Sabercats beat Warriors
Sunday, July 08, 2012 by: Brad Coccimiglio
The Sault Sabercats scored a much-needed Ontario Varsity Football League victory on Saturday afternoon against the Mississauga Warriors.
The Sabercats beat the Warriors 35-21 at Rocky DiPietro Field in a game that Sabercats coach Steve Nott called the best offensive effort he’s seen all year. The Sabercats played the game without receiver Alex Morrison, running back Stevan Hiiemaa and Casey Wright, who missed much of the game with a shoulder injury.
“This was the best we’ve been all year,” said Nott. “We clicked and we got rid of all of the stuff we wanted to clean up. We probably would have put 40 or 50 (points) on the board had Casey (Alex) Morrison and (Stevan) Hiiemaa been able to play.
Wright left the game due to injury after completing nine of 19 passes for 181 yards. Peter Greve came in and completed three passes. Wright ran for three touchdowns in the win. Nott credited Greve for entering the game and finishing the afternoon off.
“It was a fantastic effort,” said Nott. “Even veteran guys who come off the bench struggle. We’ve had different guys over the past couple of years come off the bench as 19-year-olds. He’s just a competitor and made some great plays.
Colin Booth caught five passes offensively for 78 yards and a touchdown while Justin Elwgren caught three passes for 66 yards. On the ground Ben Muncaster ran for 51 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Nott was pleased with the defensive effort in the loss, led by Rhys Mahler (9.5 tackles) and Pat McGrath (seven tackles and a sack).
“We’re the kind of team that we know we’re going to give up plays and give up points,” said Nott. “We designed this defense around to be aggressive and it matches our offense. If we had a pound-it-out offence we would have to play a tight, conservative defence.
“The defence was fantastic,” added Nott. “The past few weeks, we’ve played some giant teams. We know that by being aggressive, some of the elite athletes are going to make plays.
When asked further about Wright’s injury, Nott said his return would be looked at with caution.
“We’re going to so what’s best for Casey,” said Nott. “He’s a competitor, so he’ll want to play. I’m guessing that he won’t be ready for next week. At some point he’s going to ask to play and we’re going to have to evaluate. I don’t want to send kids to university banged up because we ruined his shoulder.”
Next up for the locals is a road game on July 14 when they hit the road to take on Cambridge.
