Estevan Minor Football kicked off the season with a strong performance. The U14 Estevan Oilers secured a dominant 28-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Mafia, while the U12 Estevan Chargers impressed despite a close 51-47 loss to the Moose Jaw Lions.
Head coach Christian Pfeifer expressed pride in his U14 team, highlighting their defensive efforts in pitching a shutout and forcing four turnovers. “I couldn’t be happier with the result of this game,” he said.
Pfeifer also praised the offence, particularly quarterback Ryder Mantei’s performance, and noted Waylon Mantei’s key contributions, including a 108-yard touchdown. “It was just fantastic to see the offence and defence clicking on all cylinders,” he added.
He described the team's performance as nearly perfect, emphasizing the hard work and determination of the players. “These kids have absolutely no quit in them,” Pfeiferr said.
Looking ahead, Pfeifer is confident the team can build on their momentum. While acknowledging some areas for improvement, he believes they’re off to a strong start.“We’ve got a lot of good things that we can build off of for the next few games,” he said.
The U12 Estevan Chargers also had a strong showing on their first game day of the season, despite their narrow loss to the Moose Jaw Lions. "I think all the kids showed up ready to play,” said head coach of the Chargers James Haagsman
Haagsman noted that the practices paid off and allowed the team to make an impact in the first game. “I think our offensive line size dominated as expected, so I’m really happy with our run game and yeah, that’s where we’re going to be focused.”
He also praised the team’s resilience. “The team performed really well and you know it’s a mindset of never out of it completely. And we made the last-minute push there. We almost stole the game away from them. Our defence stepped up when we needed them.”
Dexx Tendler, the running back for the Chargers, said he was excited to be on the field for the first game of the season, which was also his first game in three years.
He noted that he had a lot of fun during the game, and highlighted the end as a particularly thrilling moment due to the excitement of the game.
Heading into the next game Haagsman said, “We are going to continue to run our momentum plays, our bread and butter plays, and work on our tackling and our containment.”
The U12 Estevan Chargers will be back on the field Saturday, September 7, where they will face off against Moose Jaw Bulldogs in the first home game of the season.