WEYBURN - The Weyburn Comp Eagles football team started their season with a tough loss Friday night in Yorkton, falling 26-11. “This was our first league game of the season,” said Jody Kerr, head coach for the Eagles football team.
The Eagles came out strong, with Isaiah Sanderson hauling in a 70-yard pass and a run from Conner Kerr leading to a field goal on their first drive.
Yorkton replied with a safety and a field goal to take the lead in the early stages of the second quarter. The Eagles scored their first touchdown with a 56-yard pass from Kerr to Kaleb Berg to take the lead 10-5. Yorkton scored a response touchdown just before the half to hold a 12-10 lead.
A power run Yorkton team emerged in the second half and the Eagles had a hard time adapting to this and inconsistencies on offense led to Yorkton scoring two touchdowns in the second half.
“We struggled with our finish in the game against Yorkton, and faced some adversity by taking penalties. We just need a little more discipline,” said Jody.
Some top defensive leaders for the day were Owen Istace, who had six tackles, one fumble recovery and a blocked punt; Kaleb Charlton, who had five tackles, one quarterback sack and one pass knock-down; and Conner Kerr, who had five tackles, one interception and one pass knock-down.
“It was not too bad for our first game of the season,” said quarterback Conner Kerr. “We definitely made a couple of mistakes that will happen in the first game. We can easily fix that for the next game.”
“There are some things we need to focus on, like stopping the run. It will be important to keep focus on the jobs we have,” said slotblack and halfback Isaiah Sanderson.
“It was a whole different kind of intensity when we faced Yorkton,” added Conner. “It was a different environment for us to adjust to, and why we came out a little flat.”
The Eagles had a couple of exhibition games prior to the start of the season. They played two games in Estevan, and three games in Saskatoon. “This gave us a chance to get a lot of the younger players in play. It was a chance to see the starters, the backups and the young kids,” said Jody.
“It was good to get that experience during the exhibition games, since we had two tough teams at the start of the season,” said Isaiah. “It was a good way to see how our systems and plays work on other teams.”
The next action for the Eagles will be Saturday, Sept. 17 as they travel to Moose Jaw to play Central at 1 p.m. “Moose Jaw is also a strong team, so it will be a job for us to capture the win,” said Jody.
“We are looking at what Moose Jaw does best, and their strengths and weaknesses, and see what works best for us,” said Conner.
“Moose Jaw has a big running back, so we will have to work on stopping the run,” said Isaiah. “They also have a decent quarterback and good receivers, so we will see our defensive and offensive lines step up and pull through.”
The home opener for the Eagles will be a Friday night game, under the lights on the Weyburn Minor Football Field against Estevan on Saturday, Sept. 23. “This will be an opportunity for us to get out in front of our fans, and show everyone what we can do,” said Conner.
“It should be a good environment, and good morale for the team if we can win at home,” added Sanderson. “Since we are facing Estevan, we should get a chance to get up early, and send some of the younger players out to the field.”
