If there is a playoff run in the making for the Sudbury U19 Jr Spartans this summer, the 36-24 road win over the Quinte Skyhawks last Saturday will almost certainly looked back upon as the proverbial "TSN Turning Point" to their season.
With the winner of that matchup almost assured of sliding into the fourth and final playoff berth in the OSFL (Ontario Summer Football League) U18 AA East Division, it was the locals who trailed 24-15 with just over five minutes to play.
Starting their drive from their own twenty or so, the Spartans appeared to be in tough when quarterback Noah Parsons was drilled to the ground, leaving the visitors looking at third and ten - if not for the flag for unnecessary roughness.
Good news: first down, Sudbury.
Bad news: Parsons is done for the game.
Enter Evan DeMarchi at quarterback, a first year pivot in this age bracket who has enjoyed elements of success this summer - along with the expected challenges of making the jump from the U16 ranks.
"Evan is a gunslinger," noted Sudbury head coach Shane Hutchison, a former quarterback himself. "He's a guy who is going to take risks and put the ball in tight spots. He's a big risk / big reward quarterback."
With Quinte doing an exceptional job of taking away the sidelines, DeMarchi and company had no choice but to try and take what the defense was giving them.
"He just started throwing into spots where he knew that our guys would be in the middle of the field," said Hutchison. "Evan was spreading the ball around and completing passes."
An end zone completion to Riley Clarke followed by a two-point conversion (DeMarchi run) narrowed the gap to 24-23. With the defense keeping the Spartans in the game from start to finish, the decision was made to kick long and play for a three and out.
Delivering as they had pretty much all day, the "D" gave the ball back to the offense with about two minutes to play, right around midfield.
"Their cornerback was running press man against (wide receiver) Dylan Nelson pretty much all game and we liked that matchup," said Hutchison. The team opted to take their shot, with Nelson executing a near perfect release before high-tailing it the length of the field for the go-ahead score.
Not that a Sudbury defensive unit that had already recorded eight or nine sacks needed any additional motivation, but a last minute forced hurry on the Quinte QB resulted in a pick-six for Keegan Adair, scampering 60 yards the other way for a little extra insurance.
"Our D Line was exceptional," said Hutchinson, singling out the efforts of siblings Cole and Maddux Preston as well as Brandon Spec and Jaden Brennan. "They kept us in the game."
The Spartans trailed 10-6 at the half, with Koen Palmquist accounting for the Sudbury offense thanks to an unconverted major. The Spartans also capitalized on some confusion following their kickoff to begin the second half as Nathan Nadeau picked up a loose ball that Quinte assumed had bounced out of bounds, rewarded with a TD and a brief lead for the northern lads.
"This was a complete team win," said Hutchinson. "I think the boys are starting to believe and understand the concept of sacrificing for each other. Hopefully we can ride this momentum into the playoffs."
"I truly believe that we can be a very dangerous football team."
