Saints stay unbeaten and rule Suffolk

Report by Bury Saints

All Photos courtesy of William G Watson

 

Bury Saints 49 – 6 Ipswich Cardinals

 

The Bury Saints cruised to a 5-0 record with a comfortable 49-6 victory over the Ipswich Cardinals to confirm their position as Suffolk’s top American Football Team.

Runs of 10, 7 and then 13yds by RB Derek White set up a 20yd touchdown run by RB Chris May as the Saints scored on the first drive of the game and set the tone for the rest of the day. RB White forced his way in for the extra points for an early 8-0 lead.

Bury were soon on the score sheet again when Rookie Free Safety Troy Cockerill intercepted an Ipswich pass and returned it 48yds to the Cardinal 1 yd line. RB White soon found the end zone again and with Rookie Kicker Matt Trede kicking the extra point the lead was extended to 15-0.

 

With LB Jesse Carlos and Defensive Linemen Ryan Waters and Spencer Renfro leading the way, the defence soon forced Ipswich to punt again, leaving the Offence in excellent field position. RB Jake Swisher broke free for a 25yd run on first down and two plays later QB Fred Boyle found WR Brandon Faison with a 10yd scoring pass. The extra point kick was missed but the Saints were ahead 21-0.

Once again the defence played tough and LB Jack Hewett forced a fumble that was recovered by DL Renfro. But despite strong running by RB’s Ramsey Orr and Swisher the Saints 10 play drive stalled on 4th Down short of the end zone as the first quarter ended.

Two sacks by DL Logan Fountaine and a 15yd Punt Return by FS Cockerill gave the ball to the Saints Offence deep in the Ipswich half once again. RB Michael Sternberg powered for gains of 17 and 12yds on consecutive plays to move the ball to the Cardinals 1yd line from where QB Boyle found the end zone for a 27-0 lead.

The Ipswich Offence finally managed to move the ball, completing passes of 21 and 19yds to the Saints 21yd line. On the next play the Cardinals QB found a wide open receiver who moved the ball into the end zone for their only score of the day. The extra point was missed and the score was 27-6 to the home side.

 

The Green and Gold responded immediately. RB May gained 22yds in three carries before RB Orr exploded for a 26yd run on 3rd&1. With the ball on the Ipswich 26yd line RB Swisher took over and soon added to the Saints tally with a 8yd run. Swisher added the extra points and the score was 35-6 to the home side at half time.

Despite the excitement of the first half, the weather and a crucial penalty against the Saints saw the 3rd Quarter remain scoreless. Towards the end of the period Safety Mac McIntosh intercepted a wayward Ipswich pass. A 28yd sprint by RB May followed by a 32yd rumble by RB Orr had the ball at the Ipswich 1yd line as the quarter ended.

On the first play of the final quarter RB Orr bulled his way into the end zone to complete the drive and give the Saints a 41-6 lead. With the points difference now at 35 points the ‘Mercy’ Rule, newly introduced this season to protect weaker teams, was instigated.

 

With the game clock now running continuously, the Bury defence was in a hurry to get the ball back. A sack by DL Fountaine and LB Hewett on first down forced the Cardinals into a long yardage situation. But on the next play Ipswich completed a 49 yard pass to move on to the Saints 24yd line. Two plays later Ipswich passed deep again. But Safety Cockerill claimed his second interception of the day at the Bury 7yd line and, this time, refused to be stopped short of the end zone returning the ball for an 83yd ‘Pick Six’ score. RB Sternberg ran in the extra points for a 49-6 score line.

A sack by DL Wennesten and DL Waters on 4th down gave the ball back to the offence for one last drive. Another big gain by RB May and a 17yd scramble by Rookie Cameron Stewart moved the ball to the Cardinals 4yd line. But a big sack on 2nd Down and the running clock cheated Bury of a final score.

Saints Head Coach, Chris Wallis, said, “It was a comfortable win today. In many ways this was an important test for us to prove that we can keep our concentration and execute our game plan in all circumstances.

I’m pleased that we weren’t complacent. The players worked hard at practice and prepared properly prior to the game and that resulted in 21 points in the first quarter. Our young players got a lot of playing time but it’s just very frustrating that they had to lose out on more because of this new Mercy Rule and the running clock.

Ipswich have some very good players and they gave everything they had for their team. We respect them for that. The Cardinals are our local rivals and an established team that has been around for decades. We’ve worked so hard in the last two years and I’m very proud of how far the Saints organisation has come in such a short period of time.”

Bury’s next two games are against the Essex Spartans at home on the 14th June and then away at the London Hornets on the 28th June.

Wallis cautioned, “We’ve played all the teams in our conference now. But both the Spartans and Hornets had excellent results at the weekend and we’ll have to prepare well to be ready for them. We might be unbeaten but we know these teams will be gunning for us now so we won’t be taking anything for granted.”

Full details of the games will appear on the Saints web site at burysaints.com and their social media sites.