The Estevan Century 21 U12 Chargers wrapped up their regular season by sweeping a home and home with the Assiniboia Rockets.
Estevan trounced the Rockets 57-6 Wednesday afternoon at Woodlawn Athletic Field – a game that was rescheduled from three days earlier. Then they shelled the Rockets 52-18 Sunday afternoon in Assiniboia
The Chargers finished the season with a 3-3 record, but won their final three games of the regular season in convincing fashion.
The game in Estevan was a 38-6 advantage for the Chargers at half-time. Estevan gave up a touchdown late in the second quarter, the first points they had surrendered in eight quarters.
As for the most recent game, Estevan had a 45-18 lead after the second quarter.
Both games were played with straight time in the second half, due to Estevan’s half-time lead. The Chargers had just three possessions in the second half in the second Assiniboia game.
“We have just become a very physical offence,” said coach Matt Schell. “We have put the passing game on the backburner, although the weather hasn’t really been great.”
The game in Estevan was cool and rainy, while the game in Assiniboia came on a windy day that forced the Chargers to focus on the ground attack.
Assiniboia played hard in the second game, Schell said, and the scoreboard didn’t do them justice.
“We’ve been taking our offensive line, which is probably the biggest in the league, I would say, and putting our guys against their guys and going with our strength,” Schell said.
The Chargers played without running back Cooper Pukas in the second game against the Rockets due to illness. He should be ready for the postseason.
Quarterback Peyton Tendler and running back Truman Ciepliski came up big during the game.
Schell believes the victories will give the club momentum entering the playoffs.
“This is exactly what we talked with the kids about. Don’t worry about how you start the season. It’s how you finish. These three wins in a row that we have, these kids are very confident now.”
The Chargers will work on blocking assignments and the direction they’re running the ball before the start of the playoffs, and he’s confident they’re going to be ready for their first round opponent.
Winning is contagious, he said, and it has given them confidence to get the wins and get rolling at the right time in the season.
