THUNDER BAY – Manerplaw Winning hasn’t skipped a beat since returning to the SSSAA senior football gridiron.
The St. Patrick running back on Friday ran for 142 yards on just seven carries, three of which landed him across the goal line as the Saints held on to defeat the Westgate Tigers 31-25 on Friday night at Fort William Stadium.
Winning spent last season playing at Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada prep football academy, earning visits with Dartmouth College and Queen’s University, but is back with the Saints and focused on one thing – ending St. Patrick’s 21-year championship drought.
It was a grind out kind of win, Winning said.
“We have lots of things to clean up, for sure. We have guys injured, so once we get the starters back, hopefully we can do better. But we’ll take the win and reset for Hamm(arskjold),” he said.
The game was back-and-forth for much of the first half, the two teams each grabbing the lead multiple times.
The Tigers marched down the field on their opening drive, but were stopped in their tracks just outside the red zone and had to settle for a 29-yard Parker Mork field goal.
The Saints took the ball on their own 35 and after Jouni Kempannen had an 18-yard rushing score waved off because of a penalty, Winning took the hand off and wrangled his way 23 yards down the field for his first major of the evening to end the opening quarter.
It was the Tigers defence that vaulted them back into the lead early in the second.
Zach Gothard intercepted an Iene Auger pass and took it 55 yards to the house, giving Westgate a 10-7 advantage.
The lead lasted just two-and-a-half minutes and it was Winning who found the end zone again, running it in from seven yards out for a 14-10 St. Patrick lead.
The Tigers (1-2) have their own all-star caliber back in Eddy Dryhorub and he didn’t disappoint in Week 3, rushing for 182 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run at 9:19 of the second, but the 16-14 lead was shortlived.
It lasted all of 14 seconds, thanks in part to a 57-yard Brett Lovis kickoff return that deposited the ball on the Tigers eight-yard line. One play later and Kempannen was in the end zone – and this time it counted, giving the Saints a 21-16 lead at halftime.
“Our wide receiver and our other slot, they made great blocks. They just pushed the other guys back and it was just open from there,” Kempannen said.
Winning scored a 29-yard touchdown late the third and added a 19-yard field goal in the fourth after Kempannen picked off Westgate quarterback Andrew Romeo in the end zone to stomp all over a looming Tigers score.
“I just saw the ball go up and I just went right to it and got the ball,” Kempannen said.
But the Tigers weren’t done.
Lance Basalyga scampered home from eight yards out in the final minute of the fourth and Nick Battigelli recored the ensuing onside kick at the Westgate 50. The undefeated Saints (3-0) defence stepped up again, Nathan Welyki intercepting a Romeo pass in the end zone at the buzzer to preserve the win.
“Next game we’re going to come out way better, we’re going to come out way hungrier and we’re going to win the next game,” Dryhorub said.
