Success comes only when hard work, determination and heart come together.
That鈥檚 something that the Yorkton Atom Gridders were told all season long, and something they realized this past Saturday in Regina when they topped the Regina Alouettes 25-7 in a hard fought and exhausting DQ Grill & Chill Bowl game. 鈥淭hey put in the work this year. I don鈥檛 know if anyone practices harder than we do so they deserve a lot of credit for what they did all year and how they practiced,鈥� said a proud Ryan Effa, head coach of the Atom Gridders. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really rewarding experience to see them win their last game like that and go out as winners to end the season. I know how hard they worked for it and it was super rewarding and I鈥檓 so proud of those kids.鈥�
The Raiders scored first in the game, with quarterback Jake Farrell hooking up with Isaac Clarke for a 40 yard pass and run touchdown for a 6-0 Yorkton lead.
The lead was short-lived however, as the Alouettes immediately answered with a 70 yard touchdown run followed by a converted extra point giving the Regina side a 7-6 lead.
What followed was a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to move the ball for the rest of the first half as the Atom Gridders trailed by a single point midway through the game. 鈥淚t really was quite a defensive battle in the first half,鈥� said Effa, continuing, 鈥淏oth teams kind of had the same style, downhill, power football and both defences were kind of set in in the first half and didn鈥檛 really give much up, so offensively it was hard to get in a rhythm for either side.鈥�
The second half was slightly different. The Alouettes still struggled to move the football, however the Atom Gridders found their offensive footing, opening up the third quarter with a 60 yard catch and run touchdown by three year Atom Gridder veteran Justin Adam on their first possession of the half.
A two point conversion made it 14-7 for the Atom Gridders, however they weren鈥檛 done there as Farrell hit Adam for a nearly identical play not long after to make it a two score game.
The Gridders then looked to their defence to keep the Alouettes in check the rest of the way; something they did easily, as Chet Ostapowich and Noah Schneider relentlessly hammered the Regina ball carriers into the ground.
A second Isaac Clarke touchdown late in the game increased the Gridder lead to 18 at 25-7, and as the seconds ticked off the clock the Atom Gridders started to realize that they were now Regina Minor Football Atom Division Bowl Game winners. 鈥淭hey did a trophy presentation close to the stands at midfield and the kids reacted like the won the Grey Cup,鈥� laughed Effa. 鈥淭hey were kissing it and handing it around, it was hilarious. They were pretty pumped and they should be, they won a bowl game and they had an excellent season and I couldn鈥檛 be more proud of that group of kids.鈥�
