MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Weyburn Eagles might not find themselves on an undefeated run like previous South Rural Football League seasons, but they’re a formidable team just the same.
Facing the Central Cyclones in extremely windy conditions at Gutheridge Field on Saturday afternoon, the Eagles blew open a low-scoring battle with 17 fourth-quarter points before going on to a 24-2 victory.
The Eagles improved to 4-1 with the win and have moved into second place behind the undefeated Balgonie Greenall Griffins, while Central dropped to 3-2 and are in third place in the seven-team league.
The two teams ended up in a back-and-forth defensive scrap for three quarters, with the only major in that span coming when Balgonie quarterback Nolan Uhren hooked up with Maddox Taillon for a 58-yard passing touchdown two minutes into the game.
That would be all the scoring until Central picked up a safety with 3:14 gone in the third quarter, setting up a dramatic finish to the contest over the final 12 minutes.
Balgonie picked up a safety of their own 18 seconds into the final frame to make it a 9-2 game before pulling away for good in the final four minutes.
Spencer Bell had a 30-yard touchdown run with 3:22 to play, and Jarret Hayward hauled in a 30-yard pass-and-run major with 1:21 remaining. A rouge on the ensuing kick-off wrapped up scoring on the day.
Uhren finished the game 6-for-13 passing for 123 yards, with no player having more than two catches. Bell carried 12 times for 81 yards to lead the ground game and the Eagles would finish the game with 247 yards of total offence.
Traeton Potvin saw the majority of snaps for Central and was 12-for-16 for 126 yards, while Wyatt Craik completed five of nine passes for 25 yards. Keaton Belsher led the receiving corps with eight catches for 51 yards, Alex Tangan added five for 38.
Kayden Nightingale had 20 carries for 84 yards and Central finished their day with 240 yards of offence.
The teams will now turn their attention to the final week of the regular season, with Central hosting Yorkton on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Gutheridge Field. Weyburn will host Estevan, also at 1 p.m.
