Onuke, Eltawil lead Neelin to first win

Game-breaking talent is often the difference between winning and losing.

That was on full display during the Neelin Spartans’ 29-22 win over the Parkwest Outlaws, which earned them their first victory of the Rural Manitoba Football League season at Neelin on Friday.

Not even rain that showered the field for more than an hour could have denied Spartans running back Emeka Onuke of a monstrous game after the 16-year-old found the end zone twice after a pair of lengthy runs to push him to more than 135 rushing yards in the contest.

Onuke, who failed to get on the scoreboard in last week’s tilt against Neepawa, was able to take advantage of his space on the outside, using angles and speed as a way to storm past Outlaws defenders. He’s hoping to carry the momentum from Friday’s game over to next Sunday, when Neelin gets its highly anticipated rematch with the Tigers.

“I feel great, and it was nice to get into the end zone twice today, so now we know what we can do heading into Neepawa next week,” said Onuke following Friday’s post-game victory. “We know what we need to fix, so now we go again, fix the mistakes, and beat them this time.”

In the Spartans’ 20-3 loss to the Tigers last week, execution was the biggest reason the game ended the way it did. Onuke was held at bay on the run game, and Spartans quarterback Sean Kelly had trouble handling pressure in the pocket. Those issues disappeared on Friday.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Spartans punt returner Yusuf Eltawil ignited Neelin’s offence with an 80-yard return into the end zone. Kicker and wide receiver Devin Lucas booted one of many successful kicks to bring the Neelin lead to 7-0.

The Outlaws responded on their following drive when tight end Owen Malcolm rang in a reception at the 10-yard line and then broke a tackle for the touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion on the ground, but the Spartans didn’t get down on themselves.

What was supposed to be the Outlaws next possession after a Neelin punt ended with the Spartans assign in two more points after Onuke’s brother, Chinonso, tackled Parkwest’s quarterback in his end zone on third down to put his team back up 9-8. Onuke showed his appreciation for his team’s efforts on defence after following up his brother’s big-time play with a 60-yard touchdown off a lateral toss by Kelly.

Neelin went for two points, but it was unsuccessful when Kelly couldn’t complete his pass to tight end Parker Arthurson in the end zone, leaving the score at 15-8 for the Spartans.

The Outlaws kicked off the second half with a touchdown after Alvin Ifeanyi-Orike was flagged for pass interference on Neelin’s five-yard line, which led to Seth Logan running it in for six points the following play. Parkwest opted to go for two points, but another defensive stand by Neelin kept it in front 15-14.

The Spartans once again followed up an allowed touchdown with one for themselves when Onuke notched another deep run from the outside to the end zone off what looked like a carbon copy play from his last score. Lucas tallied another successful kick, giving Neelin a 23-14 lead heading into the final quarter.

Parkwest left it at a one-score game once more after Malcolm grabbed his second touchdown, but Neelin was able to hang on as Lucas added two more field goals, pushing his team to a seven-point lead to beat the Outlaws after they lost out to them last season in the semifinals 28-0.

“It feels so great to finally get a win,” said Lucas, who went 4-for-6 on kicks in the game. “This is 150 million per cent going to be a boost for our confidence.”

After Friday’s win, Neelin now holds a 1-2 record heading into its week four matchup against Neepawa, who remains undefeated.

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com