The ECS Elecs Football Team were up against the wind and the Moose Jaw Peacocks over the weekend, coming back home with a 48-30 loss.
Head coach Chris Bayerle said they had a game plan walking into the windy field, but what hindered their play was their run game being shut down by their opponent. This kept them pinned down on their own end zone and kicking against the wind.
Adjustments with their defense seemed to have helped, but Moose Jaw kept the Elecs honest and made a few great plays, says Bayerle. However, an injury would set them back in the third quarter.
"Unfortunately, we lost our starting quarterback, Tristan Tober, with a broken collarbone. So we put in our third string quarterback, actually, who happens to be our starting wide receiver and he's quite the athlete -- Dorian Sifton. He managed to capitalize on quite a bit with our guys [and] the defense adjusted. We really ended the second half by shutting them out. Three sacks, an interception, [and] fumble recovery, but we just had let too many points go in the first half."
The team is currently made up of mostly young players. Bayerle noted that the team has meshed well so far, but there are some issues that the coaching staff are looking to fix.
"Taking over a team that's been struggling for the last, you know, 3 or so years is a challenge for everybody. There's mentality, confidence, [and] issues that have to get pounded through. So, trying to teach kind of the Estevan football mentality and what to do with it -- it's a unique challenge. You know, you've got kids...and parents that are coming up that haven't really known how to win or what to do to win, never mind trying to get them to believe that."
"It takes a whole community really to get everybody on the same page to get them to understand how to drive forward and win," Bayerle added.
The coach noted their run game has been their biggest issue in the last four seasons. After taking their bye week and working on it, Bayerle shared that Moose Jaw had an answer for it. That'll be their big focus going into their matchup against Weyburn on Saturday.
"We have amazing receiving talent. We've got a decent ball. Again, we just need to be more aggressive at the point of attack. Typically the line of scrimmage, for our run game, let our defense do what it does and stand on its head. Clean up and keep them in the box and take away any kind of big plays that are going to punish us late in the game," Bayerle said.