Week Three Preview | Junior Sabercats Look to Stay Unbeaten at Home Against North Bay Bulldogs
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Coming off their first win of the 2025 Ontario Summer Football League (OSFL) season, the Sault Junior Sabercats are riding a wave of momentum as they prepare to return home to Rocky DiPietro Field in Sault Ste. Marie. On Saturday, May 31st, the AA East division’s second-place Sabercats (1-0-1) will be host the visiting North Bay Bulldogs (0-2), who are still searching for their first victory of the year.
Last weekend, the Sabercats delivered a gritty 16–8 road win in Clarington, Ontario, showcasing a tough, resilient group capable of executing in high-pressure moments. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking 23–19 loss to the York Lions in week two, adding urgency to their upcoming road matchup in Sault Ste. Marie.
Saultsports caught up with Sault Sabercats alumnus and current co-offensive/run game coordinator Dylan Monico to get his thoughts on the team’s progress and their week three clash against North Bay.
“I think there’s a lot to like, and certainly areas where we know we’ve got to be better,” Monico said. “I love the way our guys have competed through two weeks—resilient, focused, and they’re continuing to grow. That Week 1 win showed flashes of what we’re capable of, and in week two, while we didn’t finish the way we wanted, there were a lot of positives on tape. The key takeaway right now is consistency—executing at a high level, snap in and snap out. That’s what we’re building on.”
With Saturday marking the Sabercats’ home opener, Monico emphasized the importance of taking full advantage of the energy that comes from playing in front of a hometown crowd.
“It’s huge. Anytime you get to play at home, in front of your fans, you want to feed off that energy and make it count,” he said. “We talk a lot about starting fast, being the aggressor, and setting the tempo—that’s something we’ve emphasized all week. I expect our guys to come out with juice, to play with urgency, and to give our crowd something to rally behind. It’s a great opportunity to establish an identity early at home.”
Despite North Bay’s 0–2 record, the Bulldogs bring a physical, competitive edge that the Sabercats are preparing for with respect and focus.
“You look at that team and you see a group that’s physical, well-coached, and they’ve got playmakers on both sides of the ball,” Monico added. “They’re going to come in with a chip on their shoulder, and we respect that. For us, it’s about being disciplined, playing clean football, and matching their intensity from the opening whistle. We’ve got to win the line of scrimmage, be sharp situationally, and play our brand of football.”
As the Sabercats continue to refine their game, Monico pointed to specific areas of improvement as key to taking the next step forward.
“We want to clean up our execution in the red zone, finish drives with touchdowns, not field goals,” he said. “Defensively, we’ve got to be more sound with our tackling and eliminate some of the explosive plays we gave up. And overall, situational football—second down, two-minute, those are areas where we want to be more efficient. It’s about attention to detail and doing the little things right.”
Health-wise, the Sabercats are in good shape, and fans may see a few fresh faces getting additional snaps as the team adapts to matchups and builds depth.
“We’re feeling good about where we’re at health-wise,” Monico said. “We may have a couple guys rotating in a bit more based on matchups, but nothing drastic at this point. I will say, I’m excited to see some of our young guys take another step, the guys who have been stacking good days in practice. We’ll lean on our leaders, but it’s also a great chance for some of our emerging players to show what they can do in front of our home crowd.”
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, May 31st at Rocky DiPietro Field, where the Sabercats look to remain unbeaten and build on a promising start to the 2025 OSFL campaign. Watch the Sabercats broadcast on Saultsports TV or listen live on True North Radio.
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