THUNDER BAY -- The Churchill Trojans might have stood a chance had they been able to stop Kellan Steudle.
The St. Patrick Saints running back proved way too much to handle, torching the Trojans for 234 yards on the ground and three touchdowns as his team cruised to a 35-6 win at Fort William Stadium that put them a step closer to the playoffs and strengthened their grip on third place in the high school senior boy’s football standings.
Steudle also caught a pair of passes for 26 yards, giving him a combined 260 yards on the day.
The individual stats weren’t all that important to the fifth-year senior.
“This win really means a lot to us. It cements us a spot in the playoffs. And it might not be the last time we play that school, so it was good to make a statement,” Steudle said, though his team could still miss the post-season.
With the result the Saints are now 2-3 and just a game behind the second place Trojans, who slipped to 2-3.
It’s the right time to peak, he said.
“We’ve got a lot of senior leadership going on in the last week and it really showed on the field today,” Steudle said.
Among those leaders is was quarterback Eric Nisiou, who spent most of the game pitching the ball to his backfield, but managed a 50-yard run of his own, finishing off the scoring drive with a two-yard run, his first touchdown of the season.
Nisiou ran for 79 yards on the day against a Trojans team plagued by 115 yards in penalties versus just 168 in total offence.
He was perfectly OK with handing the ball off and letting his backs do all the grunt work.
“I felt really comfortable giving it to Kellan. He’s a fifth-year guy. He really leads us and he was on fire today, you know, getting at least 10 yards every play.”
Actually it was 11.1, but who’s counting?
The Saints scored twice in the opening quarter to burst out to a 14-0 lead, Cooper Petyk cruising in from five yards out at the nine-minute mark, Steudle scampering home 55 yards for the second major of the evening.
Nisiou’s score upped the St. Patrick lead to 20-0 before the half.
Churchill finally got on the board early in the third, Dyk Taw racing 67 yards untouched up the middle and the Trojans looked to have momentum on their side when St. Patrick turned the ball over on downs on its own 33-yard line later in the period.
But the Trojans were unable to capitalize and less than two minutes into the final frame Steudle was at it again, this time a 37-yard scoring run that made it 27-6 Saints.
Three minutes later a Xander Scriver pick led to Steudle’s third of the day. He capped it with the two-point conversion, Josh Swearenger under-handing it through the uprights to the surprise of the Churchill defence.
Hammarskjold 39, Westgate 13: Vikings quarterback Marti Martinez rushed for a pair of touchdowns and tossed another to help Hammarskjold (1-4) earn its first win of the season. Depite the lopsided loss, the Tigers clinched a playoff spot. Cayden Boucher had a pair of four-yard scoring runs for Westgate (2-3).
