THUNDER BAY – The Westgate Tigers are still alive.
The junior football squad put on a total team effort on Monday night, shutting out the Superior Collegiate Gryphons 41-0 to advance from the 4/5 play-in game at Fort William Stadium, earning the right to take on No. 1 seed St. Patrick in one of two Thursday semifinal contests.
“I liked that win,” said Westgate receiver Eric Munro, who caught a pair of touchdown throws from quarterback Nathan Miller, a one-yard effort that opened the scoring seven minutes into the game against the Gryphons and a 33-yard gem at 10:43 of the opening quarter that doubled the Tigers lead to 14-0.
“I like my catches and the team did good. So, let’s bring it to Thursday to play St. Pat’s.”
Shawn Vanderwees also had a pair of touchdowns for the Tigers, catching a 21-yard scoring pass from Miller a minute into the second quarter and a seven-yard run three-and-a-half minutes into the third, the lone score of the second half. The first touchdown was set up when Dylan Bohonis recovered the kickoff on the Superior 32, following the Tigers second touchdown of the day.
He said the Tigers were bound and determined not to see their season end prematurely.
“We worked hard over this weekend and we put in a lot of work and a lot of teamwork, getting closer with our team and our coaches,” he said, adding it was great to contribute to the win.
“It was awesome, but I couldn’t have done it without my blockers and my team. We all worked hard to get this win.”
The Tigers finished the four-game regular season with a 1-2-1 record, but did outscore their opponents 94-87, losing their final two matches to fall into the 4/5 play-in contest.
It’s all about staying alert on Thursday, Vanderwees said.
“The outside runs, we have to be watching for and man coverage and definitely blocking, for sure,” he said.
Getting there is huge, Vanderwees added.
“It means a lot to me. Football is everything,” he said.
Despite the one-sided nature of the score, the Gryphons did have their moments.
On the game’s second play Superior Collegiate picked off Miller, taking over at the Westgate 37. But quarterback Leland Lesperance was sacked on first down, setting the Gryphons back eight yards, and they punted after an incompletion.
The Tigers Aiden Sheppard scampered for 29 yards to the Westgate 53 to open the Tigers next possession, then three plays later Koen Hurlbert carried it 26 more yards to the 14. Miller hit Clark Matson for a 24-yard passing play to the Superior four and then lofted it for Munro for the game’s first score.
The Tigers D stepped up, holding Superior to just 87 first-half yards. Meanwhile the offense kept rolling along. Sheppard took one in from five yards out, after being tackled on the two on a 34-yard run from scrimmage that set up the major. Hurlbert also found the endzone, from 34 yards out.
The Gryphons threatened in the fourth, twice getting the ball into the red zone, but Lesperance was picked off by Logan Rusnick on the first drive and time ran out on the second.
The Tigers, led by Sheppard’s 93-yard effort and Hurlbert’s 89-yard game, outrushed Superior Collegiate 267 to 161. Orran Nichols led the ground game for the Gryphons, rushing for 102 yards on 10 carries.
Lesperance was 9-for-16 for 95 yards and one interception.
