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Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com
Hammarskjold's Austin Ellis tries to bust loose against a pair of St. Ignatius defenders Friday at Fort William Stadium.
Alex Nemec-Bakk is a rarity.
Outside of Churchill’s Jarred White, Nemec-Bakk is probably the best quarterback on the senior high school football circuit.
And when his game is on, the 18-year-old can be a show-stopper in a league where the ground game rules the show.
His name deserved top billing on the marque on Friday afternoon at Fort William Stadium, as he threw for three first-quarter touchdowns to lead the Hammarskjold Vikings to a convincing 32-0 win over the shorthanded St. Ignatius Falcons, missing several players to injury and a hockey tournament.
“We had a good start there, got our good receiver Nick Potter back there and he was a good target for me to hit,” said Nemec-Baak, who connected on a 34-yard strike to Potter late in the first that gave the Vikings a 21-0 lead.
Potter, who briefly considered attending Lakehead University after graduating last summer, finished with four catches for 80 yards in his return to the Vikings.
“He came back and decided he wanted to play some football for us and we’re glad to have him back,” said Nemec-Bakk, whose Vikings improved to 3-1-0, good for second spot in the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association standings.
Having a passing game makes a huge difference, he added, noting he’s just starting to click with his receivers.
“It makes it harder for teams to defend us and stuff. It gives us another dimension,” he said.
That’s just what coach Mike Judge is looking for from his veteran pivot, a nice complement that includes a strong running game buoyed by tough-as-nails running back Xander Hassell.
Judge said he trusts his players to get the job done , and more important, know what they need to do on their own.
“To their credit, they were calling a lot of the early plays. Those were audible from the QB to the receivers,” Judge said. “And they made it work.
Like Nemec-Bakk, Judge knows the importance of being able to throw the ball.
“It makes a big difference, otherwise the other teams just want to crowd the box on our two running backs, and even with horses like Xander and Kurt Folino back there, there’s no way you can run against 10 in the box, at least we can’t.
“When you’re able to spread it out it just opens it up for us.”
The Falcons (1-2-1) had little choice but to go with less experience on the field, with stars like Liam Fors, Jon Krawchuk and Connor McFarlane missing in action.
The Vikings made them pay early and often, Nemec-Bakk hitting Mitchell Hannusch with the opening score just 4:25 into the one-sided contest.
Hassell dragged the Falcons defenders into the end zone from 16 yards out to give Hammarskjold a 14-0 lead, then midway through the second Nemec-Bakk, who finished with 191 yards passing on 10 completions, spotted Keenan Postans up the middle for a 16-yard score that made it 28-0.
Hannusch added a 32-yard field goal to cap the scoring in the first half.
In other senior boys action:
Churchill 79, Superior 0: Jarred White threw for 272 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Trojans (3-0-1) to the most one-sided victory in the senior loop this season. Tight end Justin Fui had 139 yards receiving and a score.
St. Patrick 16, Westgate 6: Kyle Mercier had a 45-yard TD reception and Jordan LeBlanc kicked three field goals to lead the Saints (3-1) to the win. The Tigers (1-3) who managed just 245 yards of offence, got 158 yards rushing and a touchdown from Caleb White.