The Sacred Heart Saints senior football team are still searching for that elusive first win in their 2014 SHSAA Nine-Man Football League campaign after coming up just one yard short in Thursday's game against the visiting Melville Cobras at Sacred Heart football field.
Things started out well for the Saints as running back Caleb Sutter found a hole in the Melville defensive line and ran the ball into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown to open the scoring. A converted kick made it 7-0 for Sacred Heart but before the end of the half the Cobras answered with a rushing score of their own.
However a failed Cobra convert gave the Saints a slim 7-6 lead at the break.
A field goal by Saints kicker Nathan Cochrane midway through the third quarter made it 10-6 for Sacred Heart, however Melville immediately marched the ball down the field for the remainder of the third quarter and, once the fourth quarter began, responded with their second touchdown of the game and their first lead at 12-10.
Another missed convert by the Cobras ensured that their lead was just two, however a combination of Cobra defence and offensive miscues on the Saints side resulted in Sacred Heart conceding two points via a third down safety to make it 14-10 for the visitors.
With less than a minute to go and the score still 14-10 in favour of Melville, Saints quarterback Tannum Wyonzek took the snap and attempted to plunge himself into the end zone only to have the stalwart Cobra defence push him back resulting in a turnover on downs. "I've got to give it to Melville, they got lower and they beat us that time and that's the key," suggested Saints head coach Trent Senger following the game. 'I don't know what happened to us. It was just a mental fart where we didn't get our linemen down far enough, low enough to make the blocks."
Two plays later the Cobras would seal the deal on a 95-yard touchdown run with just over 20 seconds remaining to escape from the Sacred Heart football field with a 20-10 victory and their third straight win to open the season.
The Saints, meanwhile, dropped to 0-4 on the year despite playing their best game of the season. "For our kids it was the best game of the year so far and they really played well," offered Senger. "We were within one yard of what I would think would be considered a huge upset."
Senger would be correct in that it would definitely have been a massive upset had his Saints managed to defeat the Melville Cobras.
Melville came into the game ranked number one overall, crushing Broadview 47-24 in their season opener before handing Esterhazy a resounding 61-0 loss; meanwhile Sacred Heart opened the season with back-to-back blowout losses, 39-0 to Foam Lake and 38-8 to Broadview before beginning to find their offensive stride in a 35-27 loss to Esterhazy.
Fatigue also appeared to be a factor late in the fourth quarter for the Saints in large part due to Sacred Heart playing their third game in the past seven days. "The kids are tired. It's hard playing three games in a week. That's a lot for any high school athlete," suggested the Saints coach, continuing, "But you know what? Every game they got a little bit better, a little stronger and they seemed to work a little harder each time and that's all I can ask of them."
But while the Saints lost their fourth straight game and sit last place in the division with a 0-4 record, Senger believes his team is beginning to turn the corner. "We're getting closer and closer, we just have to finish now.
"We're where we want to be and we've improved every single game. We just need to keep working."
The Saints will carry on their working mentality into a prolonged break, not playing again until Thursday, October 2 when they host the visiting Foam Lake Panthers in a rematch of the opening game of the season.
