Cole Christiansen St. Ignace St. Ignace trailed 21-7 with 6:49 left in the game before posting a 29- 28 overtime win over the Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds during the Division 8 district contest at Gaylord Intermediate Field Friday, October 30.

The Saints and Snowbirds, playing for the first time on the gridiron, battled to a 21-21 score after regulation play (48 minutes) before the dramatic finish.

To begin overtime play and bring the game to its close, St. Ignace won the coin toss and selected to play defense. St. Mary scored on their third play as Justin Malczyk scored from five yards out and Clay Becker kicked his fourth extra point for a 28-21.

The Saints lost four yards from the 10 yard line before Gerrit Mortensen gained seven yards on the second down. The Snowbirds were flagged on a pass interference call, giving the St. Ignace the ball at the four-yard line. Austin St. Louis carried the ball in for the touchdown.

The Saints victory huddle: With helmets in air, players sing the LaSalle High School fight song after the 29-28 overtime win over the Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds Friday, October 30. St. Ignace lined up to attempt the extra point kick when Coach Marty Spencer called time out. The Saints came back on the field and changed to the two-point conversion formation. Mortensen rolled left, but couldn't find an open receiver and reversed his field to the right. Before going out of bounds, the senior quarterback found Cole Christiansen in the back of the end zone. The junior receiver tiptoed to stay in bounds for the conversion, and the onepoint victory.

"When Gerrit Mortensen has the ball, the players know not to quit and after Louie Radecki's outstanding block, Gerrit completed the game-winning two-point conversion" pass, said Coach Spencer. "Gerrit wanted to go for the twopoint conversion instead of the extra point kick. I looked into his eyes and saw the confidence and said, go do it."

Saints captains Gerrit Mortensen (3), Austin St. Louis (11), and John Evashevski (32) walk to midfield for the coin toss before the Division 8 contest. St. Ignace Dominates

First Two Quarters

The district playoff opener was a tale of two halves as St. Ignace dominated the game in the first two quarters with 38 offensive plays to the Snowbirds’ 19, while St. Mary doubled up on the Saints 40 to 20 in the second half.

St. Mary gained 289 yards, 229 on the ground and 60 in the air, while the Saints totaled 232 yards, 157 rushing and 75 passing.

The Saints’ Dan St. Onge recovered the St. Mary fumble on the first possession before the host Snowbirds scored on an 11 play, 78- yard drive. Malczyk scored on a three-yard run and Becker kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Mortensen brothers, Gerrit (right), senior quarterback, and freshman center Dane, following the come-from-behind overtime win over Gaylord St. Mary. In heavy rain and wind, St. Ignace had a 17-play drive early in the second quarter, but the scoring opportunity was stalled at the Snowbirds’ four-yard line.

The Saints defense held St. Mary on downs after a short punt took over at the Snowbirds’ 37-yard line. At the 2:47 mark of the second quarter, St. Louis scored from three yards out and Mortensen kicked the extra point to send the game into halftime tied at 7.

Gaylord St. Mary came out in the third quarter with renewed intensity, scoring two touchdowns as Peter Spyhalski answered on a one-yard quarterback sneak at 6:03 and Becker added the extra point kick. With 1:37 left in the quarter, Malczyk dashed 39 yards and Becker kicked the extra point to increase the Snowbirds’ lead to 21- 7.

Wind played a key factor in this game as all the touchdowns were scored at the north end zone with the wind at the backs of the offense.

Early in the fourth quarter, with the wind at the Saints’ back, Mortensen booted a 65-yard punt into the end zone.

St. Mary used four minutes off the clock before St. Ignace took possession at the Snowbirds’ 31-yard line. On the first play Mortensen was in the shotgun formation and the ball was snapped over the head of the Saints quarterback, but received a favorable bounce and found Caleb Litzner on screen pass. The junior halfback weaved his way from the left side of the field to the right for the 31-yard touchdown. On the two point conversion, Mortensen and Litzner combined on a three-yard shuttle pass to the cut the St. Mary lead to 21-15 with 6:24 left on the clock.

The defense lifted the Saints on their third touchdown as St. Louis intercepted the Snowbirds pass and broke a tackle at the 30-yard line. He rambled his way into the end zone, but the extra point kick to take the one point lead was called wide right, sending the game into overtime.

“After trailing 21-7, we needed big plays to spark our offense and during the final six minutes of the game and in the overtime the players found a way to win," said Spencer.

Saints offensive statistics: Gerrit Mortensen, seven of 11 passing for 75 yards, 12 carried for 58 yards; Austin St. Louis, 13 carries for 52 yards, one reception for 21 yards; Caleb Litzner, 15 carries for 47 yards, two receptions for 34 yards; Cody Swagger, one reception for 11 yards; Cole Christiansen, one reception for three yards.

Saints defensive statistics: Austin St. Louis, 13 tackles, one interception; Dan St. Onge, 12 tackles, one fumble recovery; Grant Simmons, 10 tackles; John Evashevski, Louie Radecki, seven tackles; Richard Bentley, Joey Ostman, six tackles; Mike Barthelemy five tackles; Caleb Litzner, Curtis St. Louis, Cole Christiansen, two tackles.

Snowbirds offensive statistics: Justin Malczyk, 30 carries for 134 yards; Clay Becker, 10 carries for 74 yards, two receptions for 45 yards; Peter Spyhalski, three of seven passing for 60 yards, nine carries for 11 yards; Philip Spyhalski, one reception for 15 yards; Adam Palmer, three carries for 10 yards.

Saints, Cardinals To Battle

For Division 8 District Title

The St. Ignace Saints, 6-4, will face their second Ski-Valley Conference (SVC) opponent in consecutive weeks as the Saints will travel to Johannesburg-Lewiston High School to battle the Cardinals in the Division 8 district championship game Friday, November 6.

The Cardinals, 9-1 on the season after defeating Hillman 38-0 in the playoff opener, are coached by Fred Davis, who runs the wing-T offense.

Johannesburg and Gaylord St. Mary shared the SVC title. The Johannesburg Cardinals are led by the running game of quarterback Darren Dobbyn, fullback Justin Graham, and halfbacks Joe Yeskey, Dallas VanDoren, and Ricky McLean, who share the offensive attack.

"The key to our defense is that everyone must stay at home and do their job," said Saints Coach Marty Spencer. "Saints fans will remember the Cheboygan offense. The Cardinals are very disciplined on offense."

The interior offensive line and tight ends for Johannesburg include Sean Aistorpe, Ben Bush, Blake Huff, Ryan Cass, Keith Koronka, Travis Roberts, Gavin Koronka, and Nick Michael.

The Saints, coming off a win over Gaylord St. Mary, must go on the road for the second straight week to face an unfamiliar opponent. This is the first time that the Cardinals and Saints will face each other on the gridiron.