THUNDER BAY – The Superior Collegiate Gryphons haven’t won a lot of football games over the years.
Returning this fall to the junior ranks, they weren’t expected to put up much of a fight, the team trying to re-establish an identity and create a program from scratch.
On Tuesday night, the team made a little school history.
Owen Steele rushed for two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 37 seconds to go in regulation, and the Gryphons scored a historic 20-17 triumph over the Westgate Tigers in the four-five play-in game for the right to take on the top-seeded Hammarskjold Vikings in Sunday’s semifinal.
“It feels really good,” said Steele. “It’s the first playoff win in school history ever. We weren’t doing too well in the first half, but we picked it up and we pounded it in the second half.”
It’s unbelievable, said quarterback Ari Uusitalo, who struggled in the early going, throwing three interceptions, but made two key completions on the final drive, hitting Steele for a 23-yard strike on a third-and-five play to keep their hopes alive.
On the next play – delayed about half an hour while paramedics tended to a suspected broken arm suffered by Tigers defensive back Connor Neill – Uusitalo connected with Cale DeFrancheschi for 21 more, taking the ball to the Tigers 18.
“It feels good,” said the Gryphons quarterback, noting the historic nature of the victory.
“We couldn’t do it without this group, the O-line making the blocks, me making the throws, the wide receivers out there getting open.”
Twice on the final drive the Tigers forced a third down, but twice Steele came through, the second time rushing it up the gut for five yards on a third-and-two play from the Westgate 10, the Gryphons coaching staff opting not to kick the field goal in the final minute of regulation.
Steele, who midway through the third scampered 41 yards down the right sideline to close the gap to two at 15-13, powered it into the end zone for the second time Tuesday night, following the pack to the goal line from five yards out.
Steele’s first major was a timely one, just 51 seconds after Dylan Dubray snatched a Uusitala pass out of mid-air and rumbled 37 yards for the defensive score and a 15-6 Tigers lead.
“I saw the gap and the guy was right there,” Steele said. “I don’t know. Nothing stopped me. I just ran him over and was gone.”
It wasn’t the offence that keyed the comeback, but a thundering special teams hit by defender Raiden Hyvarinen on a kickoff that spurred the Gryphons on.
It fired the team up and they never looked back.
“I felt like I needed to turn the game around, I needed to set the tone for the second half. I needed to get my defence hyped and get the rest of the team going,” Hyvarinen said.
Westgate scored the game’s first 10 points. Inigo Sainz-Martin booted a 12-yard-field goal late in the first, Jacob Jones following early in the second with a one-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked and they took a 9-0 lead into the break.
Uusitalo finally got Superior Collegiate on the board three minutes into the third, floating a pass over Dubray and into the arms of receiver Sheldon Pennell for the 12-yard TD.
“I can’t speak enough about the work ethic and drive of these kids,” said Superior coach Brad Comuzzi.
The Gryphons will take on the Vikings at 1 p.m. on Sunday in one semifinal. St. Ignatius and St. Patrick will follow at 3 p.m.
