Saints Move to 6-0 with Win Over Ottawa Sooners

Ottawa, ON – The St. Clair Football team remains unbeaten after travelling to Ottawa and defeating the Ottawa Sooners 35-16 on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Keith Harris Stadium.

A slippery and slow start for the Saints defense saw them down 7-0 in the first quarter, as Ottawa punched in a rushing touchdown from the goal line giving the Sooners an early lead. This lead was erased immediately when All-Canadian return man Dante Lewis (Windsor, ON) returned the ensuing kick off for an 85-yard touchdown. The Saints defense who has been dominant all year, was back in fine form on the following possession, as the Saints forced Ottawa into a quick punt and good field position.  The offense wasted no time on their first possession as Jonathan Cartier (Chatham, ON) took the 1^st and 10 handoff to the endzone for a 56-yard touchdown run, giving the Saints a 14-7 lead.

The Sooners defense responded with some strong defensive possessions of their own, forcing the Saints into a safety and bringing the score back 14-9 in favour of the Saints. The Saints offense responded once again, starting on a highlight reel catch by Wide Receiver Jared Hayes-Williams (Windsor, ON) that led to a 6-yard touchdown run by Running Back Kian Voakes (Essex, ON) extending the Saints lead to 21-9. The Saints defense held the Sooners offense in check for the remainder of the quarter thanks to another great performance by Linebacker Josh Allen (Windsor, ON) who finished the day with 6 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles and a sack.

The third quarter was much of the same for the Saints as the defense continued to get timely stops not allowing a point in the third quarter. Another spectacular catch by Jared Hayes-Williams saw the Saints down at the goal line when Quarterback Andrew Brush (Kitchener, ON) hit Hayes-Williams in the endzone for a 10-yard touchdown reception. Hayes Williams finished the night with 4 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. The Saints took a 28-9 lead ­into the fourth quarter.

A rainy fourth quarter had both offenses struggling to move the ball and the defenses holding strong. The Sooners finally converted on a throw which led to a 10-yard touchdown pass to bring the score 28-16 for the Saints. This 10-yard pass connection for the Sooners was 1 of 7 completions as the Saints defense held Ottawa to 62 passing yards for the game. The game was put away for good when Brush broke off a 40-yard touchdown run to seal the deal for the Saints. Brush finished the game with 6 carries for 105 rushing yards and his team leading 5^th rushing touchdown. The Saints rushing attack was unmatched once again as the team totaled 32 carries for 304 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Running Back Jonathan Cartier was the leading rusher as he finished the day with 13 carries for 138 yards.

The undefeated Saints are back in action this Saturday as they travel to Hamilton to take on the Hamilton Hurricanes (3-3) at Tim Hortons Field. Kick off is set for 7:00pm.

EVENT:         St. Clair Saints @ Ottawa Sooners

DATE/TIME:  Sun, Sept. 18^th (1:00pm)

LOCATION:   Carleton University (Ottawa)

RESULT:       St. Clair (6-0) defeated Ottawa (4-2) by a score of 35-16.