The Portage Collegiate Trojans aren't too pleased about the result of their home opener, however, the squad will be fairly encouraged by their second-half performance. The PCI football team fell 33-0 to the Vincent Massey Vikings yesterday and has fallen to 0-2 this season.
While the score was lopsided, the two teams tied the second half 0-0, with all 33 points from the Vikings coming in the first two quarters. Trojans head coach Brendon Brydges believes this game could've gone much differently.
"We had a rough week at practice, and I think that showed in the first half," Brydges explains. "I think they realized (in the second half) we didn't have an unbeatable task in front of us. The boys stepped up this afternoon, and the second half was a fantastic half on both sides of the ball."
PCI forced and recovered a fumble, had multiple sacks, and an interception from Sam Hillier, all in the last two quarters. Brydges says it wasn't just the defence that played well after halftime.
"Liam Houde took matters into his own hands in the second half. We ran the ball down their throats, and Liam had a heck of a game."
Coach Brydges notes the focus in practice this week will be on intensity.
"I feel like we've had a couple of flat starts," Brydges continues. "We've waited until we're behind to start being aggressive. So, I think bringing the intensity early on in practice and early on in games will be the focus this week."
The Trojans will be back on their home field on September 28 as they host St. Paul's High School.
In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, PortageOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the PortageOnline app.