Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
The Sault College Cougars remained undefeated in OFC Football action on Saturday, September 26, improving to 7-0 with a 35-21 victory over the visiting London Beefeaters at Superior Heights Field in Sault Ste. Marie. The first-place Cougars entered Week Seven looking to complete their regular-season home schedule with another win after defeating the Beefeaters 52-10 in London just one week earlier.
Sault College opened the scoring at 7:41 of the first quarter when quarterback Emerson Peterkin connected with Jack McPherson on a 38-yard pass play, with McPherson completing the play with a 12-yard touchdown run. Vecchio added the convert to put the Cougars ahead 7-0. London responded at 2:35 when Brayden Rivard connected on a 14-yard field goal, cutting the Sault College lead to 7-3.
The Cougars extended their advantage 1:48 into the second quarter when Sam Mustaspha powered his way into the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown run. Vecchio added the extra point to make it 14-3. London answered with a safety at the 9:34 mark, trimming the Cougar lead to 14-5.
The Beefeaters continued to battle and found the end zone at 4:48 of the second quarter. Nick Seybold broke through the Sault College defensive line from the one-yard line for a London major, with Rivard adding the convert to bring the Beefeaters within seven points at 14-12.
Sault College responded with another touchdown before halftime. Peterkin connected with Mark Dunning on a 12-yard pass, with Dunning taking the ball another 18 yards for a Cougar touchdown. Vecchio converted to give Sault College a 21-12 lead with 3:13 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cougars added to their lead again with just 1:52 remaining before halftime. Peterkin delivered a 28-yard pass to Erron Beachy, who finished the play with an 11-yard touchdown run. Vecchio’s convert pushed the Sault College advantage to 28-12 heading into the half.
Sault College’s defence then produced a major play early in the third quarter. At 13:05, Russell Beaubrun intercepted a London pass and returned it 50 yards for a defensive touchdown. Vecchio added the convert, giving the Cougars a 35-12 advantage.
The Beefeaters continued to compete throughout the second half, with Sault College conceding its second safety of the afternoon with 12 seconds remaining before the ten-minute mark of the fourth quarter. London continued to pressure the Cougar defence late, and with just 32.8 seconds remaining, Ethan Grant broke through the Sault College defensive line from the one-yard line for a London touchdown. Rivard added the convert, bringing the final score to 35-21 in favour of the Cougars.
Peterkin had an efficient afternoon through the air for Sault College, completing 14 of 19 passes for 227 yards while contributing to multiple Cougar scoring drives. Mustaspha led the Sault College rushing attack with nine carries for 75 yards, while Jaidan Trudeau added 28 yards on three carries.
Defensively, Jake Lavers recorded eight tackles and two assisted tackles for the Cougars. Daikaden Gauthier finished with six tackles and one assisted tackle, while Romello Campbell added five tackles.
For London, Grant finished the afternoon with 14 carries for 59 yards. Brandon Visouvath recorded three receptions for 75 yards, while quarterback Xavier Zatylny completed 12 of 23 pass attempts for 75 yards. Sincere Green led the Beefeaters defensively with seven tackles and one assisted tackle, while Tristan Masterson and Amos Thomas each recorded two tackles.
With the victory, the Cougars improve to 7-0 and will now close out their regular season on the road. Sault College will travel south to Windsor on Saturday, October 3, for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff against the second-place St. Clair Saints, who enter the matchup at 6-1.
The Cougars and Saints previously met on September 5 in Sault Ste. Marie, where Sault College recorded a 42-15 victory. The October 3 matchup will provide the Cougars with their final regular-season test as they look to complete an undefeated 2026 OFC campaign.
