The Estevan Century 21 peewee Chargers fell 30-19 to the Weyburn Ravens at Darold Kot Field on Saturday in a game marked by unsportsmanlike and dirty play.
Jason Bresciani, head coach of the Chargers, said his team left the field with 3:50 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a concern that their kids were not in a safe situation. He said the decision was made after Hayden Borhot was stepped on by a Raven after the whistle and had to be rushed to the hospital where it was learned he suffered a rib injury.
“I expected a tough game,” said Bresciani. “I expected the score going back and forth, defensive stops, blocks, a back and forth game, but I did not expect they were going to give us an unsafe game.”
The late-season contest was a tilt between the Moose Jaw Minor Football League’s top-seeded Ravens (5-0) and Chargers (3-2). The first half showcased how evenly matched both teams are with Weyburn scoring two touchdowns off a couple of big runs and Estevan countering with a 30-yard pass from quarterback Alec Waldegger to Keegan Merriman for a touchdown and a bootleg run from Waldegger to the end zone to make the score 14-12 after two quarters.
Bresciani said Merriman notched another major on a 27-yard pass and run from Waldegger in the second half, but that would be the only positive to come out of it. He said the Ravens started to throw a lot of cheap shots resulting in multiple injuries for the Chargers, which forced their hand to leave the game.
The Chargers next face the Moose Jaw Vikings (3-1) on the road this Friday with a second-place seed and home-field advantage on the line. Bresciani said the club will put the Ravens game behind them as they prepare for the Vikings at practice this week.
“We just got to get back to our focus,” he said, “and be ready to play because it’s going to be another tough game.”
