Churchill takes commanding early lead, shuts out Superior Collegiate

If it was a fast start the Churchill Trojans were looking for, they didn’t have to wait long.

The Trojans, seeking a second straight win to start the senior high school boys football campaign, scored three touchdowns in the first quarter alone, led 40-0 at the half and cruised to a 52-0 win over the Superior Collegiate Gryphons at Fort William Stadium to improve to 2-0.

Eric Warren scored a pair of touchdowns, a 23-yard run early in the second quarter and hooked up with quarterback Tallon Morris for a 55-yard score before the half came to a close.

Braeden Prodnicki opened the scoring on a 23-yard scamper to the right early in the opening quarter on Churchill’s first possession and humbly said the Trojans just went out and played football.

“It was a good game,” he said. “Both teams played good. We all tried hard and did our best and came out with the victory. We just put a lot more heart into the game and played a good game of football.”

The Trojans ground game was all but unstoppable for the undermanned Gryphons squad, piling up 295 combined yards.

And it was efficient and balanced.

Warren touched the ball just twice, scoring both times, while Prodnicki rumbled for 84 yards and Dyk Taw scrambled for 99, wrapping up the scoring in the fourth, the game well out of reach at that point.

It wasn’t as well executed as the final score might indicate, said Churchill coach Mike Doromko, who would like to clean up a few things in practice this week. And despite playing a perennial also-ran, they weren't taking anything for granted.

“It’s still a game,” he said. “We prepare for our football season nine months of the year and we cherish every minute of the regular season. We came out hard for the first half and then we got everybody in in the second half and got some minutes for those guys.”

That could be important down the road, he added.

Football is a rough sport and everyone gets banged up at some point.

“They’re going to learn a lot from this game,” Doromko said. “Those guys could be stepping up, those guys could be starters for us by the end of the season, depending on injuries, that kind of stuff. Getting them time right now is great.”

The Churchill defence was also strong, holding the Gryphons to a combined 37 yards of offence.

The lone bright spot for Superior Collegiate was second-quarter end-zone pick by Denis Waite, Morris’ first interception of the season. The Trojans pivot would finish 6-for-8 for a 109 yards and two scores, bringing his season TD total to seven in just two games.

St. Ignatius 37, Westgate 14: Darian Fuchs staked the Tigers to an early lead with a five-yard scoring run, but the Falcon stormed back with three straight unanswered touchdowns and closed with a pair to pull away for the win, their second in two outings. Bryce Covello hit Josh Newransky for a 66-yard score and Nic Cull closed it with a 56-yard scoring run. Thomas Walser rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons.

Hammarskjold 42, St. Patrick 3: The Vikings put on an offensive show in the first half, scoring three touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to roll to an easy win. Trenton Woodbeck led the way with a pair of two-yard rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Tyler Mathieu also rushed one in from a yard out and connected with Cody Baranyk from the same distance for another major.