Swift Current defeats Central in football semifinal
Colts to travel to Yorkton next weekend for league championship game
The Saskatchewan Rural High School Football League championship will feature a pair of non-Moose Jaw teams in 2019.
The Swift Current Colts and Yorkton Raiders will play for the title next Saturday in Yorkton after the Colts took a 10-2 win over the Central Cyclones at Gutheridge Field and the Raiders downed the Weyburn Eagles 35-0 in Yorkton.
“Swift Current, hats off to them, they played an awesome game, they played a great defensive game against our offence and we just struggled on the ball,” said Cyclones head coach Colin Belsher.
While the Colts themselves were unable to make Central pay on the scoreboard when it came to the aforementioned turnovers, when they did happen they were crushing. That included three straight fumbles or interceptions on three consecutive possessions late in the first half, with the Colts recovering three Central fumbles and recording two interceptions by the time the contest was over. Swift Current scored the only touchdown of the game with just over a minute gone in the second quarter when standout receiver Rhett Vavra broke a 65-yard run for a major. He would finish the game with eight carries for 134 yards and two catches for 28.
Central’s only points came off a safety with 7:04 to play before halftime; the only points in the second half came off a 24-yard field goal from Ethan Kurtz.
Ryan Vincent led the Cyclones offence with 22 carries for 116 yards.
In Yorkton, Val Declines carried 14 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns as the defending champion Raiders continued their perfect season and returned to the league final.
Noah Bymak, Jaxon Boyda and Josh Haczkewicz also had majors as Yorkton led 14-0 at half.
Football season in Moose Jaw isn’t done yet, as the Tier II final between the Peacock Tornadoes and Estevan Elecs will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Gutheridge Field.