At Superior Heights Field in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the second-place (4–2) Superior Heights Steelhawks and third-place (1–5) St. Mary’s Knights squared off on Friday, October 17th, in a high-stakes semi-final matchup. With a berth in the 2025 Sault Ste. Marie High School Senior Football City Championship on the line, both teams delivered an exciting, back-and-forth battle under the lights.

The Knights struck first at 7:21 of the opening quarter when Micah Cuglietta split the uprights with a 17-yard field goal to make it 3–0. St. Mary’s extended their lead late in the quarter, as Cole Rivet powered in a five-yard touchdown run, followed by a Cuglietta convert, giving the Knights a 10–0 advantage. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Aaron Juma broke through the Steelhawks’ defense from the one-yard line, and another Cuglietta convert pushed the lead to 17–0.

Superior Heights responded midway through the second when quarterback Dylan Wooton connected with Chase Cerasuolo on a 27-yard pass before finishing the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown. Wooton’s convert brought the score to 17–7. Moments later, Wooton kept the ball again for another short touchdown run, narrowing the Knights’ lead to 17–14.

Before halftime, St. Mary’s regained momentum as Charles McInnes hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Juma, and Cuglietta’s extra point made it 24–14 at the break.

In the third quarter, McInnes struck again, catching a six-yard touchdown from Juma at 2:52, extending the Knights’ lead to 31–21. But the Steelhawks refused to go quietly — Cerasuolo bulldozed through the Knights’ line for a one-yard score midway through the fourth, trimming the deficit to 31–28 after another Wooton convert.

In the final seconds, with Superior Heights threatening deep in Knights territory, a dramatic turn of events sealed the outcome. On third down, Wooton launched a pass toward the end zone, only for it to deflect off a Steelhawk receiver and into the hands of Marcus Spadafora, clinching the 31–28 St. Mary’s victory.

With the win, the St. Mary’s Knights advance to face the Korah Colts in the 2025 Sault Ste. Marie High School Senior Football City Championship, set for Friday, October 24th at 7:30 p.m. at Superior Heights Field.