Purnell Lifts Wallaceburg to Red Feather Football Win Over CKSS

Wallaceburg QB Brandon Vilaranda picks up a first down - Photo by Ian Kennedy

In front of a large and loud road crowd at the Red Feather festivities in Chatham, the Wallaceburg Tartans senior football team proved they are  a big game team, defeating the home CKSS Golden Hawks 32-8 Saturday afternoon.

The Wallaceburg Tartans were lifted to their win on a two touchdown performance by veteran Lee Purnell. Purnell opened the game with a 22-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brandon Vilaranda, and put the game out of reach in the second half when he returned a 28-yard interception to score.

According to Wallaceburg head coach Rob MacLachlan, he felt his team has improved their game since their narrow win last week over UCC,

“I thought we left points on the field last week. Today I think we did a better job of capitalizing on our chances,” said MacLachlan. “We controlled the line of srimmage and I thought that was a big key to the game.”

Wallaceburg edged the CKSS Golden Hawks on special teams, and also relied on a strong running game to outscore the Hawks.

“We ran the ball well and managed to stop their run,” coach MacLachlan said about his team’s offense. MacLachlan also praised his offensive line for opening up the field for his runners, including Jordan Durston and Jonah Pataki, who scored 2-yard and 28-yard rushing touchdowns respectively. Troy Babcock rounded out the scoring for the Wallaceburg Tartans kicking a field goal.

Wallaceburg held a huge lead over the CKSS Golden Hawks until CKSS managed to get their first major of the game in the 4th quarter, a 17-yard pass from quarterback Clark Green who connected with Dylan Bell for the score.

Wallaceburg takes to the road again this Friday to play the John McGregor Panthers, while the CKSS Golden Hawks now enter a week off, next facing Blenheim on October 6th.