Bears battle back to dominate Chargers

It took the St. Benedict Bears all of two minutes to adjust to a new season of SDSSAA football.

After surrendering a touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage that the Confederation Chargers would run, the Bears battled back to dominate much of the final three quarters, knocking off the Valley East lads by a finals score of 24-7.

Quarterback Chase Pressacco connected with Connor Vandeweghe for a pair of touchdown passes and ran one in himself, helping St. Benedict overcome the early 7-0 deficit.

Confederation running back Austin Pharand rambled in from 19 yards out, following a 28-yard punt return from Brandon Dumouchel, but that was it for the Chargers scoring.

While the St. Benedict ground attack was limited, Pressacco lit up the Chargers defence for a 17/29 - 254 yard performance through the air. Vandeweghe would show the way, in terms of receivers, racking up 164 yards on 10 receptions, while Aidan Hurley added 86 yards on four catches.

Pressacco helped his own cause, when needed, scrambling for 92 yards on five carries, while Pharand totalled 111 yards on 19 carries in a losing cause. Rookie Confederation quarterback King Gil-Afau will undoubtedly get better with time, looking to improve on a 5/14 - 54 yard and one interception performance in his first varsity game.

Josh Duckett snagged the only interception of the day, giving the Bears good field position late in the first half, only to see his team fumble in the dying seconds, with Brody Laberge pouncing on the loose ball for the Chargers.

As with any season opener, it's always nice to get started on the right foot.

"Last season, we came up a little short, we didn’t make the playoffs," noted fifth-year lineman Matthew Rennie, the only remaining member of the St. Benedict 2011 championship team.

"All the guys just wanted to get a win, try and make the playoffs."

One of a handful of veterans between the two teams who saw considerable action on both sides of the ball, Rennie provided a somewhat unique perspective when comparing the two.
"On offence, you’ve got a plan," explained Rennie. "On defence, all you have to do is mess up that plan, so it’s a lot less thinking. I love defence."

Lo-Ellen Park Knights 28 Lively Hawks 6

In the nightcap, the Lo-Ellen Park Knights turned the tables on the city champions of one year ago.

Falling to the Lively Hawks in the championship final last November, the Knights bolted to a 21-0 lead just a minute into quarter two, cruising to a 28-6 win over the Hawks.

Matt Glass found the end zone on three separate occasions, and quarterback Adam Favot sprinted in from the eight-yard line as Lo-Ellen completely dominated the early going, recovering a pair of onside kicks and limited the Lively offence to just three plays, in total, in the first quarter.

Thomas Rideout would account for the only Lively scoring late in this encounter, scampering for a touchdown on a 45-yard run.

High school action continues on today as the Lasalle Lancers and Notre-Dame Alouettes go toe to toe.