The Yorkton Raiders season ended at Gutheridge Field last year, losing in the MJHSFL Championship to Moose Jaw Peacock after beating them at home in the regular season.
Returning to Moose Jaw for the first time since the heartbreaking loss, the Raiders knew that
The Raiders did just that as they rolled past the Central Cyclones 41-9, defeating a team that beat them last year at Century Field on the last play of their annualFriday Night Lights game. The Raiders got revenge during the league semifinals, on Saturday they got it a second time to settle the score.
Rookie Alex Popoff, one of the Raiders emerging offensive weapons, is already aware that if the Orange are going to achieve their goal of a provincial title, Gutheridge Field will have to be home turf as much as Century Field.
"This season to go to provincials we have to play here, we have to win, and we want to make this field ours just as much as anyone else," said Yorkton slotback Alex Popoff, who finished with five catches for 106 yards on offence and an interception on defence.
One week after rushing for 297 yards as team, the Cyclones could manage just one-yard on the ground with Zach Hagerman picking up just ten yards on five carries and quarterback Parker Chow finishing with minus-9 yards on ten carries. Yorkton has won the battles along the line of scrimmage all season and against a school that is traditionally one of the top two schools in Moose Jaw each season the Raiders did some advanced scouting in the film room to ensure that they would be prepared for the Cyclones before heading on the bus to Moose Jaw.
"We scouted their offence and knew some of their plays, so we knew what was coming at us," says Popoff.
The Raiders also got two more impressive offensive performances out of star running back and quarterback pair Zak Kais and David Balysky in the convincing win.
Kais finished with 13 carries for 93 yards and four touchdowns in the win. while the quarterback Balysky was the Raiders' top rusher with 11 carries for 133 yards. Balysky also threw for 157 yards on 9-of-16 passing, earning less yardage in the air than in the Raiders two opening games with the Cyclones D doing a decent job of stopping the majority of the Raiders passing play with the exception of Popoff who hauled in well over half of Balysky's 157 yards.
Next for the Raiders is a game against the Weyburn Eagles that will be on Friday Night Lights as the third annual FNL game will be hosted at Century Field at 7:00 p.m.
For the Raiders and Eagles they will be renewing a storied rivalry that dates back to their days in the Regina RIFL league before the two teams moved to Moose Jaw last season.
Weyburn is coming off of a down year, but in their RIFL days it was the Eagles that had the Raiders number on many occasions in the late 00's. Now the tables are turned and the Raiders seem like league and title favorites. Both teams will be bringing it with the excitement of playing football under the lights. Last year the Raiders undefeated season was dashed by the Cyclones in the FNL game which the Raiders are 1-1 in since starting the tradition. With a race with Peacock for first place and homefield playoff advantage brewing the Raiders will have to avoid looking past an always prepared Eagles team if they dream match up of an undefeated Peacock-Raiders regular season tilt is to become a reality. Either way you will not want to miss out on the action at Century Field this Friday.
