A couple of football teams in Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football had some game action last month.
The Estevan U18 Varsity Team played the Moosomin Generals on June 27 at the Dana Quewezance Memorial Field at the Woodlawn Athletic Park, and dropped a 13-11 decision. It was the lone game the varsity team will play this spring.
Dorian Sifton scored a touchdown and a two-point convert for Estevan. Chayton Fornwald kicked their field goal for the varsity team’s other three points.
Coach Chris Bayerle was pleased with how Estevan performed, especially since it was the first time they had played nine-man football instead of the 12-man game. Moosomin is used to nine-man football.
“The boys did a really good job adjusting to the game style,” said Bayerle. “Generally it’s a fairly run-heavy game, but that really works for our defence, being that we had such great depth of linebackers. Once the offence started rolling, connecting and taking chances, they really started doing well.”
The varsity club boasted players who were from the Estevan Comprehensive School and did not get to have a season last fall due to COVID-19 restrictions. There were also some Grade 8 students who will be playing high school football this fall.
Only two Grade 12s were part of the roster.
The varsity club spent a month practising once a week, working with positional groups and co-ordinating offence and defence. Then they practised three times each week, but had to balance schedules with the end of the school year and football.
The Grade 8s were able to get experience playing against larger athletes.
He was pleased the kids were able to get one game in. They wanted to play Moosomin again, but with their schedule, it didn’t work out.
Also, the Estevan Kinette Club U18 Viragos football team had a pair of June games with the Moosomin team, also named the Generals. Coach Mark Tribiger noted that Moosomin played their Grade 12s, while the Viragos didn’t have any Grade 12 players.
The score in the first game was 66-6, and the score in the second game was 64-6.
In the first game, Katryna Heleta scored a touchdown when she returned an interception for a score, and in the second, Arin Parks scored the Viragos major on a quarterback run.
Tribiger said it was vital to get a couple of games in.
“Right now, we’re sitting with 26 on the roster, and out of the 26, 16, I believe, are new players who had never played before. So it was nice to get them a little experience before the actual season.”
He hopes the 26 players will be back for the fall.
The Viragos are still accepting players for the fall football season. Any female player in Grades 7-12 can join. If they want more information, they can contact viragosfootball@gmail.com.
They will start playing the first week in August, and then their first game is Sept. 11. The regular season wraps up in mid-October and the playoffs wrap up before the end of October.
They’ll be playing Regina, Yorkton, Melville and Moosomin during the fall games.
