiple touchdown passes during round-robin and playoff games. Other key members of the Newman offence were Indigo Taha, Grace Fleming, Nyah Nastamagou and Camryn Harper.
Noa Symonette was a game-changing rusher with some drive-stalling sacks while Lily and Skye Nastamagou, Gabriella Salciccioli and Brooklyn Noseworthy anchored a solid defence.
Newman's victory snapped Cathedral Gael's three-year run as girls' champions.
The boys touch tournament is scheduled for May 30 and June 2.
