Falcons hammer Tigers

The St. Ignatius Falcons wanted to send an early message to the Westgate Tigers.

Jake Puskas waited all of 13 seconds to deliver it.

The Falcons Mr. Everything took the opening kickoff 83 yards down the field on Saturday, kick-starting a first half that saw the No. 1-ranked junior football team in Thunder Bay score 45 points before halftime arrived.

The 45-14 win propelled the Falcons into next Saturday’s final, where they’ll meet a Churchill Trojans team they beat 29-7 in early October.

“That’s what we set out to do,” said Puskas, who later ran one in from three yards out, the second of five first-quarter touchdowns the undefeated Falcons would pile onto the overworked Fort William Stadium scoreboard.

“We just wanted to set the tone and get everything rolling for the rest of the game.”The Tigers, caught under the St. Ignatius steamroller, couldn’t get anything going until it was well beyond salvaging.

Westgate quarterback Maxton Gutman, heroic in Tuesday’s quarterfinal win that brought them to the semifinal, had a day he’d just as soon forget, tossing up five interceptions – though they mostly came when the game was all but out of reach.

Puskas, who only gained 56 yards on the ground, the Falcons seemingly always taking over the ball in scoring position, made no apologies for the fast start.

“I think in the first half we made it very clear that we wanted to win and altogether as a team, minus some injuries, I think we played pretty well.”

Kyle Hughes, who later left the game with an ankle injury, also had a strong outing for St. Ignatius, dashing 20 yards for a touchdown, then catching an 11-yard pass from Thomas Walser that made it 28-0.

Walser also hit Mitchell Siciliano on a 17-yard strike, the Falcons other score coming on a five yard dive up the middle by Andrew Rebolo.

St. Ignatius last won the junior crown in 2008, and haven’t been in a final since 2009, but despite winning every time out this season, coach Ryan Bliznikas said they’re not taking anything for granted.

“We know that the final is a different game and it’s going to be tight and hard hitting and all that stuff,” he said.
The fast start was key, he added.

“We came out firing. We were running the football beautifully, big holes were available. Then Thomas Walser had some beautiful passing and hitting his receivers.”

Sean TenHave, the Tigers star running back, did break free for a 90-yard major before the first half ended. He'd finish with 152 yards on the ground. Their other score came in the fourth, when Gutman hit Jack Gillespie from 16 yards out.

It wasn’t the way Westgate coach Chris Morand wanted to go out, but realistically he knew his side was in tough.

“We took a look at our roster size. We had 22 people dressed today. As soon as we lost two people to injuries we were putting together makeshift lines, a makeshift receiver corps. But we’re not making excuses,” he said.

“The guys played their guts out. Nobody quit on that team. We took a look at the scoreboard, knew we couldn’t come back, and they still laid on the line on every play. I’ve got nothing but respect for each and every one of those Westgate players.”

The final is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Fort William Stadium.