Plainsmen struggle in home opener
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Young teams often experience growing pains, and the Crocus Plains varsity football team got a full dose of them on Thursday.
Crocus lost its Winnipeg High School Football League season opener 36-15 to the Miles Mac Buckeyes due in large part to a sluggish start.
It was a disappointing afternoon for the Plainsmen: The offence struggled to move the ball early, and rookie quarterback Jake Cory made several costly first-half mistakes.
Ethan Swiscoski brings down a member of the Miles Mac Buckeyes during the game on Thursday at Neelin High School. Swiscoski ran the second-half kickoff back for a touchdown later in the game. (Rowan McCarthy/The Brandon Sun)
“I think Jake is going to be great, but he’s in Grade 10, and he’s young, and he’s learning,” said head coach Mason Kaluzniak. “He made some bad throws that got intercepted early on in the game, and I said, ‘Listen, you’re in Grade 10; you’re going to make these mistakes. It doesn’t define you; just learn from them.’”
The Plainsmen’s defence, led by Ethan Swiscoski, started the game strong. They effectively employed a bend-but-don’t-break attitude, allowing the Buckeyes to gain yards early in drives before bottling them up.
As time went on and the offence failed to find traction, holes in the defence started to show.
“Our defence played outstanding today, but at some point, when you’re on the field for so long, it’s hard to really dig in and make big plays every down,” said Kaluzniak.
The dam broke in the second quarter. Miles Mac punched home its first touchdown of the game, taking a 6-1 lead after failing to convert on a two-point attempt. The Buckeyes scored two more touchdowns before the end of the half and converted on a two-point attempt to take a 20-1 lead at halftime.
On the sideline, Kaluzniak urged his players to keep their heads up and keep working despite the game starting to spiral out of control. It was the kind of half you flush away and don’t look back at for the Plainsmen.
The truth is, there was really nowhere to go but up from that point.
Swiscoski got the team rolling at the beginning of the second half by taking the opening kickoff the distance to score the Plainsmen’s first touchdown of the game.
“I saw the ball was up in the air, holes were just slightly open, and I just had to commit to a hole and just go,” said Swiscoski about the opening play of the second half.
While they were still down by more than a touchdown, the team had a little life.
“I loved the way we started the second half,” said Kaluzniak. “(Swiscoski) takes the second-half kickoff to the house, and it gives us a big spark.”
Swiscoski is in his second year playing varsity football for the Plainsmen after joining the team as a Grade 10. He’s a player that Kaluzniak is relying on to be a leader on the defensive side of the ball thanks to his experience and ability to make big plays.
Unfortunately, Cory threw an interception shortly after Swiscoski’s touchdown, putting the Buckeyes up 27-9 in the third quarter.
Crocus Plains wide receiver Bradley Pashe-Anderson looks downfield. Pashe-Anderson scored a touchdown for the Plainsmen on a long throw by quarterback Jake Cory in the second half of the game. (Rowan McCarthy/The Brandon Sun)
The offence slowly made progress in the second half though. Cory made a few strong throws on the run that allowed the group to move the chains downfield.
“Jake started to find some comfort in moving the ball,” said Kaluzniak. “He had an outstanding second half extending plays.”
Late in the third quarter, Cory launched the ball down the left side of the field, finding wide receiver Bradley Pashe-Anderson who fought his way over the goal-line for a touchdown. The 50-yard catch-and-run was the longest play of the afternoon for the Plainsmen. They fumbled the snap on the extra point and were stuffed, making it 28-15.
Cory ended the afternoon 6-for-12 through the air for 111 yards and two interceptions. He added five rushing attempts for a total of 33 yards and a two-point conversion.
Brady Reid and Pashe-Anderson both recorded 50 receiving yards in the contest.
Not to be outdone, the Buckeyes scored one more touchdown to end the game, making the final score 36-15 in favour of the visiting squad.
“Obviously it’s not the result that we wanted, but as a team we always talk about it’s about the process, it’s not always about the results, and I think the second half was better,” Kaluzniak said.
Next week, the Plainsmen are on the road for a game against the Steinbach Sabres on Sept. 25. With a 0-2 start to the season, they need to make up some ground if they hope to make the playoffs.
“The second half was good,” Kaluzniak said. “We’re going to build on that, and we have to get ready for Steinbach.”
» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com