Case in point being the last time the Moose Jaw Spartans and Estevan Chargers met in the regular season, a 61-50 score-fest in Estevan that saw the Chargers emerge victorious.
But Mother Nature had other ideas. And it didn’t take long for the two high-scoring clubs to settle into the kind of grinding ground battle one would expect in cold and windy conditions.
In the end, Estevan would come out of the contest with a 27-0 victory over the Spartans, capping a campaign that included only a single loss in their first game of the season.
For the Spartans, it was a tough loss that left the local crew wondering what might have been.
“The weather certainly didn’t suit our team well with regards to our strengths, we’re a pretty strong passing team and we’re not as big up front as some other teams,” said Spartans coach Colin Belsher. “In a game like that you hope to be big up front and just pound the ball regardless of the weather.
“Unfortunately for us, it was a factor, but it’s obviously not the only factor. Estevan was a better team that day and they were a very deserving team to win the city final. It’s just one of the many factors that went into the outcome of the game.”
As the score would indicate, the Chargers were able to use their size to control the line of scrimmage, often getting quick penetration into Moose Jaw’s backfield and opening gaps for their running game to flow through. The Spartans had their moments of brilliance, but just couldn’t finish off their offensive drives.
“Both teams had to play in the weather and Estevan seemed to adapt better than us,” Belsher said. “It’s unfortunate because these kids worked hard all year and you hope to see them rewarded for it all, but in the end they all became better football players and made a lot friendships and that's why we play the sport.”
And that’s what it’s really all about -- seeing players develop, learn and grow in the game while having a blast on the football field, something all four league teams were able to do this season.
“It’s incredible to see somebody play football at the age of 10 and how much you can see them grow, no matter what you throw at them, and how quickly they learn and respond,” said Belsher, who is also the head coach of of the Central Cyclones. “I don’t really coach them all that different than I coach my high school team, so they get challenged every day and they rise to the occasion.”
The U14 playoffs were also in action on Saturday night, and to say the Moose Jaw Vikings had no difficulty with the conditions would be an understatement, as they rolled to a 70-6 victory over the Yorkton Gridders in their semifinal.
The other U14 semi saw the Weyburn Falcons take a 37-6 victory over the Swift Current Steelers in Weyburn.
That sets up the championship final this Saturday at 7 p.m. at MacDonald Athletic Field, where the Falcons (7-0) will look to cap an undefeated run through the campaign against the Vikings (6-1).
