WEYBURN - The Estevan Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate U12 Chargers seemingly love to play high-scoring games with the Weyburn Ravens.
Estevan defeated the Raves 92-52 Friday night in Weyburn. The two teams scored a combined 144 points. Less than two weeks earlier, they combined for 146 points in a 96-50 Estevan romp.
Coach Matt Schell noted the game was tied 45-45 at half time, but Estevan outscored Weyburn 47-7 in the second half.
“If you have a really good running attack, you can literally wear down a defence, and by the end of the game, they’re done,” said Schell. “That’s exactly what we did to Weyburn.”
Ryder Mantei had four touchdown passes during the game.
Schell praised the offensive line, including underage players Mason Lesy and Parker Moffatt, first-year player Cameron Locken and second-year centre Dane Tober. Parker Kosior has played well in his first year, too, Schell said.
“That mixture of o-linemen that we have there, they have taken this position that’s so crucial … and on this team, they are the guys. They make this thing happen,” said Schell.
He also saluted Weyburn running back Caleb Duhamel for his play on Friday night, as Estevan couldn’t stop him in the first half.
Estevan is playing great entering the playoffs, Schell said, and everyone knows what they’re doing on the field.
“The parents are loving it, the coaches are loving it and everybody’s just having a blast. And that’s what that winning mentality will get you,” said Schell.
The Chargers (5-1) will face the Moose Jaw Spartans in a semifinal game on Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Dana Quewezance Memorial Field at Woodlawn Athletic Park. Estevan beat Moose Jaw in last year’s final, and won both games between the two teams this season.
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The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team dropped a 57-14 game to the Swift Current Colts on Thursday in Swift Current.
Coach Mark Schott compared it to a game against Weyburn earlier this season in which Estevan was not very good and fell behind early, but showed some gumption in the second half.
“We were in a pretty tough spot at half time [Thursday], down big at 35-0, and we challenged our team that this is where we’re going to find out the character of the team that we have and what we want to make of the rest of this game and the season moving forward,” said Schott.
Swift had some big plays in the first half, while Estevan committed a number of turnovers.
Starting running back JT Schrader went down at the end of the first half with an injury, but Khalifa Elshein stepped in and finished with eight carries for 68 yards and a touchdown on the day. They also had injury issues in the defensive backfield, so receiver Dorian Sifton shifted to defence and recorded an interception.
Elshein and Caleb Bresciani had their first touchdowns at the high school level. Bresciani’s score came on a 32-yard reception on the final play of the game.
The Elecs (0-6) will finish the regular season against the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones Saturday afternoon at Woodlawn at noon. ECS will then play the Moose Jaw Vanier Vikings in the tier 2 semifinal.
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The Estevan Lions Club U14 Oilers wrapped up their regular season with a 45-0 loss to the host Moose Jaw Raiders on Oct. 7.
Estevan (0-6) will visit either the Swift Current Steelers or the Weyburn Falcons on Thursday in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of that game will advance to the semifinal.
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The Estevan Kinette Club U18 Viragos female football team dropped a 53-6 decision to Melville on Friday night in Estevan’s final game of the season.
Brooklyn Christenson had the Viragos’ lone touchdown.
The Viragos trailed 19-6 after the first half, and then Estevan’s defence wore down in the second half, said Kevin Mortenson, one of the coaches with the team.
The Viragos finished fifth in their league with a 0-4 record. The top four teams make the playoffs. Mortenson noted they will lose six players to graduation this season, so he is “very optimistic” about the female program moving forward into next year.
