A pair of offensive touchdowns in the first quarter and a Tyler Harasymuk interception for a touchdown later in the game gave the Regional Jr. Raider football team a 22-6 lead in Regina Minor Football Bantam Division action this past Sunday at Regina’s Leibel Field, however the young Raiders could not hold onto their lead in an eventual 31-22 defeat to the Sun Devils.
The loss drops the Junior Raiders’ record to 3-2-1 for seven points and third place in the nine-team RMF Bantam Division, one point back of the Lakers (4-1-0) and three back of the league-leading Stampeders (5-1-0).
The Lumsden Jr. Devils (3-2-0), Greenall (Balgonie) Jr. Griffins (3-2-0) and Sun Devils (3-3-0) are all tied for fourth thru to sixth with six points each, while the Eagles (2-3-0), Packers (1-5-0) and Renegades (0-5-1) round out the standings from seventh to ninth with four points, two points and one point respectively.
“You never want to lose, but it’s good to get a little bit of adversity at this point in the season as well,” YRHS Junior Raider head coach Al Kyle told Yorkton This Week following the game. “It’s better that it happens now than in the last game of the regular season or in the playoffs because it reminds us that we need to go out there and work hard in practice to improve every week.
“It reminds you that you need to work a little harder and you need to give it your all every practice in order to improve, so I think as long as the guys come out and are really serious about getting better then we’ll be fine.”
The Junior Raiders were also without one of their top offensive weapons for much of the game as fullback Luke Reid left the game with a lower body injury when he was tackled just short of the goal-line on the Regional’s second offensive play of the game. “We lost Luke early in the game with a knee injury and that really hurt us,” said the YRHS Jr. Raider bench boss. “Losing Luke was a big loss for us and it kind of limited our play-calling and they took advantage of that.”
The loss of Reid early in the game might also affect the Junior Raiders for the remainder of the season as the knee injury appears to be worse than originally thought, meaning coach Kyle will need to find someone to fill the spot of the absent Reid. “We’re going to have to figure some stuff out in practice this week if it’s as bad as it sounds” offered Kyle, continuing, “and what it sounds like is that he might of torn his ACL or MCL, so if so then he’s gone for the season so we’ll have to figure something out.”
The Junior Raiders (3-2-1) don’t have a lot of time to figure out what they’re going to do however, as they are back in action this Saturday when they host the Lumsden Jr. Devils (3-2-0) at Century Field. Kickoff is tentatively scheduled for 1:45p.m., immediately following the Yorkton Peewee Gridder game.
