The John Paul II Crusaders season debut went according to plan Thursday.
However, despite a 36-12 victory at home over the Unity Warriors, there are still things the Crusaders are looking to improve upon in the weeks ahead.
“We have a lot of Grade 10s that are playing some solid minutes for us and they are always learning out there,” Grade 12 running back Jacob Stynsky said. “If you watched how they played in our scrimmage with Unity last week, you can already see the huge strides they are making.
“They’re learning every day at practice and they take everything the coaches are telling them to get better.”
The improvement of the young players, especially on the offensive line, helped Stynsky to a great performance on the ground as he rushed for three touchdowns and had a number of big gains to help the Crusaders move down the field in the second half.
“Early on the offensive line had a bit of a shaky start and it felt like I was just getting swarmed by their defence after five yards,” Stynsky said.
“They started to get a lot better as the game went on as they learned from their mistakes, and that allowed me to have a good game out there. Our passing game was good as well, which meant that their defence had to lay off of the blitzes and we were able to have a very balanced offence.”
In addition to Stynsky’s performance, which was highlighted by a 40-yard run down the sidelines for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, quarterback Paul Cubbon contributed to the Crusaders' other two trips to the end zone.
He snuck across the goal line from a yard out in the second quarter and connected with Blaise Sieben on a 22-yard touchdown pass with just 11 seconds to go in the first half.
“Going into the game we knew that their defence was going to be tough, especially after we had played them last week in Unity,” Stynsky said.
“I felt like we had a chance to do well on offence though as the game went along and we started to have some good drives. Our defence also played well today. They stepped up to the plate with a number of big plays.”
Thursday’s contest marked the first time that the Warriors had played nine-man football in a few years, as they were able to move up from the six-man ranks due to an increased enrollment at the school in Unity.
“The biggest adjustments that we have had to make are with all of those extra bodies on the field,” Warriors head coach Pat Orobko said. “When you’re playing against six guys, you can focus more on one player. However, when you get to playing against nine guys, it gets a little crowded out there.
“We’re still a young team and we’re improving our football knowledge each time we play. I felt things were pretty straight up in the first half but then they started to wear us down in the last two quarters.”
Wyatt Gibson was responsible for both touchdowns for the Warriors, which included a dazzling 21-yard hook-and-ladder play just before halftime.
Next up for the Crusaders is a trip to Kindersley Tuesday for a contest with the Kobras.
The next home game will be on Sept. 23 when Martensville visit Crusaders Field.
