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Tigers pounce on Gryphons in 41-13 triumph

Graham Deans threw for three touchdowns and ran for another

THUNDER BAY – As the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, just try again.

That’s just what the Westgate Tigers did on Thursday afternoon.

The junior Tigers arrived at Fort William Stadium an hour or so earlier than originally planned, to finish off last week’s contest against the Hammarskjold Vikings, a game halted when a Westgate player went down with an injury that required an ambulance and a trip to Thunder Bay Regional.

The Tigers, down 14-12 at the time, couldn’t mount a comeback and dropped a 29-12 decision to the Vikings, but bounced back in a big way in their regularly scheduled game against the first-year Superior Collegiate Gryphons.

Quarterback Graham Deans threw for three touchdowns and ran for one more, leading Westgate to their first win of the 2023 campaign, a 41-13 drubbing of the winless Gryphons, who scored a pair of late touchdowns to end the Tigers shutout bid.

Deans was at his absolute finest on the final play of the second half.

The Tigers (1-2) took a 15-yard penalty to force a third-and-28, but with nothing to lose, coach Tyler Height put away the playbook and told Deans to make some magic.

The Westgate pivot heaved the ball down the sidelines, into the waiting arms of receiver Carter Buchanan, who raced the rest of the 37 yards to the goal line, giving the Tigers a 27-0 halftime lead.

“I just had my friend, Carter Buchanan, doing a corner. The ball was real slick and it slipped right out of my hands. I’m just glad I could get it off,” Deans said.

Deans opened the scoring with another passing touchdown, midway through the first quarter, hitting Christian Moro on a seven-yard strike, then kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead. He doubled it early in the second with a brilliant run to the outside covering 31 yards, breaking multiple tackles on his way to the goal line.

Hudson Van Dyk added another major four minutes into the second after the Westgate D forced a three-and-out by the Gryphons, running it in from two yards out.

Clark Matson did most of the heavy lifting on the Tigers first drive of the second half, bursting free for a 49-yard gain that dropped the ball on the Superior Collegiate 19. He then hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Deans that upped the Westgate lead to 33-0 five minutes into the third.

“Graham’s fantastic,” Height said. “He’s all over the place. He can run the ball, throw the ball, looks good in practice and that translates onto the field.”

Buchanan rounded out the Tigers scoring on a 57-yard scamper and finished the afternoon with 89 yards on six carries.

The Gryphons (0-4), still seeking their first win since returning to the gridiron after a six-year absence, finally broke through in the fourth.

Quarterback Kehl Thompson fired a swing pass to Landon Blackshaw, who raced down the sidelines for 69 yards and a score. After a Westgate fumble the Gryphons took over on the Tigers 46, Thompson eventually running up the middle for a three-yard score.

In the other junior football game, the undefeated St. Ignatius Falcons (3-0) outduelled the host St. Patrick Fighting Saints 34-7.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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