A new era began on Friday night for Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football (EMF), as their peewee and bantam teams played their first games in the Moose Jaw Football League.
The Estevan Century 21 Peewee Chargers defeated the Assiniboia Rockets 33-13, while the Estevan Lions Club Bantam Steelers were defeated 45-6 by the defending league champions, the Weyburn Falcons. Both games were played at the Dana Quewezance Memorial Field in Estevan.
The EMF had been part of the Regina Minor Football League since the EMF’s inception in 2008. But they decided last year to switch to the Moose Jaw circuit.
The Chargers trailed the Rockets 7-1 late in the second quarter, but quarterback Kaleb Bechtold had two rushing touchdowns to give the Chargers a 13-7 lead at halftime. Bechtold’s second score came on a long run on the final play of the first half.
“That was definitely a turning point for us,” said Chargers coach Jason Bresciani. “The kids got excited after that touchdown, and going into the second half, they were energized.”
Estevan continued to roll in the second half, as they outscored the Rockets 20-6. Bechtold added his third major of the game, and Kyle Mack scored two touchdowns.
They also made adjustments in the second half to stop Assiniboia’s run game, as Rockets’ quarterback Daxin Peterson did not enjoy as much success on quarterback sneaks as he did in the first half.
Bresciani said winning their first game in the new league gives them the confidence they can compete on a nightly basis. Many of the Chargers’ players were also part of the atom team that had several close losses last season.
It was the first win for the peewee team in a couple of years.
The Chargers’ next game will be on Saturday, when they will visit the Moose Jaw Lions.
As for the Bantam Steelers, they had a tough introduction to the Moose Jaw league in the loss against the defending champions from Weyburn. The Falcons led 33-0 at halftime.
Estevan’s touchdown came on a short run by quarterback Shanelle Rioux in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
“What really got us there to the end zone was a couple of great passing plays out to our receiver, Trevor Shaw,” said coach Paul Duncan.
Still, he was encouraged with the efforts of the players in the second half, as they were only outscored by six points.
Duncan was particularly impressed with the efforts of brothers Jonathan and Eric Swirski. Jonathan played the entire game as a receiver, defensive back and on special teams, while Eric turned in a strong game at free safety and on special teams.
Duncan said it’s been difficult to prepare for games because they don’t have enough players for scrimmages. The team had 21 players entering Friday night’s game, but Duncan noted four or five more players are expected to join the team, which should bring them close to the number of players he wants.
The Steelers will visit the Moose Jaw Raiders on Saturday.
