The wait was long and arduous, but good things finally came to the Estevan Comprehensive School football team on Saturday.
The Elecs defeated the Vanier Vikings 14-7 in Moose Jaw for their first win since Oct. 18, 2011.
It was the first win at the helm for second-year head coach Mark Schott, and the first taste of victory for many of the players.
"It was great. We've been working hard the last few years, but the results haven't really been what we wanted. It shows that (if you) be patient and go with the process, eventually those things will turn around and the results will start to go your way. It was a great feeling and the players even gave me a water bath after the game. That caught me off guard," Schott laughed.
The play of running back Cole MacCuish was an enormous factor in the win, as he took off for a 71-yard rushing major on the first play from scrimmage and added a 25-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the first half.
Schott said the first touchdown helped take some wind out of the Vikings' sails.
"That was huge. We were able to get a lead for the first time and it's a huge momentum shift. I know Vanier was definitely focusing on Cole and for us to send a message right from the start of the game with a big touchdown run, it gives us a big boost and it gets into their heads as well. That was a huge play and set the tone for the rest of the game."
MacCuish ran for 150 yards on the day, most of that coming in the first half.
"He had a great game for us. It's even harder to do, when the other team is trying to shut you down, to still stand out. Their whole defence was geared toward shutting him down. When he goes off for those big runs, it definitely gets our team going," Schott said. "He just makes things happen and makes guys miss."
The Elecs (1-2) led 14-0 at the half, but needed a strong defensive effort in the second half to stay ahead.
"Defensively, we had by far our best game in two years," said Schott, who noted there were multiple sacks, tackles for losses in the backfield and knockdowns.
"We were just constantly putting pressure on their quarterback and offensive line, taking away their time and space. It was excellent to see. In the second half, our defence came up even bigger because Vanier made some halftime adjustments to try to shut down MacCuish even more.
"Our offence somewhat stalled in the second half, but our defence came up huge for us and kept them pinned deep in their own zone. That was definitely the difference in the second half."
The lone touchdown for Vanier (0-4) came on a two-yard run by quarterback Rylan Blacklaws early in the fourth quarter.
Schott said Kyle Seipp played a key role after returning from a knee injury, with his fumble recovery helping shut the door on the Vikings' comeback bid. Mitchel Clark and Austin Garchinski also stood out.
Schott said the win gives the Elecs a shot of confidence heading into their final three regular season games.
"It's a huge morale boost. We've had a lot of frustration and turmoil over the course of the last couple of seasons, and our guys are starting to see some of the rewards of their commitment and dedication and hard work. Hopefully this is one of many to come."
ECS will face a bigger challenge on Saturday against the Central Cyclones (2-2), with that game starting at 1 p.m. at Dana Quewezance Memorial Field.
"Offensively we need to add a little bit more, as teams are going to start to key on Cole and try and limit what he can do for us. We need to add more dimensions to our offence and fine-tune what we have in place," Schott said.
"Defensively, if we can play like we did on Saturday, our defence should be able to keep us in it against any team."
