Depth is proving to be a welcomed tool to the St. Thomas More arsenal.
The senior AAA football team used its final exhibition test last week to roll out as many players from their 43-man roster as possible, with the end result a satisfying 30-6 win over Samuel Robertson Technical.
As the saying goes, like the result, love the effort.
“We wanted to make the most of this (exhibition) game and get as many players in as possible,” remarked STM coach Steve De Lazzari. “It gave us a chance to get some good looks at players in various positions, and got everyone a chance to get in a game.”
It was virtually a ground-Knights game, where quarterback Dario Ciccone made only four pass attempts, while the running backs hit the line hard.
Senior Julian Valerio set the tone by gaining 130 yards on nine carries, including a 40-yard major, while Jack Wagner carried for another touchdown.
Five-foot-nine back Marc Abboud peeled off 80 yards on just four carries, while fellow freshman Ricky Parsons scampered in for a four-yard TD and scored another major on a 32-yard pass from Ciccone.
It was a slightly different offence from the previous week, where Ciccone guided the team with a lot of passing plays.
“We chose not to throw a lot (against Robertson), because we had a good ground game going. We’ve got a lot of speed, with (Valerio), and power in Wagner. We’ve also got some other very good options,” said De Lazzari.
STM took a 28-0 lead into the second half, and didn’t surrender a major until late in the game.
Speed and skill proved to be equally helpful on defence, as the Knights held Robertson in check much of the game.
Veteran defensive linemen Daniel Auld and Sam Steele provided ample leadership, and along with Grade 11s Alex Cordeiro and Wagner, combined for 13 tackles.
Vic Domingo and Aidan Rivers, meanwhile, brought down a pair of Robertson passes.
Now St. Thomas More hopes the 2-0 exhibition success can translate into regular season results, as they match up against Mount Boucherie on Friday, 4:30 p.m. at Burnaby Lakes in their Homecoming game.
The Okanagan rival is known for being more pass-oriented in attack, which will be a good test for the Knights’ fleet defensive backs as well as the pass-rushing defence.
“We are definitely looking at a good test,” said De Lazzari. “(Boucherie) is usually a spread team that likes to pass a lot. They’ve got some good talent and I think preparation is going to be extremely important.”
