The St. Albert High Skyhawks exceeded expectations in their Carr conference opener Thursday.
The defence dominated, the offence showed promise throwing the ball and special teams were especially strong in the 21-7 victory over the Austin O'Brien Crusaders at Riel Park field.
"It's a great start to the season. It's on the way up for us now," said Adam Sturgess, a physical Grade 11 defensive end. "It was a hard fought battle. They were a pretty good team."
The Skyhawks scored 15 points in the second quarter and led 15-7 after three quarters.
"In the first half we had better defence and the offence played really well," said Sturgess, who is surprisingly light on his feet with a big body at six-foot-three. "In the second half we showed heart and kept the game under control so we didn't blow it."
Wired from start to finish, the Skyhawks played with a razor-sharp edge and overwhelming precision.
"In the Carr conference every game is going to be tough and we have to come out with 100 per cent intensity like we did today," said Brett Evers, a fast and hard-hitting Grade 12 linebacker.
The metro Edmonton league contest was marred by penalties. Flags were thrown on practically every play as the marathon affair slowed down to a crawl.
"The refs have a job to do," Evers said. "That's going to happen at the beginning of the season and both teams have some things to fix before their next games."
They were also challenged by the weather conditions. Blustery winds played tricks on the kicking game and all the scoring was done with the teams going with the heavy, cold breeze.
"Our offence showed a lot today. We've got great players on offence," Evers said.
Aerial assault
The Skyhawks came out throwing the ball with gusto. Mike Spagnolo completed more than 50 per cent of his passes to a variety of sure-handed receivers. The athletic Grade 12 Skyhawk was constantly making plays happen while rolling out of the pocket.
"Mike was fantastic at quarterback. He made some great throws," Sturgess said of Spagnolo, who also punted the ball with authority.
On the second-quarter touchdown drive from the Skyhawks' 50, Spagnolo was 3-for-4 passing. A basket catch by Jon Goldup on a rainbow ball for a 33-yard gain marched the Skyhawks into scoring range. The second reception by Brendan Thera on the drive was perfectly executed by Spagnolo. On first and goal at the six, Spagnolo sprinted to his right, which brought forward a number of defenders, including a pair covering Thera in the back of the end zone. With the Crusaders pressing hard, Spagnolo fired a strike to the wide-open Thera.
Matteo Sistito converted the TD. On the kickoff, his wind-aided boot sailed out of the end zone to make it 8-0 with 7:24 remaining before halftime.
With 4:45 to play, the Crusaders gave up a safety in punt formation on third down and 15 from their 14. They were unable to take advantage of a turnover when Spagnolo was intercepted at the 19.
Spagnolo was later picked off in the end zone on first down at the 30 with 2:12 to go. On second down at the 24, Andre Leduc and Josh Hauptman tag-teamed the Crusaders' quarterback for a loss of six yards. On the ensuing punt, the snap went through the punter's legs into the end zone and the Crusaders were forced to give up another safety with 1:46 left.
Back on offence in Crusaders' territory, Spagnolo's long throw to Thera in front of the Skyhawks' bench fell incomplete but the Crusaders were flagged for pass interference at the 30. After a couple of completions to Danton Vanderheide and a quarterback sack, the Skyhawks settled for a 24-yard field goal by Sistito that rattled the left post with 26 ticks on the clock.
On first down, the Crusaders fumbled the ball and Evers recovered it at the 20 with only a few seconds for the offence to work with. Sestito's 35-yard field goal ended a long, drawn-out opening half.
"To get a field goal added on like that by the end of the first half, it was major points to have," Evers said.
The Crusaders got on the board in the last minute of the third quarter. A 61-yard catch and run to the Skyhawks' 25 was the only big play the defence allowed. On second down, the Crusaders ran the ball into the end zone from 20 yards out. The convert was good.
Stifling defence
In the fourth quarter the Skyhawks capitalized on excellent field position provided by their ferocious defensive unit for more points. Sistito split the uprights from the 20 and added a single point off a 17-yard attempt. The Crusaders also gave up a safety.
"Our defence came out really intense from the beginning to the end. Coach [Garret] Doll had a great defence planed for us today and we executed it," said Evers, 17, a second-year senior Skyhawk from St. Albert Catholic High School. "It's just a great overall defence we have. We've got great tackling, great schemes, great leadership and great athletes."
Several third down stuffs, countless sacks and tackles in the backfield for loss of yards and air-tight pass coverage by the secondary left the Crusaders stuck in their own end.
"We shut down their run so they couldn't go up the middle on us," said Sturgess, 16, a first-year senior Skyhawk from Paul Kane High School. "They struggled passing the ball. We had some great blitzes from our linebackers and halfbacks. Our corners and halfs shut down the pass as much as possible as they kept throwing more incompletions. We also got the line in and rushed the quarterback to make those bad throws happen."
Up next for the Skyhawks is the Archbishop Jordan Scots (0-1-1). Friday's kick off is 7:30 p.m. at Clarke Park.
