The Paul Kane Blues kicked off their first season of high school football with a bang.
Brandon Best rushed for 107 yards and scored two touchdowns and Erin Belfour led the defence with five tackles as the Blues blanked the M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs 40-0 in Thursday’s exhibition at the Riel Park turf field.
The first TD in Paul Kane history was Nathan Mitchell’s six-yard reception from quarterback Matteo Sestito with 2:32 left in the opening quarter.
The 82-yard scoring drive started with a 26-yard romp up the gut by Jake Svenson.
Belfour and Matt Gradidge combined on a tackle to stop the Voyageurs on third down during their first possession and the second time on offence, Lazerte fumbled and Josh Hauptman returned it for a short gain to the two-yard line. On first and goal, Svenson plowed his way into the end zone with 1:11 left in the quarter. Svenson pounded out 90 yards on the ground before a formidable offensive line.
In the second quarter, Best dribbled his way through several defenders during a 25-yard TD dash.
The Blues also had a 60-yard TD run called back because of a penalty.
In the second half, the Blues added three more touchdowns on a 30-yard run by Best, Tyler Turner’s 18-yard circus catch from quarterback Felix Schmidt and Connor LeBlanc’s 12-yard burst.
Paul Kane Soccer Academy player Ideen Samodi, in only his fourth day of football, nailed a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but the Blues were penalized for too many men. Samodi then just missed connecting from 46 yards out by inches. He also kicked the point-after attempts.
The Blues make their regular season debut in the Metro Edmonton league’s Carr Conference this Thursday against the defending champion Salisbury Sabres. Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park. Admission is $5.
The Bellerose Bulldogs took it on the chin against the 2010 tier I provincial finalist in Thursday’s exhibition.
The Harry Ainlay Titans rolled up 36 points in a shutout victory at the Riel Park turf field.
The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on a rash of turnovers. Nathan Anderson, Joshua Dobbins, Dallas Moroz and Hayden Borlase each had a pass interception and Nick Svenson recovered a fumble against the Edmonton public league champions.
The opening game for the Bulldogs in the Metro Edmonton league’s Carr Conference is this Thursday against the Bev Facey Falcons. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Riel Park field.
The St. Albert Fury whipped up their first win of the season in last weekend’s bantam lid-lifter in Sherwood Park.
Touchdowns by Andrew Johnson, Rory O’Donovan and quarterback Shaydon Philip in the first half propelled the Fury past the Northstars 40-6.
Trailing 20-0, the Northstars were putting together a long drive when Nick Cowan came through with a clutch tackle with 2.1 seconds left until halftime to keep the home team off the scoreboard.
Late in the third quarter, several key blocks allowed Seth Waselenchuk to return a punt into the end zone.
The fourth quarter started with another Waselenchuk punt return for six points. Cowen’s convert made it 33-0.
After a TD by the Northstars, the Fury diligently worked their downfield, culminating with Waselenchuk’s TD catch in the end zone.
The next game for the Fury in the Capital District Minor Football Association is next Saturday against the St. Albert 49ers (0-1). Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. at the Riel Park turf field.
