The St. Paul Lions improved to 3-1 on the season with a 27-2 victory over the Lloydminster Holy Rosary Raiders on Friday night.
"It was a very tough game and a big win for us. Since our loss, the focus has been much better and we have been far more determined," said Lions coach Todd Tanasichuk.
The Lions jumped to an early 7-0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Stranger, but the Raiders crept back into the game with a safety, bringing the score to 7-2 at the half.
“Early in the 3rd quarter, we had a great drive which ended with a Dylon Machura touchdown run to make it 14-2. The game then bogged down into a defensive struggle," said Tanasichuk. "Rosary put a good drive together early in the fourth quarter, but on third down from the Lions 13 (yard line), they turned the ball over on downs."
The Lions then took over on offence for a drive that lasted for eight minutes and ended on a Machura touchdown, putting the Lions ahead 20-2.
In a three-score hole with two minutes left to play, the Raiders came out passing, but as Tanasichuk pointed out, a big defensive play from Dave Thomson put the game to bed.
"Thomson made a great play, getting a blindside sack on the Raider quarterback, then picking up the fumble and running 27 yards to pay dirt," he said, adding that Thomson collected 10 tackles and three sacks in the matchup.
While running back Taylor Joly did not reach the scoreboard, he led the Lions in rushing with 186 yards on 23 carries, and picked up an interception on defence.
The Lions will now have the opportunity to avenge an early loss to the Cold Lake Royals, as the team will come to St. Paul for the Northern Source Under the Lights rivalry night on Friday starting at 6 p.m.
"We now have a huge matchup against the undefeated Cold Lake Royals. If we could beat them by eight or more points, we would move into first place in the north division," said Tanasichuk. "It wont be an easy task. Still, we've won 28 out of our last 30 regular season home games, going back to 2003, so we expect to play a good game.”
Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to Friday's game to donate to the local food bank.
