After only six days of practice, the St. Andrew’s Saints hosted a tough, physical and well-coached AB Lucas Vikings team from London at the Yuill Family Athletic Complex. The speed and skill of the Saints was evident on both sides of the ball as the Saints won 35-25.
Star running back Jonathan Femi-Cole led the way with over 150 yards rushing and three touchdowns. At 220 pounds this season, Jonathan has worked hard to become a complete back. His rare combination of size, power and explosive speed was a difficult match-up for the Vikings defence all day long. Quarterback Chris Merchant also threw long touchdown strikes to slotback Ryan Keays and receiver Daniel Cummings, while slotback Zach Marcus made several nice plays in the passing game as well. Chris, Jonathan, Zach, Ryan, and Daniel will create match-up problems for opposing defence all year long. There is a tremendous amount of talent in the offensive skill group this season.
In addition, the Saints offensive line came to play today. The big boys Cody McMillan, Adam Ashby, Jonathan Harvey, Riley Fischer, and Duncan Robertson battled each and every play. Our football program loves to hang its hat on offensive line play, and the big war daddies held firm in the trenches this afternoon. This group appears poised to carry on the legacy created by some of our great offensive lines from previous seasons.
Defensively, the Saints were led by play-making linebacker Fraser Sopik, as well as a swarming secondary which forced two interceptions. Jordan Carter, Josh Carter, Bo Zhang, Angelis Prattas and Ben Thompson all enjoyed great days in the defensive backfield. Veteran linebackers Callum Green and Michael Mardini were also rock solid today.
The Saints will now have two weeks of practice to prepare for their homecoming match-up against the St. Mike’s Kerry Blues on September 21st. For the Saints, its always nice to start the season with a win, but without question there is still significant room for improvement in the days ahead.
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RANKINGS: CFC100 Class 2024 High School Prospect Rankings Final Edition (March Update)
