The Thunderbirds had the first offensive possession of the game lead by quarterback Tristan Arndt and talented running back Colton Robbins. The possession did not go according to plan when the Thunderbirds had to punt the ball away, to make the situation worse the punt was blocked by Greg Roberts of the Sturgeon and returned by Marco Parete for a touchdown. Blake Maxfield added the extra point to give the Sturgeon a 7-0 lead.
The Thunderbirds looked to rebound when they got the ball back but their drive was cut short and they had to punt the ball away, this time around they got the punt off without any problems.
The Sturgeon took the field for their first offensive possession of the game and they looked to ground and pound behind the tough running of fullback Yenel Olivero. Following a third and short conversion by quarterback Josh Elsley the Sturgeon exploded when Elsley connected with tight end Erich Maxfield on a forty yard touchdown pass. Elsley added the two point conversion on a sweep and the score moved to 15-0 in favour
of the Sturgeon.
The Thunderbirds looked to mix things up when they took the field once again, this time they tried to attack the Sturgeon defense with their quads wide receiver formation. Arndt connected with his favorite target Noah Olynyk for a big play out of this formation. Olynyk played a fine game at the receiver position for the Thunderbirds; he ran precise routes and showed soft hands throughout the game. Moreover, despite the some of the promising plays the Thunderbirds had to punt the ball way. The punt pinned the Sturgeon inside the five yard line.
The Sturgeon took the field and put together a one hundred and nine yard drive that lasted nearly twelve minutes which saw their offensive line dominated the defensive front of the Thunderbirds. Key plays were made by running back Mitchell Smiley when he broke a twenty yard run to get the Sturgeon out of the shadow of their own goalposts which brought an end to the opening quarter. The Thunderbirds did however make a fourth down stand but a penalty committed by them kept the Sturgeon drive alive. Olivero proved to be a punishing force throughout the drive and he another big fourth and short run to keep the drive alive. The end of the punishing drive saw Smiley score a touchdown on a short run. Blake Maxfield added the extra point to make the score 22-0 for the Sturgeon.
The Thunderbirds did not help themselves out on their next drive when they fumbled the ball back to the Sturgeon. Linebacker Mason Kett picked up the fumble for the Sturgeon and returned it inside the twenty on the Thunderbirds side of the field.
Despite the Thunderbird defense being exhausted they finally made a stop. The Sturgeon had to settle for a twenty yard field goal which was made by Blake Maxfield. This made the score 25-0 for the Sturgeon.
Despite the Sturgeon defense holding Robbins in check he broke a seventy five yard touchdown run on the Thunderbirds next offensive possession. This came at a crucial point for the Thunderbirds who were sparked by the big play made by their running back. Reid Barber added the extra point which made the score 25-7.
The touchdown and big play forced a massive momentum swing for on the kickoff the Sturgeon fumbled the return and the Thunderbirds recovered inside the Sturgeon five yard line. Arndt scored a touchdown on a sneak. The extra point was missed which made the score 25-13.
The Thunderbirds continued to go after it as their defense stepped up and forced a three and out when the Sturgeon offense took the field.
With only a few minutes remaining in the half the Thunderbirds knew that a touchdown would carry the momentum over to the second half. The Thunderbirds worked their way down the field with their short and accurate passing game. They were unsuccessful in getting a touchdown but they managed to get a fifteen yard field goal before the half came to the close. Reid knocked the field goal through. The halftime score was 25-16
The Thunderbirds were set to kickoff to the Sturgeon to start the second half. The Thunderbirds ended the half with confidence; however, their confidence once again took a huge blow when Smiley returned the kickoff ninety yards for a touchdown to start the second half. Blake Maxfield added the extra point which made the score 32-16.
The Thunderbirds offense was not discouraged for they knew they could move the ball against the Sturgeon defense. On a third and long play Arndt threw up a prayer into triple coverage, receiver Nick Shanley made a fantastic leaping catch to keep the drive alive and the Thunderbirds bench erupted with cheers. The Sturgeon defense however answered the call when defensive end Jeremy Jones made a big sack on third down which forced the Thunderbirds into a field goal attempt. Barber converted on the field goal which made the score 32-19.
The Sturgeon offense wanted to assert their dominance that they had in the first half. Elsley converted a big third down on a sweep and tight end Dale Bressette got in on the action when he caught a big play pass. After constantly pounding the ball into the heart of the defense, the Sturgeon called a reverse to Smiley and the entire defense was fooled when he took the ball forty yards for a touchdown. After a muffled snap on the extra point the score was 38-19.
The Thunderbirds tried to get back in the ball game with their passing game. However, the Sturgeon defense made a big play when Blake Maxfield intercepted Arndt’s pass to give their offense the ball once again and this brought an end to the third quarter.
The Sturgeon looked to add to their lead to start the fourth quarter. After contributing all day for the Sturgeon running the ball hard up the middle the versatile fullback Olivero caught a big catch out the backfield which went for a thirty five yard gain. Elsley scored on a touchdown on a sneak play and following Blake Maxfield’s extra point the score was now 45-19.
The final score and the final blow was struck several minutes later when Smiley broke yet another big play this time going for ninety two yards and a touchdown. The extra point was blocked and the final score was 51-19.
This victory for the Sturgeon has now assured them a home playoff game in two weeks in which they will more than likely be facing the Thunderbirds once again. This win will give the Sturgeon the tie breaker over the Thunderbirds and will give them a home playoff game.
“We are jelling at the right time,” said Sturgeon head coach Steve Belrose who was proud of the way his team played. All coaches want their teams to be playing well when the playoffs creep closer and closer. The Thunderbirds did play tough and hard but they just did not have enough gas left in the tank to come back from a disastrous start.
“We finally put four quarters together,” added Belrose. The Sturgeon has struggled with this in the past in which they did put it all together for the games entirety. However, this game they did and the score reflects that.
The Sturgeon will end the regular season at home when they take on the Huronia Stallions. The game will take place on July 22nd at 3:00 at Norm Perry Park.
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