The Sarnia Sturgeon suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday at the hands of the Twin Cities Predators by a score of 17-8.
Despite a valiant effort on the defensive side of the ball for the Sturgeon the offense just could not provide enough consistency needed to win the game. The three headed rushing monster of Twin Cities proved that it is one of the elite backfields in the OFC. The backfield consists of Mike Lynch, Tyler Woods, and Tre Nicholson.
The speed and ability of these three backs is something that is worth watching for all three can hurt opposing defenses and all three are threats to score every time they touch the ball.
The Sturgeon received the opening kickoff. Despite a strong start where the Sturgeon offence moved the ball into Twin Cities territory which included a fourth down and short conversion, the drive was cut short however when the Sturgeon fumbled the ball back to the Predators.
The Predators were aggressive right from the first snap for they ran a well executed play action bootleg pass which saw quarterback Lucas McConnell throw a beautiful deep pass which was completed for a forty five yard gain. However, the play was called back for a holding penalty and the Sturgeon forced the Predators to punt the ball away.
Following a great return for the Sturgeon by Hayden Mclean the Sturgeon started the drive from the Predators one yard line. Following two defensive stops by the Predators the Sturgeon finally managed to break through when quarterback Josh Elsley scored a touchdown on a sweep. Blake Maxfield added the extra point.
The Predators moved the ball on their next drive which was highlighted by Nicholson but the Predators were once again forced to punt following a big sack by Jeremy Jones. Jones was the leading tackler for the Sturgeon; he was all over the field making plays all game long.
The Sturgeon once again moved the ball in small parts but they were bailed out by a facemask penalty on third and long to keep the drive alive. The Predators regained their composure and forced the Sturgeon to punt again this brought an end to the first quarter.
Despite the Sturgeon defense containing the three headed monster in the first quarter the first play of the second quarter is where they proved to be deadly. Nicholson exploded for a sixty yard touchdown run, Lorand Guczuly added the extra point to tie the game at seven.
The Sturgeon were able to respond with a drive on their own which saw them convert on a third and long when Marco Parete ran the ball for twelve yards. Another third down conversion was made on the drive as well, this one by Mclean . Despite Maxfield missing the field goal attempt the ball went through the end giving the Sturgeon the single point and an 8-7 lead.
The Sturgeon once again saw the big play ability of the Predators backfield when Lynch broke a forty five yard run on the first play of the drive. Despite this the Sturgeon still hung tough and managed to stop the Predators on fourth down.
Once again the Sturgeon offense took the field and they managed to convert on a crucial third down play when Elsley connected with Yenel Olivero on a fifteen yard pass. Despite this the Sturgeon had to punt once again.
On the Predators final offensive possession of the half quarterback McConnell was looking for his favorite target Nicholas Lamot on a hailmary pass but the pass was broken up by Maxfield. The score at the half was 8-7in favour of the Sturgeon.
The Predators received the ball to start the second half which saw their offence start to assert itself. The third member of the three headed monster got in on the action when Woods had a thirty yard run. Nicholson also contributed when he converted on a third long. The drive was capped off with a touchdown when Brendan Carey hooked up with Benjamin Drung on a ten yard pass. Guczuly added the extra point to make the score 14-8 in favour of the Predators.
The Predators also started to flex their muscles on defense for they stopped the Sturgeon on a fourth and short on the next drive.
The Predators offence took the field once again where they had a pounding offence drive but they could not score and had to kick a field which was made successfully by Guczuly to make the score 17-8 for the Predators.
The Sturgeon’s offence once again could not get anything going and were forced into a three and out on their next possession. The Predators were looking for more when their offence took the field once again and big plays on third down helped them take more time off the clock. Nicholson caught a pass out of the backfield for a twenty yard third down conversion. Lynch also had a big third down run keeping the drive alive. It was clear that the Sturgeon’s defense was beginning to fatigue for the Predators size, strength, and speed were beginning to wear them out. Despite this the defense did not quit and a big forth and short stop by defensive lineman Connor Sullivan gave the Sturgeon the ball back once again.
The Sturgeon’s offence continued their woes as they fumbled the ball back to the Predators. The Predators tried to spread the ball around this time attacking the Sturgeon defense through the air but great coverage by Maxfield once again made the Predators give the ball back to the Sturgeon.
The final offensive possession for the Sturgeon came to an end when Paul Henning picked off Mclean on a pitch pass. This interception was to be the final nail in the coffin as the Predators offense milked the rest of the clock to end the game. The final score was 17-8 as the Predators moved to 4-0 on the season while the Sturgeon falls to 3-1.
“The defense played well we just could not get the offense going,” says Sturgeon head coach Steve Belrose. If these two teams were to play again the Sturgeon would have to find away to get their offense going because their defense cannot play any better than they did, especially when their defense has to defend that backfield that the Predators have.
“We look forward to seeing them again,” concluded Belrose who despite the loss knows that his team will only get better as the season goes on.
The Sturgeon’s next game will be on June 24th at 3:00 p.m. at home where they will take on the Toronto Junior Argos.
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