Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
On Saturday, August 23rd, history was made at Rocky DiPietro Field as Sault College Athletics hosted its first-ever home football game. In front of a packed and energetic home crowd, the Cougars welcomed the (1-1) Hamilton Hurricanes for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff that marked the beginning of a new era in Sault College sports.
The Hurricanes struck first, taking a 2-0 lead at 14:16 of the opening quarter after the Cougars conceded a safety. Early in the second, Hamilton extended their lead to 3-0 when kicker Gabriel Canaabrava booted a 57-yard punt through the endzone for a rouge. The Cougars found themselves under pressure as they conceded two more safeties—one at 7:24 and another at 4:04 of the second quarter—giving Hamilton a 7-0 advantage.
Sault College responded in electrifying fashion when Jaidan Trudeau ignited the crowd with a 72-yard punt return touchdown at the 2:50 mark. Nik Vecchio’s extra point tied the game 7-7, giving the Cougars their first-ever touchdown and point in school history. However, just 45 seconds later, the Hurricanes regained the lead 8-7 with another rouge. Hamilton then delivered a momentum-shifting play with 54 seconds left in the half, as quarterback Kayrus Sam connected on a 34-yard pass to Gianluca Muraca. After a deflection, Wes Weins hauled it in and raced 20 yards for a touchdown. Canaabrava’s convert gave the Hurricanes a 15-7 lead heading into halftime.
Hamilton’s special teams continued to shine in the third quarter, as Canaabrava hit three consecutive field goals—from 12, 31, and 27 yards—to push the Hurricanes lead to 24-7. Refusing to go quietly, the Cougars clawed back late in the game. With Sault College driving deep, Ethan Carchidi powered through the Hamilton defensive line from the three-yard mark to record the Cougars’ second touchdown. Quarterback Matti Tucker then connected with Trudeau in the endzone for a successful two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 24-15.
Despite the late surge, the Cougars’ historic debut ended in a 24-15 defeat. Still, the team made a strong impression in its first-ever outing, highlighted by big plays and resilience against a well-established opponent.
Cougars coach Paul Orazietti told Saultsports that “we closed the gap on a tough Hamilton team from our performance in week two against them. Our defense held us close all game. It was actually an incredible performance by the defense who spent most of the afternoon on field. On offence we are still struggling with execution at a high level. We have yet to establish an identity and more importantly put multiple play drives together, but I’m encouraged by everyone’s no quit attitude. As a team we need to get much better at dealing with adversity and not getting too low when things don’t go our way. This will be more important than ever now that embark on some of the tougher teams on our schedule.”
The fourth-place (2-2) Sault College Cougars will return to Rocky DiPietro Field for their next test when they host the unbeaten, second-place (3-0) London Beefeaters in a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
