What a difference a year makes. Last year, the St. Matthew Tigers senior boys football team barely eeked out a 3-3 record. Two of their losses were by forfeit when injuries left them without a full roster.

St. Matt's running back Hugo Djeumeni carries the ball against the St. Peter Knights on Thursday. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

It was Geoff Coventry's first year as head coach after transferring to St. Matt's from Immaculata High School. The program was coming off a successful run under former head coach Jean Guiilaume during which they won the provincial championship in 2016. Coventry knew he had his work cut for him in trying to rebuild the team.

The job started with a series of spring practices which attracted over 40 players. A former high school standout himself – Coventry was a wide receiver on a number of city championship teams while a student at St. Peter High School in the mid-2000s – the players had a natural affinity for him.

Quarterback and team leader Jackson Plante was also a key factor. After sitting out last season to concentrate on club football with the Cumberland Panthers, he decided to for the Tigers in his senior year. A number of former Panthers players joined him including running back Hugo Djeumeni and receiver Jahim Kabongo. All three players would play a key factor in their opening season win over St. Peter on Thursday

The Knights kept the game close through the first 28 minutes, allowing just one touchdown, but a series of turnovers during the three-minute warning at the end of the first half would prove costly to the host team.

After connecting with Kbongo for a touchdown pass at the end of the first quarter, Plante would find his favourite receiver twice more within the final three minutes of the half to provide bookends to a touchdown run by Djeumeni, and just like that the Tigers had a 35-0 lead at the half.

St, Matt's would add two more major scores in the second half, along with a safety, to make the final score 44-0. As good as the Tigers' offence was, the defence was equally effective, limiting the Knights' offence to a handful of first downs and forcing a half dozen turnovers. St. Peter barely got a sniff of the red zone. Their loan foray inside the Tigers' 35-yard line ended with a lost fumble.

It was an impressive win by the Tigers who played a pair of pre-season games against Regiopolis-Notre Dame in Kingston and Huron Heights Secondary School in Kitchener. The latter also happen to be the defending provincial champions. The beat Regiopolis 21-7 in a scrimmage game, but lost to Huron Heights 41-22.

"I thought we were good and I wanted to see how good we are, so ya', we took a loss, but we managed to score 22 points against the best team in the province but I think it made our guys realize they can play football at a high level," says Coventry.

After Thursday's opening season win, Coventry reflected on the past year.

"(Last year) we basically started from scratch. My principal brought me in to do a job, whether it was phys ed, or coaching, or teaching. Same thing I did at Immaculate, just build from the bottom," said Coventry. "Last year, with a COVID season we only had 32 players which was a little tough. But now we are running two teams. We have a junior varsity team and over 60 players."

The Tigers' next game will be against Coventry's former school Immaculata on Thursday, Sept. 29.

After two years during which there was no football at all in 2019 and a reduced schedule last year, high schol football is making a resurgence in the National Capital region this year with no fewer than 14 schools able to field a team, including two schools from outside the region – Arnprior District High School and North Grenville District High School.

The NCSSAA champion will play in one of the OFSAA Bowl Games in late November.