Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
After opening the 2023 OSFL season with a forfeit win against the North Bay Bulldogs on June 3rd due to the Bulldogs folding their U18 football program, the (1-0) Sault Varsity Sabercats hosted the (1-0) Sudbury Spartans at Superior Heights Field in Sault Ste Marie on June 10th. The Sabercats fell to the Spartans on May 27th in Sudbury with a 28 – 27 exhibition loss.
In their first regular season game of the 2023 season, Daniel Bumbaco opens the scoring for the Sabercats with a 70 yard punt return at 8:06 of the opening quarter. Ty Koski brought the Sault’s lead to 7 – 0 with a successful convert. At 6:40 of the first, Ronan Provenzano who will be heading to Waterloo in the fall of 2023 to play for the OUA Warriors increased the hosts lead to 13 – 0 on a five yard carry. Koski found the uprights for his second convert of the game to give the Sabercats a 14 – 0 lead. Scoring his second straight major of the game at 6:17 of the second quarter, Provenzano carries the ball for three yards to increase the Sabercats lead to 21 – 0 after a Koski convert. With 49.2 seconds left in the first half, Brenden Beggs brings the Spartans within 14 with a three yard carry and successful convert for Sudbury. On the next play at 41.1 of the second, Sudbury earned a single point after tackling Bumbaco in the Sault’s endzone to bring the game to 21 – 8. The Sault reclaimed the extra point with a missed field goal but put the kick through the Sudbury end zone to give the Sabercats a 22 – 8 lead heading into halftime.
Kaylob Thibodeau runs the ball for two yards for a Sault touchdown at 7:14 of the fourth quarter to give the Sabercats’ a 28 – 8 lead, Koski’s convert brought the game to 29 – 8 for the Sault. With his first appearance of the game as the quarterback, Sabercat rookie Daikaden Gauthier rushes for a one yard touchdown through the Spartan defense at 4:51 to give the Sault a 36 – 8 lead with a Koski convert. Landen Trecartin runs a 30 yard touchdown on the kickoff to give the Sault a 43 – 8 win with a Koski successful at 4:42 of fourth.
Gauthier told Saultsports after his first varsity touchdown that “it was a good game for the most part we had lots of positive, but we have stop taking so many flags its gonna start to hurt us more and more. It was exciting, but wish there was more I could do for the team honestly.”
Visit Freeze Frame Photos photo gallery by Bob Davies of the Sault Sabercats vs Sudbury Spartans in varsity OSFL action.
The Sabercats now take their 2 – 0 record on the road for the next three games with a June 17th contest against the York Lions. Kickoff will be at 2:30 in Aurora, Ontario.
