Already facing the task of squaring off against an unbeaten team, falling behind early was the worst-case scenario.
For the Sault Steelers, giving up an early touchdown opened what was a tough night for the Northern Football Conference club in a 45-0 loss to the Steel City Patriots at Rocky DiPietro Field Saturday night.
The Patriots scored on their first possession and ultimately held a 24-0 lead at half en route to the win.
“(Steel City) were ready to go with a high tempo when they stepped onto the field and we may have been a little sluggish from the get go,” said Steelers coach Brandon Lewis. “It come back to bite us. It’s hard to come back from those early scores.”
Lewis added that injuries during the course of the game also played a role. Among the injured was veteran Greg Torrance, who left the game in the opening half and did not return to action.
Sean Squires had three touchdown catches for Steel City and 84 yards receiving in the victory. Johan Jenkins also caught a touchdown pass.
Isaiha Nice carried the ball seven times for 83 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots.
Defensively for Steel City, Tyler Bistrovich returned an interception for a touchdown while Kyle Erskine had five tackles. The Steel City defence combined for six interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries. Donovan Saunders had three interceptions.
“They’re definitely on another level,” Lewis said of the Patriots. “They’re efficient. Everybody’s out to work. They brought big numbers on a road trip. They’re 5-0 for a reason. They’re a heavily committed team.”
Defensively for the Steelers, Matt Gauthier had six tackles while Josh Gauthier had 4.5 tackles.
Ron Kelly had 23 yards receiving for the Steelers on two catches.
The loss drops the Steelers record to 2-3 heading into a bye week.
The team returns to action on July 7 on the road in Sudbury against the Spartans before returning home the following weekend to face the North Bay Bulldogs.
At halftime, a pair of former Steelers were inducted into the NFC hall of fame, Travis McLean and Bill Jurich were honoured by the team. Both were members of the franchise during their national championship victory in 2007 along with the back-to-back title wins in 2009 and 2010.