The Estevan Century 21 U12 Chargers put the finishing touches on their season Friday night with one last lopsided victory.
The Chargers trounced the host Weyburn Eagles 45-2 Friday night in the Q-Collar Bowl. The game was essentially a third place contest for the Moose Jaw Minor Football League, as Estevan and Weyburn dropped their semifinal games.
Estevan led 18-0 after the first quarter and 31-2 at half time. Then they added scores in each of the third and fourth quarters.
“We knew that we were going to go in there with a pretty good chance to win, as long as the kids played our style of football,” said Chargers coach Matt Schell. “We jumped out on top pretty quickly.”
Both the offensive and defensive units had great games. Schell noted the Chargers had their first defensive touchdown of the year on a score by Peyton Klyne after Schell said Klyne essentially grabbed the ball out of the Weyburn quarterback’s hand.
“He took the handoff instead of the running back, and he ran it 60 yards for a touchdown, which everybody was really excited about,” said Schell.
Cornerback Nevin Tedford made an interception late in the fourth quarter in his own end zone to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard on that drive.
Offensively, running back Cooper Pukas had several touchdowns, including one in which he lined up at the quarterback position on the final play of the first half.
Payton Tendler and Hunter Ciepliski also had strong games, while Turner Petterson had some good runs.
“Our o-line (offensive line) was just so physical,” said Schell.
Weyburn's lone score came off of a safety.
Schell lauded the progress the Chargers have made this season. They won five of their last six games, and the lone loss since starting 0-3 was by one point to the eventual league champions, the Moose Jaw Spartans, in the semifinal round.
The win in the bowl game also avenged a loss to the Eagles earlier in the season.
The Chargers coaches knew they had some talent at the start of the season, but it was a matter of the players buying into what Schell called "tough guy football."
“Be a pain in the rear ends of the other team, don’t quit,” said Schell. “Be in their face and be aggressive, and don’t let them push you around. If they do, push back.”
He was also pleased with how they recovered from their loss to the Spartans in the semifinal. At a team social a few days before the Q-Collar Bowl, he reminded them that this was a chance to close out the season against their rivals, and to finish on a high note.
Eleven of 24 players from this year’s team are eligible to return next year.
The Chargers have one other event before the season ends, their annual awards night, and Schell said the coaches have some very tough decisions ahead of them.
