Lucas Dupuis scored two rushing touchdowns and Michael Danchuk ran for one and threw for another in St. Ignatius’s 33-18, come-from-behind victory Friday at St. Patrick High School.
The Saint Patrick Fighting Saints are undefeated no more.
The undermanned senior squad, cut down by a bug that left several key players on the sidelines, squandered a 17-6 lead on home turf on Friday afternoon and were handed their first loss of the season by a St. Ignatius Falcon squad looking for retribution after losing to the senior Saints in the season opener.
Lucas Dupuis had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Falcons (3-2) and Michael Danchuk ran for one and threw for another to lead St. Ignatius to the comeback win.
“Our team really clicked today,” said Dupuis. “We were practising all week for this.”
“It feels amazing. Coming back, after they beat us on our home field and we came back and beat them on their home field, it just feels amazing.”
Dupuis’ first score came at the halfway point of the third, a one-yard run, set up by a facemask call against the Saints that deposited the football on the St. Patrick one-yard line, closing the gap from 17-6 to 17-12, the two point conversion unsuccessful.
His second, in the final minute of the fourth, ensured the Falcons could start the celebration, putting them up two scores.
It was also from one yard out.
Dupuis said the game had a playoff atmosphere and he’s hoping they get a chance to win a rubber match with more than just bragging rights on the line.
“Right to the finals,” he said. “And we’re going to come back and beat them.”
It was Danchuk who finally got the Falcons on the board in the second quarter, after the Saints had built a 10-point lead, thanks to a 63-yard touchdown run by St. Patrick’s star running back Manerplaw Winning midway through the second.
The Falcons quarterback capped an 84-yard drive with a 10-yard toss to receiver Harry Tsekouras, the touchdown coming with just 47 seconds left in the half.
The second half was all St. Ignatius.
OK, maybe not the first two minutes.
Up 10-6, it was more Winning magic, who hauled in a pass from QB Iene Auger and raced 65 yards down the field for his second major of the afternoon.
The Falcons responded on their next drive, marching 83 yards own the field, Dupuis capping things off with his first of two scores.
Tyler Robertson gave St. Ignatius their first lead of the game on the Falcons next possession, barrelling in from four yards out, the missed two-point convert giving his team a slim 18-17 lead.
Winning had a chance to push the Saints back on top early in the fourth, but his 18-yard field goal attempt went wide left and the Saints settled for the rouge and an 18-18 deadlock.
St. Ignatius got the ball back on their own 35 and thanks to a pair of double digit runs by Angelo Marino, including a 20-yard scamper to the Saints one-yard-line, Danchuk marched in for the touchdown, the Falcons taking the lead for good.
“We didn’t let it get to us. We practised hard all week and it finally turned out to be something we wanted all year,” Danchuk said.
“It was nice to come off being 2-2 and beat an undefeated team and hopefully we’re going to see them again in the final. We don’t want to think too far ahead, but it was definitely a great week of practice and a great effort by our team.”
source tbnewswatch