THUNDER BAY – There’s no stopping the Hammarskjold Vikings in 2018.
The senior football squad on Friday overcame blustery conditions at Fort William Stadium and rolled over the winless Superior Collegiate Gryphons 48-0 to remain undefeated at 4-0 and firmly atop the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association standings.
Caleb Perzan and Dillon Stroud had two-yard scoring runs that set the pace in the opening quarter and quarterback Zack Kuzik ran for one touchdown and threw for two more in the second half to lead the Vikings to the win over a Gryphons team that had more cheerleaders on the sidelines than players on their active roster.
“I think a lot of things went wrong, but a lot of things did go our way,” said Kuzik, who connected with Ethan Porter for a nine-yard major in the third, then hooked up with Michael Goegan for an 11-yard major in the fourth, after Jonah Siciliano blocked an Owen Steele punt, the ball recovered by teammate Tristan Belbas deep in Superior territory.
Their own worst critics, nonetheless Kuzik and the Vikings are pretty happy with their situation, seeking their first high school gridiron crown in more than a decade.
“Absolutely, it feels amazing to be in first place, but nothing’s going to be handed to us, we’ve got to keep working hard.”
Kuzik’s arm wasn’t tested often, the brutal wind forcing both teams to stick to the ground as much as possible.
“The wind is brutal,” he said. “It’s terrible. No one could hear my cadence and it’s just hard to throw. I’m just glad I made the throws that count.”
Justin Nadon, who got his chance when Vikings coach Mike Judge emptied the his bench in the second half, made the most of his opportunity, piling up runs of 21 and 17 yards on a third-quarter drive before being rewarded at the goal line, taking it in from a yard out for the touchdown.
“Being a Grade 11 in my rookie, it feels really great to get on the field,” Nadon said. “That’s my first touchdown of the year, which was pretty awesome for me. It’s my second year of football and it’s going great. I have a great bunch of teammates. They’re helping me and great coaches as well.”
It was the Hammarskjold defence that set the stage in the second half, twice picking off Superior Collegiate quarterback Gabe Garand. They also recovered a Raiden Hyvarinen fumble in the third that led directly to Kuzik’s first aerial touchdown.
“Defence has been the strength of our team all season,” Judge said. “And they continue to work well and get better each week, so we’re pretty proud of them.”
Kicker Carter Oikonen booted a pair of 65-yard rouge points off kickoffs, and nailed a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter that made the score 18-0 Vikings at the time.
The Gryphons best chance to score came midway through the third with the Vikings pinned deep and Kuzik trying to get out of the end zone to avoid the safety, choosing to drop kick the ball on second down. Superior took over on the Hammarskjold nine.
Running back Keynan Collander pushed it to the two-yard line on a pair of carries, but Garand’s third-down pass was incomplete and Superior turned the ball over on downs.
The loss dropped the Gryphons, who have only scored eight points all season, to 0-4.
