It was opening night under the lights for the Yorkton Regional High School Raider football team Friday.
In front of a larger crowd, bolstered by many back in the city for the 50th anniversary of the school, the Raiders struck on their opening drive, and never looked back.
Jordan Rusnak would throw a touchdown pass to Matthew Mandziuk on the play, and from there the Raiders would go on the maul visiting Weyburn 56-0.
“I knew we were good, but you don’t know how good ‘til you actually play,” said Raider coach Roby Sharpe.
Sharpe said the win may not be indicative of how good the Raiders are, Weyburn are not a league powerhouse, but he said his team was strong in all facets of the game.
The domination included the line where the Raiders were constantly pressuring the Weyburn pivot.
“It’s more than size. It’s the speed,” said Sharpe. “The speed we’ve got on our team; we’ve got guys that fly.”
As an example Sharpe pointed to defensive end Zach Fleury. While just under six-feet his coach said he has quick feet that allow him to burst through the line.
It helps the Raiders have Rusnak at the controls of the offence too.
“Oh my, he’s a good player. He’s fantastic,” said Sharpe.
The key to Rusnak’s prowess at the position is experience. While only in Grade 11, Sharpe points out his quarterback has come up through the local minor football program which runs the same basic offence.
“We run the same system all the way through,” he said. “We just tweak it here and there as you go up a level.”
Add in various camps attended, and Rusnak “has played lots of football,” said Sharpe, adding the experience is noticeable when his quarterback gets in trouble and makes good decisions under pressure.
It’s much the same with Mandziuk and Matthew Balysky at receiver, both are Grade 12s, and the football experience shows.
“These guys are football players now,” said Sharpe, adding he is already fielding calls from Canadian universities on them.
The Raiders, who had the opening week bye in their league, are now under the gun, with a game scheduled for Estevan yesterday (Tuesday), with results not available by press time.
The team will be back in action Saturday hosting Swift Current at 1 p.m.
