Pickford's defense held a St. Ignace offense that had averaged 52 points per game to just 14 points Friday, Sept. 18. The Panthers rolled to a 44-14 win in a Straits Division showdown at St. Ignace, moving to 4-0 and handing the Saints their first loss.

Both teams entered the Bridge Alliance matchup unbeaten, as we previewed Sept. 18.

The Panthers blanked St. Ignace in the first half and built a 28-0 lead before the Saints found the end zone. Mason Andrzejak set the tone early, scoring on a two-yard touchdown run at the 7:24 mark of the first quarter. He added a strip tackle on a Saints receiver in the first half, then opened the third quarter by picking off St. Ignace quarterback Caden Lester and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown.

"Mason had a tremendous game," Pickford coach Josh Rader told the Soo Leader. "… He got that pick-six there right at the beginning of the second half. He also got a strip tackle on a receiver earlier in the first half, so he was making plays all over the place."

Andrzejak finished with 52 yards on nine carries and two rushing touchdowns to go with the interception return.

Quarterback Carter Rye completed 17 of 18 passes for 218 yards with one interception. He also scored on a one-yard keeper with 4:09 left in the game. Tyler Browne provided the biggest single play on offense, ripping off a 56-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left in the third quarter. Browne gained 90 yards on just five carries.

Pickford's defense limited St. Ignace to 78 rushing yards on the night. Shawn Tobias anchored the unit with 14 tackles. Caden Chromy added 13 stops.

St. Ignace got on the board when Lester connected with Chase Seeley on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter. Lester added a 13-yard scoring strike to Colt Fettig early in the fourth. But each time the Saints scored, Pickford answered immediately.

Lester finished 15-for-27 with two touchdowns and one interception. Seeley led the Saints' rushing attack with 33 yards on 10 carries and caught seven passes for 53 yards. Joel Huebner added four catches for 64 yards.

Officials called 31 total penalties. Pickford was flagged 20 times for 195 yards, and St. Ignace drew 11 penalties for 104 yards.

Rader told the Soo Leader in an Aug. 23 preseason preview that the Panthers' identity starts on defense. "We pride ourselves on being tough … We want to take away whatever the other team loves to do," he said. Against St. Ignace, that plan worked.

Pickford (4-0) hosts Newberry on Friday, Sept. 25. St. Ignace (3-1) hosts Inland Lakes for homecoming the same night.