THUNDER BAY - It wasn’t a blowout, but the Westgate Tiger’s senior boys football team will take their first win of the season anyway they can.
The Tigers blanked the Hammarskjold Vikings 14-0 after a strong defensive performance at Fort William Stadium Friday night.
The Tigers opened the game strong. On their first rush, they drove the ball to the Viking’s 10-yard line where they were stopped and forced to hand the ball back after not being able to convert after three downs. But the Tiger’s recovered the ball after the Vikings fumbled trying to drive out of their own end.
On the next play, Westgate’s Darian Fuchs ran the ball in from five yards out to put the Tigers on the board.
With four minutes left in the half, Hammarskjold was still struggling to move the ball down field. After a fake punt attempt failed to earn them the six yards needed for a first down, Westgate took over on the 30-yard line.
On the next play, Westgate’s John Czybryna ran the ball and fought off the Viking defenders to just get over the goal line, giving the Tiger’s a 14-0 lead.
“The guys needed a big comeback this week,” said Westgate head coach, Mike McNally. “We played a couple of good teams and Hammarskjold is certainly a good team as well. We needed a comeback game and we played a full game.”
Hammarskjold put up a stronger offensive effort in the second half, driving the ball within one yard of the goal line, but the determined Tiger defense did not give them an inch.
“We spent our bi-week tackling,” McNally said. “We did a ton tackling preparation. We’ve been giving up a lot of big plays and that didn’t happen today.”
“I think overall we did pretty good today,” said Eric Rabachuk, who had several tackles on the day and one interception in the fourth quarter. “The defense held it, we kept it to zero points.”
McNally said the turnovers really helped keep the momentum in the Tiger’s favour, as their defense continued to make key plays and recover the ball for the offence.
“Anytime you can change momentum it’s a big swing for us,” he said. “Our linebackers really stepped up the pressure on the blitz.”
Westgate is now 1-2 on the season, while Hammarskjold sits at 0-3, still looking for their first win.
Next week Westgate will be taking on their south side rivals, the Churchill Trojans.
“It’s always huge rivalry,” McNally said. “Both teams are a little bit banged up going into the game but certainly we can expect a good football game.”
“The defense has got to hold it,” Rabachuk added. “We have to play the whole game and not just play the second half.”
Hammarskjold will be taking next week off and returning to the field to face the St. Ignatius Falcon’s on Oct. 21.
