Chalk it up as a valuable lesson for the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings football team.
After winning their first three games of the season in the Saskatoon High School Football League, the Vikings suffered their first defeat Friday afternoon in Saskatoon as they dropped a 30-7 decision to the Marion Graham Falcons.
“I think there are a number of things that the guys can take from this game,” Vikings head coach Mike Humenny said.
“One of the things is how we deal with adversity. There were times that we got into trouble out there in tough situations and I think it’s important that we had that happen to us rather than when the playoffs get underway in a couple of weeks here.”
Another valuable lesson that Humenny hopes the team can take from the loss is how the top teams in the league prepare themselves for a big contest.
“Everyone’s trying to get an idea of where they stand in the first three weeks of the season.” Humenny said. “Now it’s a matter of gearing up for the playoffs.
“Marion Graham is a very well-coached team and they came out a lot better than we expected them to, especially in how they ran the football.”
The Vikings trailed 14-0 at halftime, but a pair of costly turnovers proved to be the turning point in the game.
“It was pretty back and forth early on and both teams were feeling each other out in the early going,” Humenny said.
“We threw a pair of interceptions and that led to their first two touchdowns. Those turnovers plus our inability to run the football is probably what led to our struggles. We had a number of play action and bootleg plays set up but they weren’t quite as effective as we would have liked them to be as a result of not being able to get much going with our running backs.”
The Vikings will look to get back on track at Beaver Lions Stadium Friday at 6 p.m. when they go up against the Bishop J. Mahoney Saints, who have a 2-2 record so far this season.
Despite their record, the Saints are coming off a trip to the 3A provincial final last year, where they lost to Peacock Tornadoes from Moose Jaw.
“We played them really tough at home last year and ended up on top by a score of 21-20,” Humenny said.
“I expect this game to be just as close. We will need to match them physically and come up with a few different plays here in our playbook.”
Following that contest the Vikings will conclude their regular season schedule in Saskatoon on Oct. 13 against the Evan Hardy Souls.
