THUNDER BAY – By the time the St. Patrick Saints had run their third offensive play, they already had two touchdowns to their credit.
Combined with a defensive effort that kept the Hammarskjold Vikings on the wrong side of mid-field on Thursday afternoon, the Saints made themselves early favourites to capture the high school junior football crown, taking sole possession of top spot with a 34-15 triumph.
Jordan Malench started the ball rolling on St. Patrick’s very first touch of the game, scampering 30 yards up the middle for the major.
After stopping the Vikings in their tracks, Ma Ner Plaw Winning broke free for a 62-yard score, his first of two lengthy touchdown runs on the day, and the Saints jumped out to a 14-0 lead.
It was just the start coach Dave Battistel was hoping for from his team, who dropped the season-opener to the Vikings, their lone loss of 2018.
“Two scores in three plays – the offence played great, but certainly the defence came to play today,” Battistel said.
“We sort of challenged them a bit. The last time we played (the Vikings) – they’re a very good team – they hung 35 points on us. We challenged the defence and said listen, we don’t want to see that again. And for the most part, we shut them down.”
The leader of the defensive effort was linebacker Brayden McKever.
The youngster picked off Hammarskjold quarterback Leif De Dura in the first quarter, and while the play didn’t lead to a direct score, it pinned the Vikings deep in their own territory.
It proved costly.
Forced to punt from their goal line, Saints defensive end Seth Boland blocked a Peter Burgess punt, McKeever pouncing on the loose ball in the Hammarskjold end zone for a 21-0 St. Patrick lead.
“It was all him that did that,” McKever said of his teammate’s effort.
“It felt really good.”
Getting the win was more important than any individual effort, he added.
“It’s really huge. We just took over first place. We’re ready to play Westgate next week,” McKever said.
De Dura finally got the Vikings on the board, plowing through the middle for a two-yard score four minutes into the second quarter, but the Saints answered back before the half, Winning racing 72 yards up the field for another six.
The two teams played a scoreless third, the Vikings collecting their second touchdown of the day late in the fourth when Dylan Halls pushed his way past the goal line from the St. Patrick one-yard-line.
St. Patrick rounded out the scoring on the final play of the contest, Alex Gollat-Luskleet intercepting De Dura’s pass and returning it 51 yards to complete the pick-six.
St. Ignatius 20, Westgate 7: Dylan DaRosa had a pair of touchdown runs from inside the Tigers five to lead the Falcons to the win and a 3-2 record, tied with Hammarskjold for second place. Sam Garon had a 34-yard fumble recovery for the Tigers.
