Seven teams representing New Brunswick took the field Friday at the 2026 Elite Flag Nationals Tournament in Kingston, Ontario. While day one of the competition brought mixed results, Team New Brunswick earned three important victories.
The U14 Men’s team wasted no time, claiming one of the tournament’s first wins with a hard fought 38-32 win over Prince Edward Island. New Brunswick’s defense rose to the occasion when it mattered most, while the offence provided some electric moments. With a standout game, quarterback Axl Donovan completed 16 of 21 passes for 167 yards and four touchdowns.
For U14M Head Coach James Hughes and his team, New Brunswick’s first group to represent the province in the division, the experience has been “amazing” Hughes said.
“Today was a sweet win,” Hughes added. “To be able to take that home and start the day with a W was amazing.”
With the momentum rolling, the U16 Men’s team kept the winning streak alive later that afternoon, defeating Prince Edward Island 40-32.
Blake Hopper led a dominant offensive attack, completing 14 of 22 passes for 303 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Receiver Marshall Comeau lit up the board, hauling in eight passes for 249 yards and all six of the touchdowns while adding two successful two-point converts.
U16 Men’s Head Coach Brian Von Richter described the day as highly competitive across the division.
“It’s been great, everybody in the U16 division had really close games.” said Coach Von Richter. “There was not a game yet that was decided by more than two scores, so I think that bodes well for the competition level, and were hanging right in there.”
Looking ahead to day two, Von Richter remained optimistic.
“We’re looking forward to day two” said Von Richter. “We have a few things to clean up but we’re not hanging our heads about anything. We played our game, and we were in both games right to the end, so were looking forward to it.”
The U19 Men’s team capped off the opening night, sweeping Alberta in a 40-14 victory. Quarterback Maxim Tucker delivered a stellar performance, completing 23 of 29 passes for 192 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions.
Jeremy Osmond, Head Coach of the U19 Men’s team, said the team made great adjustments moving into the game against Alberta.
“We started a little slower than we’d like to, but the boys made great adjustments and communicated, and competed for each other,” Osmond said. “We went out in the second game against Alberta and just really got a good showing that we should be able to repeat.”
With day two on the rise, Osmond expressed confidence in his team.
“We can do well in this tournament. That’s why we’re here, and the players belong here, and they’ll do exceptionally well tomorrow, and going forward in the tournament.”
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By Ava Correia
