Varsity Sabercats pick up last-second win

A final-minute drive was the difference for the Sault Sabercats varsity team.

The Sabercats used a last-minute drive to beat the Brampton Bulldogs 14-13 at Superior Heights on Saturday in Ontario Varsity Football League action.

A 109-yard drive in the final minute was capped off by Michael Byron hitting Greg Caruso in the end zone with 30.7 seconds left to make the score 13-12.

With the Sabercats going for a two-point conversion to take the lead, an objectionable conduct penalty on Brampton put the ball just inside the three-yard line and Byron ran the ball in to give the Sabercats the lead.

Byron had the other Sabercats touchdown on a two-yard run.

“Our offence didn’t play well for most of the game but they came through with a character drive when we needed them,” said Sabercats Coach Matt Premo.

“He made some good decisions,” Premo said of Byron. “He threw three picks but came through in the clutch when we needed him. That last drive, he didn’t get rattled. He wasn’t fazed. He hung in there and made some really good throws.”

Premo said the decision was made early that if the Sabercats scored late, a two-point convert attempt was the way to go after an injury to Darius Richer, who handles the point-after attempts, earlier in the game.

“We had talked about it before,” Premo said. “They got the half the distance to the goal penalty, which made things a little easier to decide to run the ball.”

Defensively, Michael Reid had five solo tackles and four assisted tackles for the Sabercats. Nick Dubie had three solo tackles and four assisted tackles. Justin Cond had three solo tackles and five assisted tackles.

“It was huge,” Premo said of the win. “We didn’t play well for most of the game but to come out with a win, we’ll take that any day.”

Andre Gordon had both touchdowns for Brampton.

The Sabercats improve to 3-3 with the win while Brampton falls to 1-5.

The Sabercats wrap up the regular season with a pair of games on the road. The team will take on the Cambridge Lions on July 9 in week eight action before wrapping up the regular season one week later against the London Mustangs.