The Yorkton Regional High School Raider Gridders opened their season at home to the visiting Miller Marauders at Kinsmen Century Field Saturday.
The first half was a grinding, running game which saw the Marauders go ahead 7-0 at halftime.
Miller added three points on a field goal in the third quarter to lead 10-0 after three quarters of play.
With just under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Miller punted the ball into the end zone for a single point to take an 11-0 lead.
On the very next play Mike Desjolais intercepted Dalton Fitchner's pass and rambled about 45 yards down the sideline into the Raider end zone for another six points. The convert was good to give the Miller Marauders an 18-0 lead late in the game.
With some four minutes left on the clock, the game was called because of the thunderstorm.
Despite the final result, the YRHS Gridders had some shining moments in the game against the team reputed to be the top team in the Regina Intercollegiate Football League (RIFL).
Dalton Fichtner, a first year quarter back called some solid plays both on the ground and through the air, which kept the Marauders hemmed in their end zone for a good part of the game.
Raider full back Paul Toth had an outstanding game with a couple of key interceptions deep in the Raider end which prevented Marauder scoring drives. Toth also picked up some good yardage both on the ground and after pulling in a couple of passes.
The third year Gridder, in his final year of high school football, says the team played well but a couple of bad snaps and little mistakes contributed to the loss.
"We're good and we can only get better," Toth declares.
Head coach of the YRHS Raider Gridders Roby Sharpe says, "If I've ever felt good about a loss, it's today because this team is the toast of the league." Unfortunately for the Raiders, little mistakes caused by inexperience handed the game to the Marauders, Sharpe concedes.
While it was frustrating, it was also a good learning experience, he adds.
Sharpe points out the Raider Gridders played well for much of the game. "We're tough," he declares noting the performances of Prybylski and Toth. "They're tough. They don't say too much. They just do their job."
Sharpe agrees the officials made the right call in stopping the game when they did, despite the fact that the Raider Gridders had the ball in the Miller end at the time, giving them some momentum. "That was right. You can't have kids on the field with that lightning. It was the right thing to do," he admits.
"Because the game got called early, we're going to have some unfinished business with these guys. We're going to be a different team in about three weeks and we'll meet them again in the playoffs, " he suggests.
The Raider Gridders haven't been able to muster the full team because of harvest, Sharpe points out. "Give us a couple of games and some experience and we'll be a different football team," he predicts.
Sharpe says he was proud of the team. "It was a tough loss but I feel good about it," he closes.
