THUNDER BAY – The St. Ignatius Falcons have captured a record sixth straight high school junior football championship.
And they did it in dominating fashion.
The Falcons, who entered the game as the No. 2 seed, controlled the action on both sides of the ball on Saturday at Fort William Stadium, rolling to a 23-0 win over the Hammarskjold Vikings, the team that snapped St. Ignatius’ 31-game winning streak in their season opener in September.
Offensively, it was the Nick Doucet show.
The first-year running back, in his final year of junior eligibility, rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on a snow-dusted Fort William Stadium field to power the Falcons to victory.
Not bad for a guy who hadn’t played a game of competitive football before the season began.
“For me, it’s probably the best feeling of my life. It’s my favourite sport. For my first year, I think it was the best year of my life,” Doucet said.
“Honestly, I think I did really well. I gave it my all. I could have played way harder, but I did my best, I did what I could.”
Doucet ran one in from 16 yards out to open the scoring four minutes into the contest, then rumbled over the goal line from six yards out early in the fourth, two plays after he scurried 29 yards up the field to the Vikings 11-yard line.
Falcons receiver Isaiah Leonardi had the other major, catching a 24-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Binaris, one play after the Vikings botched a snap on a punt attempt, the ball rolling to their own one. Punter Jack Hansen scooped it up and managed to boot the ball, but it was recovered just outside the Hammarskjold red zone.
“I knew it was coming sooner or later,” Leonardi said of his touchdown. “The coach called the play and there was no DB, so I knew it was coming to me.”
He was pretty proud to be part of the legacy the Falcons have built with their unprecedented championship run.
“It feels great to be part of this streak and just awesome to represent our school on our football team,” Leonardi said.
The Vikings, who were undefeated in the regular season, just couldn’t get any momentum going, no matter what they tried.
Lead back Justin Nadon carried the ball 12 times for no yards, quarterback Ethan Porter leading the ground game with 30 yards on four carries.
Porter was sacked three times and also threw up an interception, Falcons defender Kevin White picking him off at the Vikings 41. The third-quarter turnover led to a 14-yard field goal that White also happened to kick.
First-year Falcons head coach Martin Furtado said the team came a long way in a short period of time.
“They played a great game today. The defence was top-notch. They gave the offence an opportunity to open things up a bit and it paid off in the end,” Furtado said.
Six in a row is a pretty remarkable feat, he added.
“I don’t think you ever set out to do that, but it’s something that happens and I have to give a lot of credit to the coaching staff.”
