MOOSE JAW - The Estevan Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate U12 Chargers have been dethroned as champions of the Moose Jaw Minor Football League, but it took overtime and a tie breaker for it to happen.
Estevan lost 28-26 to the Moose Jaw Lions Saturday in Moose Jaw in the league final. Estevan held a 26-7 lead at half time, but Moose Jaw chipped away in the second half, and the game was tied late in the fourth quarter. The game went into overtime, and when it was still tied, teams attempted two-point converts until Moose Jaw prevailed.
"Hats off to a valiant effort by both the players and coaches, a game for the ages," Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football said in a post on its Facebook page.
Minor football noted that it was an emotional defeat, but coach Matt Schell assured the kids they would always be champions in the hearts of the community.
"They showed guts and resilience, two traits installed with Tough Guy Football," the post stated.
Estevan went 5-1 in the regular season. Their only loss was against the Lions. Then the Chargers defeated the Moose Jaw Spartans 20-13 in the semifinal round.
Chargers' running back TJ Thompson was selected as the U12 league's offensive MVP.
The Chargers won the league title last year, the first time an Estevan team has won a league championship.
The next edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
