Burlington's Nelson Lords are Halton junior football champions again. They beat Georgetown 34-9 Tuesday morning in Oakville to win the junior title of the HSSAA, the association that runs high school sports in Halton.
The win takes back a title Nelson lost last season, a loss that ended its bid for 10 straight Halton crowns. Before the final, the team billed it as a shot at a 10th title in 11 appearances. Afterward, Nelson Lords Football posted on Instagram: "2026 HSSAA JR CHAMPIONS!"
See the post on Instagram
Nelson shut out Iroquois Ridge 43-0 in one semi-final; Georgetown beat Frank Hayden Secondary 49-7 in the other. The Lords had already handled Georgetown once, winning 44-13 in the first week of the regular season.
The season didn't start that way. Nelson opened with two lopsided non-conference losses, 35-14 to A.N. Myer and 45-14 at Huron Heights in Newmarket.
| Game | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Non-conference | A.N. Myer | Lost 35-14 |
| Non-conference | Huron Heights | Lost 45-14 |
| Regular season, week 1 | Georgetown | Won 44-13 |
| Non-conference, Oct. 21 | St. Roch | Won 28-14 |
| HSSAA semi-final | Iroquois Ridge | Won 43-0 |
| HSSAA final | Georgetown | Won 34-9 |
It was the first time the junior final was played on its own rather than in a doubleheader with the senior final.
Winning Halton sends Nelson to the Jr MetroBowl playoffs. The Lords host the St. Roch Ravens, champions of the ROPSSAA league, in a quarterfinal set for the week of Nov. 16 to 20; the exact day hasn't been announced. Nelson beat St. Roch 28-14 at Nelson Stadium on Oct. 21.
Nelson could make it a junior-senior double. The senior Lords play the Abbey Park Eagles for the HSSAA senior title Thursday, Nov. 12, with an 11:45 a.m. kickoff at Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University.
