THUNDER BAY – If the St. Ignatius Falcons were looking to send their semifinal opponent a message, it was delivered loud and clear.
Lucas Dupuis threw for two touchdowns on Friday afternoon and ran another one in from 33 yards out as the Falcons pounded the St. Patrick Fighting Saints 44-0 on their Catholic Board rival’s home turf.
The game may have been meaningless in the standings, the two teams already destined for a semifinal matchup next Friday, but it was certainly a chance for one side or the other to make a statement.
It was the Falcons who spoke loudest.
“Mostly we just wanted to send them a message, saying we’re not going to go down lightly, we’re not going to go down without a fight,” said Dupuis, his team finishing 4-2-0 in second place in the SSSAA senior football standings.
The difference?
Everyone, Dupuis said.
“Offence, defence, special teams, everyone played amazing,” he said.
It’s a huge confidence boost, said defender Nolan Poirier, who stripped the ball from St. Patrick quarterback Boston Bortolin late in the second quarter, scooped it up mid-air and raced 41 yards to the endzone for the score, giving the Falcons a 28-0 lead at the time.
“This game was much more of a tone-setter for what’s going to go on next week,” Poirier said.
“We’re all hyped up to go for next week’s game. Honestly, this game didn’t mean much in the standings, because either way we face St. Pat’s, but it gives us that extra inch on St. Pat’s.”
Up 14-0 in the second, Dupuis connected with Heath Robertson-Picard five minutes in for a 28-yard touchdown strike. Poirier’s defensive score made it 28-0 and, to add insult to injury, Daniel Voca’s ensuing kickoff sailed through the endzone, the one-point rough making it 29-0 at the half.
The Saints offence just couldn’t get going.
Bortolin was picked off twice in the opening half, once by Ali Hassan and once by Caleb Blain.
Thomas Hardie took over behind centre to start the second half but was sacked to put an end to a promising drive to start the third quarter. The ground game struggled too, Quincy Kamenawatamin-Rigi finished with 56 yards rushing. Jude Hockenhull caught two passes for 55 yards.
Roberto Cappeli, on a three-yard run, and Rodrigo Cosio, from seven yards out, also scored touchdowns for the Falcons, who got a second rouge from Voca late in the fourth to round out the scoring.
