The Sault Steelers will have an opportunity to show what they are made of with an important home and home series with North Bay.
Both teams are undefeated this season in the Northern Football Conference and the results of this series will indicate which direction the teams will head for the remainder of the season.
For the Steelers, these games will mark the strongest opponents they have faced this year. At 3-0, the Steelers have rolled past weak Sudbury and Belleville teams while handling a decent Tri-City team at home last weekend 31-13.
The first game of the set will go this Saturday night in North Bay. They return to Sault Ste. Marie for the second game July 5th at Rocky DiPietro Field beginning at 7 p.m.
"Head to head against the Bay is going to be the test for us," said Steelers head coach Barry Rushon. "It's been a good year for us so far but we will see how we stack up against these guys."
The Steelers' good start can be attributed to the team's depth. Rushon has been able to move fresh guys on and off the field all season. With over 40 players dressed for games and a strong turnout at practises, Rushon's toughest task has been the managing of playing time.
"This team has a ton of depth. There are a couple of guys, and I'm not saying that they are selfish, that are disappointed with their playing time. But that just means I need to do a little damage control," said Rushon.
"They need to understand that this team is so much better than last year or the year before, that they won't be on the field as much as they were or they will not be on every special team. But this allows us to stay fresh and play at our best. It's a nice situation because I am able to throw eight offensive lineman or even six receivers out there."
*** EXTRA POINTS:
* In other scores from around the league in week four, Mega City beat Markham 13-7 while Mississauga rolled past Milton 36-16. Oakville hammered Sudbury 55-0 and North Bay beat Oshawa 34-14.
* NFC standings after week four:
Oakville 4-0 North Bay 4-0 Sault 3-0 Mississauga 3-1 Oshawa 2-1 Tri-City 2-2 Milton 1-2 Mega City 1-2 Belleville 0-3 Markham 0-3 Sudbury 0-4