It was a tough end to an otherwise successful 2015 Regina Minor Football Bantam Division season for the YRHS Jr. Raider football team on Saturday afternoon at Regina’s Leibel Field.
The Jr. Raiders (6-2-2) came out on the wrong end of a 25-8 score-line against the Regina Eagles (5-5) in the RMF Bantam Division Championship game thanks in large part to penalties and uncharacteristic turnovers. “They say that most games are won by the turnover battle and we definitely turned the ball over more than we should and we also had some penalties that we shouldn’t be taking this late in the season,” offered Jr. Raider head coach Al Kyle, adding that he felt he could have done more as well to help the team. “I think they out schemed us a little bit and I think I was outcoached and it was hard for our players to make up for that.
“Their coaches did a great job in getting them prepared for us and looking back maybe I could have done more.”
Things looked to be going the Jr. Raiders’ way early in the game as running back Braden Kitchen ran through a couple of would-be Eagle tacklers and 50 yards later he was in the end zone, however a holding penalty meant that the touchdown was called back and just two plays later the Raiders had to punt the ball away. “That first drive of the game was a big one for us,” said Kyle. “We scored, then had it called back and it kind of took our momentum away.”
Penalties once again cost the Jr. Raiders later in the first half. With the score 0-0, the Raiders punted the ball only to have the Eagles put together a big return aided in large part by a couple of questionable blocks and one big unnecessary roughness penalty to the Raiders that put the ball on the one yard line.
One play later and the Eagles let 8-0. “Well it looked like they may have committed a couple of clipping calls but we got called for unnecessary roughness which put the ball on the one yard line. That’s something you can’t do as an offence for your defence,” suggested coach Kyle. “They were able to punch it in and took an 8-0 lead there at the end of the first half.”
A third quarter touchdown and a missed field goal made it 17-0 for the Eagles after three quarters, but a Raiders hook and ladder pass resulted in a nearly 100 yard touchdown by Kitchen to get Yorkton back in the game down just 17-8.
Unfortunately that would be as close as they would get however; as Eagles quarterback Matt Shewchuk broke away from the Junior Raider defence late in the fourth quarter for a touchdown that proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Raiders. Final score, Eagles 25, Raiders 8. “I’m really proud of these guys and the coaching staff. Everyone worked really hard all year long but unfortunately it didn’t end in a championship,” said Kyle, continuing, “But you know what, these guys came to battle. I think I counted it up and we were up to 56 practices and 11 games.
“It was a three month long season and these guys worked really, really hard this year for me and that’s really all I could ask from them.”
The Junior Raiders – who put together their best season as members of the RMF – will now graduate 13 players to the Senior Raider football program next year including standouts Jordan Stewart, Carson Sveinbjornson, Braden Kitchen and Zack Fleury, but will be bolstered by the majority of the Peewee Gridder graduates (Sacred Heart will also be the beneficiary of some Peewee Gridders). “We’re graduating about 13 guys and they might take one or two more, so we’re looking at returning 20 or so guys,” said the Jr. Raider head coach. “As you can see by the peewee program, they were in the Championship game as well so the guys that are graduating from that program will come here and help us out so the future looks very promising as well, but it would have been nice to send our graduating players off with a title.”
