Sabercats roar in Brantford

BRANTFORD -- The Sault Sabercats were breathing a collective sigh of relief on Sunday afternoon.

After a rough 0-2 start to the Ontario Varsity Football League schedule, the Sabercats desperately needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

With a solid team effort on both sides of the ball, the Sabercats blanked the Brantford Bisons 28-0 at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Complex to put life back into their season.

The victory marked the first shutout in team history and was the club's second ever road win in three seasons of play.

With repairs to the turf at Rocky DiPietro Field, the Sabercats were forced to play the first three games of an eight-game schedule on the road.

Now standing at 1-2, the Sabercats find themselves in decent playoff position with four of their remaining five games to played on home soil.

The Sabercats will open at home on Saturday against the Cambridge Lions at 7 p.m.

Kayvon Fatemizadeh played the huge role in opening up the Sabercats rushing game for the first time this season.

On the second play from scrimmage, Fatemizadeh, who rushed for a total of 201 yards on 24 carries, busted open a 72 yard run for a touchdown.

Matt Gauthier added the convert, a 35 yard punt single and a 20 yard field goal to give the locals an 11-0 half time lead.

In the second half, Fatemizadeh added his second major of the day on a four yard run. Gauthier kicked a 28 yard field goal and fullback Anthony Orazietti scored on a one yard run to conclude the scoring.

Defensive back Joe Thorburn had a solid defensive game with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and 4.5 tackles. Safety Kurt Morrison also recorded an interception while Gauthier added 5.5 tackles and recovered a fumble.

Kevin Nanne made 7.5 tackles, Mike Jurich added six and Adam Elliot 4.5.

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