When running back Scott Smith capped off a quick and easy opening drive for the Sudbury Spartans, scoring the game's first touchdown on a two yard run with under five minutes of football played in the opening quarter, the local NFC crew appeared well on their way to a lopsided victory over an undermanned Sault Ste. Marie Steelers squad.
But it was a 61-yard run to paydirt for Smith, with just over five minutes to play in the game, that finally provided the Spartans a level of comfortable insurance over their pesky arch rivals.
Smith's second major of the night increased the Sudbury lead from 11 to 18 points, with the team adding one more score on a Josh Cuomo four yard run, as the Spartans dumped the Steelers 33-8.
Though the contest never really appeared to be in danger for head coach Junior Labrosse and his crew, there was certainly a "too-close-for-comfort" feeling in the crowd, and likely on the sidelines.
That wasn't the case in the early going, as the Spartans recovered from allowing a lengthy return to shifty Alonzo Clarke on the opening kickoff. Starting their drive inside the Sudbury twenty, the visitors were turned away when Matt Furino picked off a Dan Kelly pass and returned it to near midfield.
Five plays later, all running efforts by either Smith or Cuomo, the Spartans were ahead. They increased their advantage to 13-0 when quarterback Travis Campbell connected with James Howatt on a 34-yard pass and run, and went to the air again in quarter two to make it 19-0.
This time, it would be Ryan Stanford on the receiving end of a 28-yard TD toss by Campbell, as Sudbury looked ready to run away from the Steelers. Throw in the fact that SSM starting pivot Dan Kelly had been ejected from the contest, and the outlook appeared bleak for the one-time league powerhouse.
But Clarke shifted to quarterback, keeping the Sudbury defense honest largely on the basis of his impressive athleticism. He would also display a reasonably effective throwing arm, tossing a touchdown pass to Justin Dubreuil from 16 yards out with only nine seconds remaining until half-time.
Clarke then danced in for the two point conversion, leaving the scoreboard reading 19-8 for Sudbury, digits that remained unchanged until the game's final few minutes. With the Steelers arriving with only twenty or so bodies, the Spartans' offensive strategy was focused on the run, with Smith and Cuomo combining for more than 300 yards.
The tandem have worked hand in hand for some time now, dating back to their days with a city championship winning Lasalle Lancers team in high school. Now 23-years-old, Smith acknowledged a very comfortable feeling that comes part and parcel of playing in the NFC for a few seasons.
"The first couple of years, I was slowly developing, improving every year," said Smith. "But really, it was last year, when I got second team all-star, it really drove me, got me thinking I could be one of the best."
"It's also helped that every game, I am seeing a lot of holes. The O-Line is doing a fantastic job. This game, the holes were so wide, I wasn't even touching anybody for five yards, and then I had to start making moves."
While there wasn't much to complain about in terms of the Sudbury performance, Smith acknowledged that some fine-tuning in areas that could have helped put away the Steelers more quickly, would come in handy next weekend, as the 3-4 Spartans close out against the 6-1 Sarnia Imperials.
"It was more mistakes, fumbled snaps, missed pick-ups - even I missed a guy once that led to a sack (that kept the Soo in the game)," said Smith. "At the end of the season, if we can really tie down on those, and don't make mistakes, we can really compete with Sarnia."
The Spartans and Imperials will kick things off at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday (July 30) at the James Jerome Sports Complex. A 21-14 win by the Tri-City Outlaws over the Steel City Patriots means that Sudbury will definitely be on the road for their first round playoff game, one week later, on August 6.
