Article content The field was bathed in sunlight and the breeze crisp, but there was nothing crisp about the offence on either side of the football. The Superior Steelhawks opened the senior football season with an 8-1 win over the White Pines Wolverines on Saturday morning. “A win is a win,” Heights head coach Matt Desando said.
“We all know it wasn’t in a pretty fashion.” Daikaden Gauthier scored the only touchdown at 5:03 of the fourth quarter on a five-yard keeper. Both teams scored a rouge in the third quarter.
A pair of Heights touchdowns were reversed because of penalties. White Pines had a touchdown of its own called back due to a penalty. Gauthier found Cameron Hernden in the corner of the endzone with a 20-yard pass, but the TD was called back for holding.
Gauthier intercepted a Garrin Pine pass inside the Wolverines 10-yard line and ran the ball into the endzone late in the second quarter, but the major was nullified on a dead ball foul. “Penalties kill and turnovers kill, and we had too many of those today,” Desando said. “We didn’t take care of the ball, and we had some touchdowns called back.
” On the other side, Pine found Tristen Holzworth from 11-yards out late in the third quarter. An offside penalty nullified the major. Pine completed seven passes for 51 yards.
DJ Pine led both teams in rushing with 102 yards on 12 carries. Wolverines head coach William Basawa thought penalties were the story of the game. Certainly, his offence was affected by the whistles.
“The defence was out of the world, but the story of the game is we shot ourselves in the foot with penalty yardage,” Basawa said. “I don’t think we were outclassed in anyway.” Desando liked his ‘D’ core and liked the way some of his troops sacrificed for the common good by playing out of position, mainly due to necessity.
“I thought the defence was solid and that (can) change the way I coach in a game,” Desando said. Case in point. The Steelhawks were pinned at their three-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
After two unsuccessful plays, it was third and long at the one. Instead of conceding another single point, the ‘Hawks punted the ball out of the endzone. The Wolverines set up shop at the Superior 30-yard line with more than 10 minutes remaining in the game but wound up going backwards.
“There was one scenario where we considered giving up another single when the score was tied,” Desando said. “We punted the ball out of the endzone, even when the defence was pinned back. I have trust in the defence to go out there and do their jobs” Gauthier completed 11 passes for 94 yards.
He ran the ball 11 times for 73 yards. “He is in peak shape,” Desando said. “He is a top offensive player in this loop, a top defensive player and special teams player.
He is a premier player in this league, amongst others.” Unlike Basawa, Desando has the luxury of a win under his belt as his club heads back to the practice field. “We need to get back to work and clean up some of the little things,” Desando said.
“I don’t run from coaching. We have a great coaching staff. We will show up at practice and get that stuff cleaned up.
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