Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
The Sault College Cougars are set to close out their 2026 regular season on Saturday, October 3rd, as the first-place Cougars travel to Windsor, Ontario, to take on the defending 2025 OFC Football champions, the second-place St. Clair Saints.
Sault College enters the final week of the regular season with a perfect 7-0 record, while St. Clair comes into the matchup at 6-1, setting up a battle between the top two teams in the Ontario Football Conference standings.
For the Cougars, Saturday’s game represents one final opportunity to complete an undefeated regular season and carry that momentum into the OFC playoffs.
SaultSports had the opportunity to speak with veteran safety and Superior Heights Steelhawks alumnus Daikaden Gauthier ahead of the highly anticipated matchup.
A Special Group
Gauthier believes the Cougars’ success throughout the 2026 season has come from a combination of talent, accountability and, most importantly, the team’s work ethic.
“We have a special group this year,” Gauthier said. “There are lots of pieces that contribute to the team’s success. The guys keeping each other accountable is huge, it really helps the team.”
While there have been plenty of contributors on both sides of the football, Gauthier believes the team’s commitment to putting in the work every day has been one of the biggest differences.
“I’d say the biggest factor has been the guys’ work ethic,” he explained. “Every day on the field and in film they all put their head down and work.”
That approach has helped the Cougars remain unbeaten through the first seven games of the regular season and put themselves in position to finish the season at the top of the OFC standings.
Home-Field Advantage on the Line
Although the Cougars have already secured a playoff position, Saturday’s matchup carries significant importance.
A victory over St. Clair would secure home-field advantage for the Cougars in the playoffs, something Gauthier says would be a major benefit for the team.
“It’s a big game, the kind of game I love personally,” Gauthier said. “A win against the Saints would secure home field for the playoffs, which is honestly huge, playing in front of our fans and not having to hop on a bus for eight hours.”
For a team that has spent much of the season travelling across Ontario, the opportunity to host a playoff game at home would provide the Cougars with a significant advantage while also allowing them to play in front of their supporters in Sault Ste. Marie.
Taking It One Week at a Time
Despite the importance of Saturday’s game and what is at stake, Gauthier says the Cougars have maintained the same approach throughout the season.
The focus has remained on taking things one game at a time.
“We focus on going 1-0 every week,” Gauthier said. “Work our asses off in practice, control what we can control and do our job to the best of our abilities.”
That mentality has helped the Cougars navigate their way through a perfect 7-0 campaign.
Now, they’ll need to rely on that same preparation and discipline against a St. Clair team that enters the matchup with just one loss on its record.
Defensive Focus
For Gauthier and the Cougars’ defense, limiting big plays will be a major priority against the Saints.
“We need to stop the deep ball and chunk run plays,” Gauthier said.
The veteran safety also emphasized the importance of assignments, tackling and creating turnovers.
“As a defense, we need to know our assignments, tackle and win the turnover battle.”
On the other side of the football, Gauthier believes the Cougars’ offense needs to continue doing what has helped them reach 7-0.
“Offense needs to keep doing what they are doing and extend drives.”
Discipline will also be an important area of focus heading into the final regular-season game.
“As a team we need to and will be more disciplined heading into Week 8,” Gauthier said.
A Chance to Make History
For Gauthier personally, Saturday provides an opportunity to accomplish something he has never experienced as a player — being part of an undefeated regular-season team.
“As a player, it would be great to finish a regular season undefeated,” he said. “It would be my first time being on a team that was undefeated.”
The Cougars have already accomplished plenty through their first seven games, but finishing 8-0 would provide a special ending to the regular season.
“It would be great to finish 8-0,” Gauthier said. “I think it would give the guys a healthy confidence boost, but it would set the league on notice and show that us winning games wasn’t a fluke.”
Cougars and Saints Set for Final Regular-Season Battle
Saturday’s matchup in Windsor brings together two of the OFC’s top teams, with the Cougars looking to finish the regular season undefeated and the Saints looking to hand Sault College its first loss of the campaign.
For Sault College, the stakes extend beyond simply protecting a perfect record.
A win would give the Cougars an 8-0 regular-season record, secure home-field advantage for the playoffs and provide another statement victory against one of the conference’s top programs.
After seven consecutive wins, the Cougars now have one final regular-season challenge standing between them and a perfect season.
The Cougars will look to finish what they started and bring an undefeated regular season home to Sault Ste. Marie.
