The Estevan Century 21 peewee Chargers lost 6-0 to the Weyburn Eagles at Woodlawn Field on Thursday in a defensive battle where neither club was able to generate a sustained offensive push.
Jason Bresciani, head coach of the Chargers, said his players were a bit nervous heading into their first game of the Moose Jaw Minor Football League season and that was evident on the field in the opening quarter where the team suffered from a costly error and an inability to convert on their chances. He said the kids did find their confidence as the game went on, but tough defence from both sides made sure there would be little offensive headway from either club.
The Chargers began the game strong holding the Eagles’ offence in their own zone, but once Estevan gained possession of the ball Weyburn’s defence took the opportunity to shine. The Eagles gained the upper hand late into the first quarter on a fumble by Chargers quarterback Alec Waldegger that Andrew Altwasser picked up and ran 70 yards to the end zone for the score.
Defensive back Kolby Forseth did his best to get the Chargers even on the next play forcing an Owen Istace fumble, which he followed up with in the next quarter on special team’s work including a long punt return in the middle of the frame that put the Estevan offence 40 yards away from Weyburn’s end zone. The Eagles earned a prime opportunity to add to their lead at the end of the third quarter with a penalty forcing the Chargers to start a drive off their own one-yard line, but Estevan running back Klayten Piippo put up a couple of strong rushes to get his team out of trouble. Neither team seemed able to generate any chances in the fourth quarter, which was highlighted by the Eagles' defence breaking the line and recording a number of quarterback sacks.
“Our offence is still a very young group, still making a few mistakes, but progressing really well and our defence was just outstanding,” said Eagles head coach Jody Kerr, noting most of their seasoned players occupy defensive positions. “We pressured them all day. We had the edge. We probably had 10 sacks today. When you get a high number of sacks like that, you can’t do anything but praise your defence.”
Bresciani said they attempted to spread out the Eagles' defence by forcing the coverage to the outside so they could come back up the middle, but their opponent never did bite. He said the hope was to have some success in the win column in their first game and despite the outcome the kids getting a chance to get their feet wet in a match against another team should help them move forward as they prepare for their next tilt in Assiniboia against the Rockets on Sept. 17.
“We really need to work on our blocking and our pass coverage because they caught us off guard,” said Bresciani, about what they’ll be doing in practice over the next two weeks. “So it’s basic fundamentals to go back to and really focus on those areas.”
