Four touchdown passes from Jordan Heather powered the North Bay Bulldogs to a 30-20 season opening win over the Ottawa Sooners at Mike O’Shea Field on Saturday night.
Author of the article Greg Estabrooks \ North Bay Nugget
The North Bay Bulldogs have had several winless seasons of late. That issue was rectified in just one game in 2023.
Paced by four Jordan Heather touchdown passes the North Bay Bulldogs did something Saturday night they have not done much of the last few years, win a football game.
North Bay beat the Ottawa Sooners 30-20 in front of a big crowd at the Mike O’Shea Football Field,
Heather, the 2013 Hec Crighton Trophy Winner given to Canada’s best university football player, played his first football game in six years.
The Bulldogs fell behind 8-0 in the first half, but then touchdown passes to Andre Landry and Jacob Steringa put the Bulldogs ahead 15-8 at the half.
Steringa had a ridiculously good game catching 10 passes for over 200 years and two scores.
Kris D’Ambrosio’s second towchdown of the game brought Ottawa to within 2 points as the Sooners trailed 16-14 in the third quarter.
Andre Landry caught two fourth quarter scores as North Bay went on to win 30-20.
Steringa had a ridiculously good game catching 10 passes for over 200 years and two scores.
He was one of players who recruited Heather to come out of retirement after the two teamed up playing flag football last fall.
“Both of us are huge competitors, I feel that makes a huge difference,” says Steringa. “At practice we are there to give it our all. We just do it one play at a time and talk to each other about what we can do better. This is going to be a fun season,” says the sturdy receiver.
Marc Mathon has seen the good, the bad and the ugly during his long coaching career with the Bulldogs. One game in and Mathon already knows it’s different on the field this year.
“It is a different vibe, from last year, from 15 years ago,” says Mathon who felt everyone contributed.
“We had guys who didn’t get in for a lot of plays but when they did they made a difference.
There was a lot of guys who made some plays when they had the opportunity. For a first game of the season I couldn’t ask for much more,” says the Bulldogs Head Coach.
But the quarterback play was on another level for North Bay but Heather tried his best to deflect credit.
“He (Steringa) is a university calibre player,” says Heather. “I can’t believe he isn’t playing university football. He is phenominal and we were able to connect on some big plays. I was able to get Andre Landry on some big ones too,” says the quarterback who spread the ball around. “Everyone had catches today although we have to work on the run game a little more,” remarked the 2013 Hec Crighton Trophy winner.