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Senior Saints down Cobras on home field

The Sacred Heart senior football team picked up where they left off at the end of last year's regular season. They opened up the this year with a 29-7 victory over the visiting Melville Comprehensive Cobras.
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SHHS's Robert Okeny boots a field goal last Thursday afternoon against Melville.


The Sacred Heart senior football team picked up where they left off at the end of last year's regular season.

They opened up the this year with a 29-7 victory over the visiting Melville Comprehensive Cobras.

Despite the win, Chad Holinaty, offensive co-ordinator wasn't quite pleased with the way his team played.

"It was a start," he said following the game when asked if he thought his team played well in the opener.

He dismissed the notion that it was great, or anything better than good.

"I don't know if I'd call it good. We were a bit scrambly at times."

Sacred Heart held a slim 7-0 lead through most of the opening half.

Holinaty suggested they needed better rhythm as a unit if they are going to once again challenge for the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) championships for the second year in a row.

Last year, SHHS finished on game shy of competing for the provincial title.

Holinaty noted that last week's win over Melville was more just a time to feel everything out.

Holinaty's offence includes a quarterback who can throw the ball and a tailback who can run the ball. Holinaty said he hopes to be able to use both to complement each other.

He said he plans to incorporate more offensive formations to the game plan over the next few games of the schedule.

"We'll do a little bit of tinkering," he said of the formations, which he said he used two against Melville.

Holinaty also noted a need to "refine some things".

For the week following, we'll add a bit more to the package."

In Thursday's game, SHHS was seen running the i-formation and the wishbone, both utilize running backs and half backs to move the ball on the ground.

Holinaty also said the senior team is full of young players this year who are just "itching to play".

Sacred Heart is once again playing out of Conference III in the SHSAA. The Conference lost a pair of teams to Conference II: the Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders and Lumsden Devils.

Holinaty said it's disappointing to lose teams like that.

"Lumsden was an outstanding team" but noted that the Conference has to rotate teams annually.

"Those are the games that will prepare us for the end of the season," observed Holinaty.

Foam Lake is the addition to the Conference, he said.