The Estevan U12 Century 21 Chargers football team took the top team in their age group to the limit in the Moose Jaw Minor Football League playoffs.
The Moose Jaw Spartans edged the Chargers 45-44 Friday night in Moose Jaw in a semifinal game. The Spartans had the best record in the league in the regular season at 6-0, but the Chargers, winners of their previous four games, gave Moose Jaw all they could handle.
The two teams were tied 13-13 after the first quarter, and the Spartans scored twice in the second quarter to lead 26-13. The Chargers were up 32-26 after three, but the Spartans regrouped with a strong fourth quarter.
The Chargers were down eight with a minute to play, and scored to pull within one. They missed the convert to tie the game.
Schell said the Spartans are a well-coached, well-rounded team.
The two teams met in the opening week of the season, and the Spartans won 32-13.
“I knew that this time coming up to Moose Jaw was going to be a different story. I was 100 per cent confident that we were going to come out of there with a win.”
Offensively, they did a good job of jumping on the Spartans. They went in with the mentality of doing what they do best, which is run the ball.
“We did an unbelievable job of running,” said Schell. “Cooper Pukas was an animal. I think he scored five touchdowns.”
The Chargers put up seven touchdowns on the day, but only converted two of them.
As for the defence, they struggled at times after four consecutive victories. The Spartans threw the ball a lot more than what the Chargers have seen.
The defence was excellent in the fourth quarter, and made some big stops.
Every one of the kids on the team played their hearts out, in the game, and the Chargers have nothing to be ashamed of.
“I have been coaching football for quite a few years, and I’ve been around the game for many years, and I’ve never had a group of kids like that. It was a treat to coach such good kids, good athletes, just a smart team. This was a special team, and I’m just so happy that I got the chance to meet a lot of them and work with … all of them for the first time in football.”
The players and coaches were emotional after the game, because they really wanted that win.
“If you put in the work, good things will happen, and this team put in some much hard work and effort that I’m glad that they got to experience what it’s like to taste a little bit of success and to really put everything that you got out there for your teammates and yourself.”
Estevan will have one more game before the season is finished: the Q-Collar Bowl against the Weyburn Eagles on Thursday night in Weyburn. Schell said it would be the bronze medal game for the league.
