The Estevan Century 21 Chargers struggled to get anything going against one of the top clubs in the Regina Minor Football peewee division on Saturday.
The Chargers went down to their fifth loss in a 49-0 defeat against the Regina Thunder at Estevan Comprehensive School.
Regina led the game 27-0 at the half.
"I was pretty impressed with our defence. That team's pretty good, they're pretty big, pretty strong, so I think actually overall I'm pretty happy with both sides of the ball," said Chargers head coach Steve McLellan.
The Thunder picked up their first major almost halfway through the first quarter on a 35-yard rushing play.
The Chargers spent the rest of the quarter moving the chains on a lengthy drive, but couldn't finish it off, punting on the first play of the second quarter.
Regina proceeded to return the punt for a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead.
"It was a bit frustrating, but it's just football, you know. They're a top echelon team and I think we kept up with them, so I was pretty happy about that.
We could move the ball pretty well," said McLellan.
"We had a little injury there to (running back) Colein (Poole), so we were a little shorthanded there, but I think overall we were able to move the ball and we had some playmakers make some plays, so there's not much to worry about."
The Thunder added two more touchdowns late in the first half. After completing a seven-yard pass into the end zone, Regina recovered an onside kick but wasn't able to take advantage of it.
On the Chargers' next possession though, quarterback Cameron Rioux threw a pick-six deep in Chargers' territory on the last play of the half.
The Thunder picked up where they left off in the third quarter, scoring on a 35-yard rushing major early in the half.
In the fourth, another Estevan turnover helped the Thunder add to their lead. On the first play after Regina was forced to punt, a pass by Rioux was tipped, then picked off, allowing the Thunder to take over on the Chargers' seven-yard line. They would score two plays later.
Shortly after that, the Chargers fumbled and lost the ball in the backfield, but managed to get it back two plays later on another fumble.
The Thunder closed out the scoring late in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard rushing touchdown.
"It's the same old thing, execution, each week getting better," McLellan said of the plan in practice this week.
"I think the results on the scoreboard maybe aren't there, but I think overall we are getting better and just continuing to progress. If we could start the season over again the way we are today, I bet you we're a different team."
The Chargers are on the road Sunday, visiting the Regina Unicorns in their second-last regular season game.
