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Tle Waterloo Siskins managed to salvage a disappointing season Sunday by clinching a playâ€" off spot against the Elmira Sugar Kings in their second homeâ€"ice shutout of the weekend. The Siskins‘ Craig Lizun dispelled all doubts about whether he was a money goaltender by earning both shutouts against Elmira, knocking the defending Midâ€"western _ Junior B champs out of the playoffs. His stellar play includeg a 34â€"save effort Sunday against the Sugar Kings at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex. Siskins clinch playolf spot Throw in a win Saturday night against Brantford, and the Siskins backstop earned player of the week honours for the figst time this season. Lizun now leads the league with four shutouts, and is second to Stratford‘s Ryan MacDonald in goalsâ€" against average. "We‘re just playing the way you‘re supposed to play the game," said Lizun after Sunday‘s big win. "I feel like I‘m back in the place I was before I was out (due to injury and suspension.)" The way that the man they call "Lizzie" has played lately has even surprised the 18â€"yearâ€"old Waterloo native, who took over the No. 1 job from the departed Ryan Baksh. After launching successful footâ€" ball programs like the the Triâ€"City Vipers and the OVFL Predators over the past few years, there‘s a new kid on the block. "I‘m not doing anything differentâ€" it just happens," Titans Football is the new kid on the block this summer And the Titans football program is hoping to fill a gap in providing a more competitive environment for 13â€"14â€"yearâ€"old football players than is now available in some of the other leagues. Ted Burke, president of the new squad and a local minor football booster, said the Titans will give players who are serious about the sport a place to play until they can play for more senior teams. _ "It‘s a place where the players can hone their skills," said Burke, a By Bos VrBanac Chronicle Staff â€" By Bor Vrranac Chronicle Staff . said Lizun, who has made a lot of big stops down the stretch for the Siskins. "I don‘t know why it‘s happenâ€" ing, but I‘m not complainâ€" ing." With the win the Siskins jumped ahead of Listowel for seventhâ€"place in the 10â€"team Junior B loop with a 17â€"24â€"5â€" 4 record. But Brian Park, one of the assistants who took over the club after the dismissal of head coach and general manager Jerry Harrigan, said the club isn‘t settling for sevâ€" enth place. The Siskins® Eric Martin is sent flying by Elmira‘s Allan Wong The Siskins sit just one point behind sixthâ€"place Brantford and would like to improve their playoff standâ€" ing as much as they can former Canadian University playâ€" er. "It‘s different from the house league environment where if they pay they play. "Titans players will have to try out to make the team, so you‘ve got players out there because they want to be." By only going for the best of the best of kids at that level, the hope is that the talent level will be more equal amongst players. _"We‘re taking the best of the best in Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo," said Burke. A summer league, the Titans will play most of the summer with a month off before the players return to school and play for their It will also be a good opportuniâ€" ty for players just starting their high school career. before the end of the season. "We don‘t want to stop this train from rolling," said Park. "We want to keep it going and head into the playoffs on a high." Park said the team is finally playing with the effort and the discipline the coachâ€" ing staff have been preachâ€" ing to them all season, and he hopes that commitment continues into the playoffs. The regular season wraps up this weekend with backâ€" toâ€"back games against leagueâ€"leading Stratford. "We want to get as high as we can and play whoever, it doesn‘t matter," said Park. "We‘ve got our ticket to the dance, now we‘ll see how we do there." SPORTS regular teams. The league, called the South Central Ontario Football league, features other entries from Brampton, Orangeville, Halton and possibly Mississauga. Right now minor football in Ontario is an alphabet soup of difâ€" ferent organizations. th bigâ€"hitter Jen WSulpher gone from the lineup, the question remained who was going to pick up the offenâ€" sive load for the WCI Vikings senior girls volleyball team. Meet Jen‘s little sister Aimee, a Grade 10 callâ€"up who has meshed nicely with the veteranâ€"laden Vikings. Although the younger Sulpher isn‘t as big a hitter as her older sibling, she has a similar pedigree playing club volleyball with the Waterloo Tigers. The transition so far has gone smoothly as Sulpher has proved to be an imporâ€" tant new contributor to a WCI team that has gone 7â€"2 in league action, and is hopâ€" ing to reach the finals again against undisputed league favourite Forest Heights. And while setting is as important in her game as the big spike, Aimee said she has a long way to go to fill her sister‘s shoes. "The jump up is not as bad as [ thought it would be," said Sulpher, who was part of the Junior Vikings squad that won the WCSSAA championship last year. "I thought it would be scary and stuff. "But the girls on the team have been very nice and they‘ve been really good about it. "They don‘t expect too By Bos VrRBaNAC Chronicle Staff â€" "We‘ll have fun and hit hard but basically we‘re out there to win," said Burke of the new Titans organization. "And everybody has that mentality when they come The rules of the SCOFL league will be fourâ€"down football with Canadian kicking rules in effect for missed extra points and punts that end up in the end zone.In addition Burke, a former member of the Twin Cities Tackle Football Associâ€" ation, said it would be easier to be under one big umbrella organizaâ€" tion but he doesn‘t foresee that happening. > And he‘s said he‘s not going to wait around for it to happen with a need for highâ€"calibre football out there for boys just entering their teen years. The Vikings Hilary Frankovich returns a service against Southwood. much from me because they _ team which won provincial knew that Jen was just _ bronze at the last two OFSSA amazing player." _ _ championships. _ _ But she showed flashes of some inherited brilliance in the Vikings‘ three set to one win over the Southwood Sabres last Thursday. The rest of the Vikings squad is made up of veterâ€" ans like Lindsay Kurt, Laura Taylor and Lisa Devenny, who have also been the core of the senior girls basketball there will be no weight restriction for the team so kids of all sizes can play depending on ability. â€" _ The Titans home games will be played at the shrine of local footâ€" ball â€" University Stadium. And games will be played on Friday nights, hoping to mirror the popularity of Friday night football games as seen in the U.S. "We‘re really going to push it," said Burke."We‘d really like to push it as Friday night football in Kâ€"W. and try to get it off the ground." The Titans kick off the program with two days of tryouts this weekâ€" end at the fieldhouse at RIM Park. Tryouts for interested players are 12:30â€"3 p.m. Saturday, and 1â€"3 p.m. Sunday. For more informaâ€" tion visit titansfootball.ca,. or call 743â€"5556. They‘ve helped Sulpher and Andrea Durst, another Grade 10 callâ€"up, fit into the lineup. Sulpher said they‘re doing the best that they can. "I might be filling her spot, but I know I‘m not as good as she was," she said. "But it‘s been a really good experience and I‘m really glad I did it."