A pair of offensive touchdowns in the first quarter and a Tyler Harasymuk interception for a touchdown later in the game gave the Regional Jr. Raider football team a 22-6 lead in Regina Minor Football Bantam Division action this past Sunday at Regina鈥檚 Leibel Field, however the young Raiders could not hold onto their lead in an eventual 31-22 defeat to the Sun Devils.
The loss drops the Junior Raiders鈥� record to 3-2-1 for seven points and third place in the nine-team RMF Bantam Division, one point back of the Lakers (4-1-0) and three back of the league-leading Stampeders (5-1-0).
The Lumsden Jr. Devils (3-2-0), Greenall (Balgonie) Jr. Griffins (3-2-0) and Sun Devils (3-3-0) are all tied for fourth thru to sixth with six points each, while the Eagles (2-3-0), Packers (1-5-0) and Renegades (0-5-1) round out the standings from seventh to ninth with four points, two points and one point respectively.
鈥淵ou never want to lose, but it鈥檚 good to get a little bit of adversity at this point in the season as well,鈥� YRHS Junior Raider head coach Al Kyle told Yorkton This Week following the game. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better that it happens now than in the last game of the regular season or in the playoffs because it reminds us that we need to go out there and work hard in practice to improve every week.
鈥淚t reminds you that you need to work a little harder and you need to give it your all every practice in order to improve, so I think as long as the guys come out and are really serious about getting better then we鈥檒l be fine.鈥�
The Junior Raiders were also without one of their top offensive weapons for much of the game as fullback Luke Reid left the game with a lower body injury when he was tackled just short of the goal-line on the Regional鈥檚 second offensive play of the game. 鈥淲e lost Luke early in the game with a knee injury and that really hurt us,鈥� said the YRHS Jr. Raider bench boss. 鈥淟osing Luke was a big loss for us and it kind of limited our play-calling and they took advantage of that.鈥�
The loss of Reid early in the game might also affect the Junior Raiders for the remainder of the season as the knee injury appears to be worse than originally thought, meaning coach Kyle will need to find someone to fill the spot of the absent Reid. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to figure some stuff out in practice this week if it鈥檚 as bad as it sounds鈥� offered Kyle, continuing, 鈥渁nd what it sounds like is that he might of torn his ACL or MCL, so if so then he鈥檚 gone for the season so we鈥檒l have to figure something out.鈥�
The Junior Raiders (3-2-1) don鈥檛 have a lot of time to figure out what they鈥檙e going to do however, as they are back in action this Saturday when they host the Lumsden Jr. Devils (3-2-0) at Century Field. Kickoff is tentatively scheduled for 1:45p.m., immediately following the Yorkton Peewee Gridder game.
