With summer holidays firmly in the rearview mirror, student athletes are back in action, including local football teams. The Humboldt Collegiate Mohawks took to the field on a warm and clear Friday afternoon for their first foray into the 9-aside season against the Delisle Rebels at Glen Hall Park. Every new season sees new faces on the gridiron, but with plenty of returning players to guide the rookies, the Mohawks took command of the game situation early and rolled through to a 53-34 win.
The Mohawks jumped onto the board early in the first with a touchdown, but the Rebels ran it in and wrestled an early lead with a two-point convert. Delisle took advantage of a fumble late in the opening quarter to seize a drive that resulted in a passing touchdown. Delisle attempted another 2-point convert, a running theme for the Rebels, that was broken up to go ahead 14-7.
Penalties stung both teams throughout the matchup, but Humboldt re-ran a touchdown scoring play with a nice aerial hookup between QB Ben Hoppe and his receiver Ian Stock to tie it up. A quick interception turned the tables on the Rebels offense and set up a running touchdown for offensive threat, Easton Ottman. The Rebels next drive resulted in a touchdown, but the 2-point convert pass clanked off the goal post leaving the Delisle team down by two points at the half.
In the opening of the second half, a turnover set the Mohawks up once again with a huge passing completion to Liam Reineke to extend their lead. The Mohawks pulled away, again on a running effort by Ottman.
The Mohawks defense earned their stripes with a series of forced turnovers on downs as they locked down Delisles runners. The Rebels forced the issue with a well-executed punt return for a touchdown, but the Mohawks’ day was not done, and they once again marched up the field to secure a 19-point win.
Mohawks head coach Eric Anderson was enthusiastic about the effort, and about the team’s prospects moving forward.
“We’re really proud of our guys, the way they came out. We looked a little rusty off the hop, but all in all, what we saw from this group, our captains and our leaders is that resilience that we need to get through some of the turmoil that we saw at the beginning. It gives me a lot of hope, considering this is game one. I couldn’t be prouder of them, and I think we can do some damage this year.”
The Mohawks next take on John Paul II in North Battleford. Game time is 4:30 pm.
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