Assiniboia Composite High School Rockets football team was downed 6-26 in its first home game against the Preeceville Panthers at Bearss Field in Assiniboia on September 22.
The Rockets have now dropped three games and sit in fifth place in their group in the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 6-Man Football League. The Rockets started their season on the road playing Watrous on September 8 and Wynyard on September 15.
The Assiniboia defense played well in the first half holding the Panthers to only one touchdown, although the Rockets’ offense struggled. The offenses on both teams were unleashed in the second half. The Rockets started the third quarter brightly, moving the ball quickly down the field and scoring a touchdown on the first play to even the score.
Preeceville gained steam halfway through the third quarter and added points on the board. By the fourth quarter the Panthers poured on the pressure and scored two more touchdowns to put the game out of reach for Assiniboia as they began to falter. The Panthers played well with two wins and one loss on the season.
“This is a building year,” stated Rockets coach Brian Ruthven. The Rockets are mustering a new crop of players coming up from the younger grades.
They lost many senior players who graduated in June. “It’s more challenging playing for the seniors this year, but fun,” said Tatum Harper, who is one of the newcomers to the team this year. He added that it is a big transition moving up to the senior team with new team-mates, new coaches and a higher pace to the game.
So far, the team has experienced a steep learning curve as the season gets underway with the players improving with each game. The coaching staff are helping the team build football abilities as well as real life skills such as leadership and team-building.
This season, Assiniboia finds itself in a group with Watrous, Wynyard, Preeceville, Davidson, and Lanigan. The Rockets next meet Davidson on home turf on September 29. It will be a night game under the lights starting at 8 p.m. Preceding this game, the Assiniboia Pee Wee football team will play a home game at 6 p.m. The team has planned a fun evening of football and also organized a 50/50 draw as a fundraiser. The Rockets will play Lanigan on October 5.
