Spartans squander early lead in loss to Sarnia

A second half meltdown proved costly for the Sudbury Spartans, as the long NFC (Northern Football Conference) team squandered a 21-7 lead at half, dropping their season opener 28-24 to the Sarnia Imperials on Saturday night at the James Jerome Sports Complex.

As solid as the Sudbury looked through the opening 30 minutes of play, the squad looked nearly as ineffective, on both sides of the ball, through quarters three and four. Things didn't start well for the Spartans, with the visitors hitting the scoreboard first, courtesy of a touchdown from John Bain and convert from Ryan Lounsbury.

The rest of the half, however, belonged to the homeside. It took less than two minutes for Sudbury to strike back as quarterback Travis Campbell hooked up with Nick Micelotta on a 92-yard pass and run, with Massimo Cimino splitting the uprights with the extra point, deadlocking the contest at 7-7.

More of the same in period number two, as Micelotta registers his second major of the game, this time on a 12-yard pass from Campbell, who later finds James Howatt at the end of a ten-yard TD reception, giving the Spartans a 14-point lead at the break.

The third quarter sees both teams dodging bullets, coming through with key turnovers as neither crew could fully capitalize on the opportunities with which they were presented. Sarnia threated early in the second half, only to hand the ball right back to their opponents, deep in Sudbury territory.

Buoyed by the reversal of fortunes, the Spartans mounted a march of their own, only to fumble and stumble twice with ideal chances to put some insurance points on the board. Twice presented a first and goal scenario inside the Sarnia 10 yardline, coach Junior Labrosse and company could muster only a short field goal from Cimino.

Still, that 24-7 advantage looked comfortable enough, until the Sarnia offence came alive. The Imperials passing game, led by veteran signal-caller Pat Wright, started to dissect the Sudbury defence with ease. Following the Cimino three-pointer, it would take the visitors all of three plays to march 75 yards, as Lounsbury hauled in a 27 yard pass from Wright with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.

With the Spartans suddenly unable to sustain any drives offensively, Sarnia was right back on the field, as Wright went back to his favourite target (Lousbury) in short order, first on a catch that covered more than fifty yards, and then on the ensuing TD pass from the 33 yard line or so.

Though the Spartans still led 24-21, all gathered at James Jerome could feel this one slipping away. When yet another bad snap forced a short punt from Dustin Crowder, compounded by a no-yards penalty, the inevitability of the Sarnia comeback seemed obvious.

With just 52 seconds to play, Adin List crossed the goal line, giving the Imperials their first lead since the opening quarter of play. Though the Spartans were make things interesting, getting one final crack at a game-winning touchdown from roughly 25 yards out, it was simply not to be.

In the end, a half-time adjustment paid off big time for the Imperials. "Their defensive line and linebackers killed out offensive line in the first half," acknowledged Wright, who also saw plenty of field time in the Sarnia secondary for the team which arrived with less than 25 bodies.

"We added another back in to help out with the protection, and that made a huge difference," Wright continued. "I think it also gave our offensive line some confidence. It gave me a little bit of time, and with the receivers I have, they don't really need a ton of time."

The win may prove critical, down the road for Sarnia, losing a close match in Sudbury in 2014, and missing the playoffs because of it. "We will probably be right around them come playoff time, we'll probably have similar records," noted Wright.

"It kind of cost us last year. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, when we see them again, it will be the same result. But you never know. It was only a four point difference."

The Spartans hit the road for the first time next weekend, facing the Sault Ste Marie Steelers in the Lock City, before finishing their home and home set with the Imperials on June 13th in Sarnia.

The team's next home game is set for Saturday, June 20th, when the Sudbury crew welcome the Oakville Longhorns to town.