Thunder storm past Spartans

The Interlake Thunder stormed the Neelin Spartans’ gates, defeating the hometown team 40-25 on a rainy Monday afternoon.

The Spartans (2-2) entered the game as winners of their last two contests and put up a good fight against their opponent and the weather.

“I was super proud of our boys,” said head coach Jacob Doerksen. “The weather’s obviously not great, but they didn’t quit. They were tough; they showed a lot of grit.”

The Spartans opened the game with a score by star running back Yusuf Eltawil on their opening drive, quickly snatching a 7-0 lead and getting the home crowd buzzing at the same time.

The strong opening quickly turned sour as Christian Mozdzen got the Thunder on the board with 5:39 remaining in the opening quarter to even the score at seven, and not long after, Interlake’s Chase Brown scored on an 11-yard run to take the lead with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter.

Suddenly down 14-7, the Spartans rallied and put together another scoring drive, helped along by a flag against the Thunder that brought the Spartans into scoring position.

On first and goal, Spartans quarterback Sean Kelly ran the ball forward, gaining a few yards. The next play, Neelin came out in a wildcat formation, snapping the ball directly to Eltawil, who jumped into the end zone to score Neelin’s second touchdown of the game.

After missing the extra point attempt, Neelin was down 14-13 with 8:58 remaining in the half.

“It was a tough loss,” said Eltawil. “We’re all happy we gave this team a tough game; they haven’t had many tough games other than St. Vital.

“There were a few things we could have cleaned up; a few miscommunications and simple touchdowns given away, but it was a good game.”

The stormy conditions turned the game into a running contest, which resulted in plenty of carries for Eltawil, who ended the game with four touchdowns, one of which came on a 70-yard run.

Approaching the end of the half, the score remained close. Interlake held a narrow 20-19 lead after Mozdzen scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 35-yard run and Eltawil ripped off his 70-yard score.

With the ball in Neelin territory and 1:48 remaining in the half, Doerksen decided to go for it on third and long.

The gutsy decision didn’t pay off, and Interlake got the ball. Colton Leger hooked up with one of his receivers for a beautiful 40-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the very next play to take a 26-19 lead after once again failing to get the extra point.

“We were doing well, we were getting a good push, and I thought we were moving the ball well,” said Doerksen. “(It’s) believing in our offence and also believing in our defence. Sometimes it goes your way, and sometimes it doesn’t.”

The next Neelin possession was a mess. A miscommunication on the punt led to a delay-of-game penalty that pushed the Spartans back to the goal-line, giving the Thunder a short field after they got the ball.

They punched in another touchdown with 25 seconds remaining in the half, and the lead ballooned to 34-19 after Interlake successfully converted their two-point attempt.

The numbers in this game mirrored the legendary battle of Thermopylae. Like the 300 Spartans of old, Neelin tried to hold back Interlake, who far outnumbered them in terms of players and personnel.

Many of the Spartans pulled double duty, playing on both sides of the ball. Eltawil basically didn’t leave the field in the second half, and it became obvious that exhaustion was taking a toll on the Spartans.

“I was pretty tired, but I knew I had to step up,” said Eltawil. “I just had to push through it … I don’t want to regret anything by not leaving everything on the field.”

Doerksen reiterated his pride in the team for their unwavering efforts in the second half.

“We were tired, but again, I was proud that we didn’t quit,” said Doerksen. “A lot of our players were having to play both sides of the ball just because of numbers, but they kept getting up off of a muddy field and lining up for the next play.”

The largely uneventful third quarter ended with a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Mozdzen, making the Thunder’s lead 40-19 and effectively putting the game out of reach for Neelin.

Eltawil scored his final touchdown of the afternoon on a 30-yard run with 4:30 remaining in the game, making the score 25-40.

“He’s a fantastic player and a fantastic leader. He definitely inspires a lot of guys to keep playing and keep working,” said Doerksen when asked about Eltawil’s play. “There are a lot of plays that it looks like he’s dead in the water, and he just doesn’t quit and keeps his legs churning.”

The loss brings Neelin to a 2-2 record heading into the final two weeks of the football season. They face Neepawa on Oct. 18 at home before travelling to take on St. Vital on Oct. 24.

Depending on how things shake out, the Spartans will end up in the A or B-side playoffs. That’s something they aren’t worried about yet.

“What we’ve been talking about all season is we’re going to take it one play at a time, and we’re going to do everything we can do, and we will let the score take care of itself,” said Doerksen.

» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com