Looking to ensure they pick up victories against the teams that they should be beating, the Sudbury Varsity Gladiators are leaving nothing to chance.
Facing an undermanned Vaughan Rebels crew Saturday at the James Jerome Sports Complex, the locals connected on five aerial TDs in the opening half, building up a 35-0 lead and cruising to a 65-14 triumph in the end.
Sudbury quarterback Samson Recollet absolutely picked apart the Rebels in the first two quarters, finding five different players on the receiving end of passes that would ultimately culminate with an end-zone celebration.
Carter Struk (90 yds), Seth Leroux (70), Graeme Stevens (9), Darcy Labelle (23) and Gage Louis all got their hands in on the action, as Recollet continues to display an encouraging progression in his development as a top-end pivot.
"They were always blitzing, so that meant there was a gap open somewhere all of the time," he explained. "We definitely got lucky with broken coverage a couple of times, and that's why we were able to get such big gains. We were able to take advantage."
That, however, might not have been the case when Recollet first got his feet wet at the OFC level roughly twelve months ago.
"Eventually, you get a lot of looks and you'll be able to notice tendencies," he said. "Experience definitely helps in terms of wanting to stay in the pocket, instead of panicking and giving up a pick."
"This year, we also have a more talented group of receivers, and that helps," Recollet added. "I can trust anybody I throw the ball to. I just pick a side, whichever looks better, see what if I can take advantage of what they are giving me.
"Whoever I throw the ball to, I am confident they can come down with it."
Resting Recollet for the final 30 minutes, head coach Aaron Rehel was able to insert his entire second team units.
That did not slow down the rout a whole lot as both Jared Loyer (13 yds) and Liam Punkari (4) registered rushing majors in the opening five minutes of the second half. The Rebels broke the goose egg with 4:02 remaining in quarter three as Trent Parkes snared a two-yard TD pass from QB Peter DeLuca.
Sudbury answered quickly as Nick Rideout connected with Louis, for his second score of the game, with Noah Skuce darting 45 yards early in quarter four after catching a toss from Rideout.
The Parkes and DeLuca tandem would find success one more time for Vaughan, while late highlights for Sudbury included an interception by Riley Dallaire and a safety touch from Michael Andlar. The Gladiators converted every single one of their nine touchdowns, as Sam Santi finished with seven PATs and Rideout added the final two.
The Varsity Gladiators close off their three-game homestand on June 10, welcoming the Peterborough Wolverines to town, a team that is also sporting a 2-0 record. "Aaron (Rehel) and Neil (Petrin) do all the work," Recollet said.
"They'll scout the defence, give me the game plan and every single time they are right. I just trust their game plan and follow it."
The Junior Gladiators also improved to 2-0 over the weekend, though perhaps not in the fashion they would have preferred.
The Vaughan Jr. Rebels forfeited the game due to low numbers, as Sudbury and Peterborough prepare to meet up in junior varsity play, also in a battle of the unbeatens.
