The Estevan Elecs endured another challenging loss over the weekend, falling 61-0 to the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones.
Head Coach Chris Bayerle acknowledged it wasn’t the result they had hoped for but pointed to several highlights from the game.
“Central has been on the up here for the last couple of seasons, and we’re just in the middle of our rebuild now," said Bayrele. "We fixed up most of our mistakes from our first week, so big ups there."
He added that the team has implemented a new offensive system, which has presented challenges for the senior players.
“The real change-up has come from our offensive playbook and our new offensive system that’s been put into play. It’s a hard ask for our senior group to adjust as quickly as needed to compete against teams that have been running the same system from minor football up,” Bayerle said.
Despite the hurdles, Bayerle noted the Elecs are seeing improvements each game.
“The kids are expected to be hyper-committed against teams that have been consistent over the last five to 10 years. There’s changes that are coming at all levels on our team, from coaching staff to the players,” he said.
Players from Oxbow, Khalifa Elshine and Dorian Sifton, have made significant contributions to the team.
Bayerle praised Sifton, saying, “He’s known in the province as a standout wide receiver, Team Sask kid, you know. We moved him into tight end this week, just making up for some of the playbook adjustment. It’s a good spot for him. He’s good at competing and getting up there and getting the ball, but we’d like to move him around a little bit more and give him more shots, give him some more exposure.” Added that Sifton is being scouted by several universities.
As for Elshine, Bayerle praised his ability to adapt quickly “Anywhere from 30 running back or slot back, pretty strong hands, and he's got a pretty quick cut. So, he gives the defenders quite a bit of slip when he gets a chance,” he said.
The Elecs will return to action this weekend, taking on the Yorkton Regional School Raiders, who are coming off a tough loss against the Weyburn Eagles.
“Like everybody does, it kind of gets towards midseason here, so guys are kind of making their final adjustments to what they’re good at and what they’re bad at throughout the season. So we’re just kind of doing that exact same thing,” Bayrele said.
“They’ve always had a fairly strong interior game and outside run game, so we’re just planning to do our best to manage that and then continue to clean up with the offensive adjustments to get us executing and taking advantage of that.”
This will be the final home game of the season which will take place at 4 p.m. at Woodlawn Athletic Fields. The Elecs' final three games of the season will be on the road.
