The Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football Association's seasons got off last weekend with a lot of time on the field for some inexperienced and newer players.
Unfortunately for both the Estevan Century 21 Peewee Chargers and the Estevan Lions Bantam Oilers at Woodlawn Athletic Park, both of those teams lost their first games of the season.
The Oilers lost 29-6 to the Weyburn Falcons, with a lot of players getting their first taste of bantam football.
“We had I think four or five guys that are brand new that have never played football,” said Oilers coach Paul Duncan. “We were hoping to move the ball a little bit more than we did. I think our defence played pretty well.”
Kolby Forseth scored the only points for the Falcons when he returned a kickoff close to 80 yards into the end zone.
The game stopped for an injury when Oiler Cyrus Rooks wasn't able to get up after getting tackled and the ambulance was called onto the field. The rest of the team could only watch as their teammate was attended to by EMS staff.
“We tried to run some drills ... and tried to keep them focussed on running some drills,” Duncan said. “Football is a game where injuries can happen and the good news is that Cyrus was conscious through all of it and he was starting to regain some feeling back in his leg as well. Hopefully it's nothing serious.”
The Oilers' next game is Sept. 16 in Weyburn against the Falcons.
“We've got a lot to work on,” Duncan said. “We've got a bye week so we've got a lot of time to prepare. This game is a stepping-stone and hopefully we'll move up from here.”
The Chargers also took one on the chin, dropping a 50-6 decision to the Moose Jaw Vikings at Woodlawn. It's the first time they hit the field since losing the 2016 Moose Jaw Minor Football peewee final.
“We're a very young team so we want them to learn what the game of football is all about,” said Chargers head coach Jason Bresciani. “Learning how to play as a team is the biggest thing you can take going into game one.”
As the game progressed, the team started to do that but the team is still learning the basics with a lot of new players this year.
“The Vikings are usually known to be one of the stronger Moose Jaw teams,” Bresciani said. “We usually fare well with them. Hopefully this season going forward we'll be at the same level as them.”
The Chargers' only score was a 61-yard scamper by Arin Park.
“That is a confidence booster, not only for the offence but the defence too that we can do this,” Bresciani said.
The Chargers' next game will be Saturday in Moose Jaw against the Mustangs.
The Power Dodge Atom Cudas don't start their regular season until Sept. 23 when they travel to Weyburn.
