It took a quarter for the Vanier Vikings to get going, but when they did, there was no stopping them.

The Vikings cruised to a 48-8 win over the Estevan Elecs in the opening game of the Moose Jaw High School Football League’s 2017 season on Saturday afternoon at Gutheridge Field.

The game was tied at 6-6 after the first quarter, but Vanier scored 42 unanswered points over the next two quarters to pick up the big season-opening win.

“It’s a great way to start the season,” said Vanier quarterback Ryan Stefanovic. “In the first quarter-and-a-half, we had a couple of mental errors on a couple of drives that’s why we couldn’t put up points... It was 6-6 and we were all stressed out and then we went on a couple of big drives and we loosened up and that’s when we got into our groove.”

Stefanvoic led the attack for Vanier in the win as he finished 12-of-21 passing for 204 yards with three touchdowns. He also rushed for two more scores.

The receiving duo of Jayden Miller and Tanner Sanford looked dangerous for Vanier with Miller hauling in six passes for 82 yards and a score, while Sanford had three catches – including a highlight reel one-handed grab in the third quarter – for 79 yards and a touchdown.

“Ryan is a guy that we’ve got to lean on out there, it’s great to have weapons every where, but if you don’t have a kid that’s smart and athletic to get it out there that’s kind of useless,” said Vanier head coach Ryan Gottselig.

Vikings running back Tyler Lorenz goes for the end zone to score one of his two touchdowns in Saturday's win. (Photo: Marc Smith)

Cole Corey added two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown, while running back Tyler Lorenz had 38 yards rushing and 22 yards receiving to go along with two touchdowns in the big day offensively for Vanier.

“I’d drop back and all four of my receivers would be open today, I had so many people to choose from,” said Stefanovic. “Tanner had the best catch that I’ve ever seen in a high school football game, he went up and he got it, so it was amazing to have so many options.”

After the tight first quarter, the Vikings broke out for three scores in the second quarter, but their defence also started to clamp down on the Elecs, forcing them into three turnover on downs. They would force Estevan into five of those throughout the game.

“Defensively, we have a lot of guys that can run around and tackle this year, which when you get into those third and short situations is pretty big for us,” said Gottselig. “We have a lot of intensity this year as well, the kids are fired up and want to play, the small roster helps there because everyone knows they have to make plays.”

Estevan running back Hunter Eagles fights through a tackle during Saturday's loss to the Vanier Vikings at Gutheridge Field. (Photo: Marc Smith)

Despite the lopsided score, there were some bright spots for Estevan in the loss, including grade nine running back Hunter Eagles, who finished with 21 carries for 132 yards.

Eagles scored the Elecs’ lone touchdown when he broke into the open field for a 49-yard score late in the first quarter.

“He’s quite the football player and we’re really excited to have him as part of our program,” said Elecs head coach Mark Schott. “He was playing a lot of the game on both sides of the ball and making plays for us.”

Schott added that the Elecs are a young team and will learn from getting some game experience under the belt.

“For three-quarters for our team, this was their first high school football game and it was a wake up call, you can only do so much in practice to get ready and now we have a taste of what high school football is all about,” he said.

Vanier will host Peacock at Gutheridge Field this Friday, while Estevan gets the bye in Week 2. The Elecs will return to the field on Tuesday, Sept. 19 to host Yorkton.