The John Paul II Crusaders fell victim to the big play again as they dropped a 40-24 decision to the Martensville Royals in nine-man high school football Thursday night at Beaver Lions Stadium.
The Crusaders defence gave up two touchdowns of 40 yards or more during the loss. John Paul II coach Bruce Yockey said they are struggling to cover people deep, but they are improving each week.
"We've got a bunch of kids out there that haven't got a whole lot of football experience. It's tough. They're getting better. We just gave up a couple big plays at the wrong time and it hurt."
It was a slow start to the game as the Crusaders and the Royals exchanged punts until late in the first quarter. The Royals struck first with less than a minute left in the quarter. On third down from the Crusaders' 36-yard line, Brayden Heck punted the ball into the end zone for a single point.
Following a turnover on downs by the Crusaders, Martensville took over possession early in the second quarter. Heck kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.
The Crusaders answered back with a long touchdown drive on their next possession. Beginning on their own 35-yard line, Jacob Stynsky and Jared Schmidt combined for 49 yards on the ground and through the air to set up John Paul II at the Royals' 26-yard line. From there, Tyler Wasmuth connected with Riley Loeppky for a 25-yard gain. Stynksy punched it in from the one-yard line and Wasmuth found Schmidt for the two-point conversion and an 8-4 lead.
The lead did not last long. After forcing a third down and a punt, the Crusaders made a costly mistake. John Paul II was flagged for roughing the kicker, giving Martensville an automatic first down. On the next play from scrimmage, quarterback Brodey Kliewer found Heck, who bobbled but hung on to the pass, downfield for a 40-yard touchdown strike and an 11-8 advantage.
Wasmuth and the Crusaders' offence responded with a big play of their own. The Crusaders' quarterback found receiver Narcisse Mbwebwe downfield, threading the needle between two defensive backs for a 60-yard catch and run touchdown. They converted the two-point attempt to go up 16-11 late in the second quarter.
It was not long before the Royals retook the lead. On the second play of their next drive, Kliewer and Heck connected again, this time for a 75-yard touchdown bomb. It gave the Royals an 18-16 lead with 2:01 left in the half.
The Royals extended their lead midway through the third quarter. Beginning their drive at the Crusaders' 40-yard line, Kliewer threw for 29 yards and capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run, putting the Royals up 25-16.
After John Paul II punted on their next drive, Kliewer and Heck connected again. Heck caught a 29-yard touchdown pass to give the Royals a 32-16 lead with less than two minutes to play in the third.
Kliewer threw his and the team's final touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to play in the third quarter. He found Reidar Fee for a 29-yard touchdown on third down as the Royals extended their lead to 39-16.
The Crusaders kept fighting in the fourth quarter. On a third down play, Wasmuth completed a 65-yard touchdown pass to Mbwebwe for the receiver's second touchdown of the evening. John Paul II converted the two-point attempt to trail 39-24 with eight minutes left to play.
Late in the fourth, the Royals tacked on a single point on a missed field goal that Heck sent wide to wrap up the game's scoring.
As time wound down, Yockey gave Schmidt, the team's backup quarterback, some snaps under centre with the first-team offence. Schmidt threw for 40 yards on his lone drive of the game. Yockey said he wanted to make sure Schmidt was game ready if called upon.
"You never know what happens. Injuries happen. He's gotta be ready."
With the 40-24 loss, the Crusaders fall to 0-3 on the season. Yockey said if the team stays positive, they will get better every week.
"We're moving the ball well," said Yockey. "We're in games until we make the odd crucial error that hurts us."
He added, "All you can do is put the nose to the grindstone and keep at it. Keep working away."
The Crusaders take the field for their next game Thursday night against Delisle Rebels. Kickoff for John Paul II's final home game of the regular season is at 5 p.m.
