The Yorkton Atom Gridders are off to a hot start to the 2013 season with wins in their first two games, getting the job done at Century Field as well as on the road to start the 2013 Regina Minor Football season.
In their season opener, Yorkton took on the Regina Gaitors at Yorkton's Century Field. The visiting Gaitors were first to put points on the Century Field scoreboard as the Gridder offense mishandled the ball allowing the Gaitor defense to run the ball for a touchdown on a fumble return.
Showing remarkable poise for a young football team playing in their first game of the season, the Gridders answered back shortly with Josh Haczkewicz taking the ball for a 55 yard touchdown run on a double reverse.
After the gutsy touchdown drive it was the Gridder defense that dug in next to give Yorkton great field position for another Haczkewicz touchdown and a Garrett Ellis convert extending the Gridder's lead to 14-7. QB Conner Watrych took another one in along with before the first half ended with the Gridders up 21-6.
Second half play opened with a Carter Pawliw touchdown to make the score 27-6, important points that put the Gridders up three scores to start the second half. With points to work with the Gridder defense was applying pressure to Regina all day long, but on a second-and-long play, the Gaitors were able to slip through for a touchdown. The defense came up big when Spencer Welke forced a fumble and Tyler Harasymuk scooped and ran the ball to the Gaitor 20 yard line, returning the favor from the first quarter with a huge fumble return of their own. This set the Gridder offense up for a touchdown by Brady Bjornerud who used his elusive speed up the sideline to make the final score 33-12. Defensive coach Ryan Effa was very proud of his players and their "dominating presence".
The Regina Gaitors are coached by former Rider legend, Gene Makowsky.
With a win in the bag, Yorkton Gridders travelled to Regina for the second game of the season against the Regina Eskimos at Liebel Field on Saturday, August 24. The entire game was a defensive battle amid blistering temperatures on the artificial turf at Liebel Field. In the opening quarter, neither defense gave up much ground, but toward the end the Gridder offense started rolling and hit paydirt with Carter Pawliw's 20-yard run for a touchdown.
Brady Bjornerud went off the right side and rumbled his way in for a convert for a 7-0 score which was good enough for the Gridders to lead heading into the second half.
At the beginning of the second half the offense opened up with some razzle dazzle to send Haczkewicz down the side lines on a 75-yard double reverse run as the Atom Gridders executed Jason Boyda's timely trick play call to perfection to inject some energy into a defensive battle.
Regina answered back quickly with their quarterback scrambling all the way down to Yorkton's 4-yard line where they were able to plunge the ball into the endzone, Yorkton would hold the Eskimos to just six points by denying the convert.
The play of the day came from Gridder middle linebacker, Brad Heskin as the Eskimos faced 3rd and 1 at midfield. Heskin busted through the Eskimos' O-line destroying their runningback for a loss of a yard on the play to end the Eskimos comeback drive.Head coach Jason Boyda is "very proud of these young Gridders and of how they played a complete game both mentally and physically. The players gave their all from the opening play right to the last seconds of the game."
Next week, the Yorkton Atom Gridders are at home to the Alouettes at 10 a.m. starting the tripleheader of RMF games at Century Field.
