Colts rumble the Thunder
The Calgary Colts proved the ‘ Every Given Sunday’ mantra in Regina yesterday.
Entering the game with a 1- 4 record, occupying the cellar of the Prairie Football Conference, the Colts were watching tape on the 4- 1 Regina Thunder, the No. 1- ranked squad in the entire Canadian Junior Football League. It would have been easy to become disheartened with the task at hand. They had to go into the Thunder’s barn and somehow save a season that was hanging by a thread.
Somehow they did, winning 20- 13 in a big upset.
“We watched on fi lm and we respect them. They’re a good team but we weren’t intimidated by them,” said Colts head coach Matt ‘ Snoop’ Blokker. “We just had to worry about ourselves and what we do.”
And what they did was limit the penalties and play good defence.
“We were a very disciplined team,” said Blokker. “We didn’t hurt ourselves. When we don’t hurt ourselves, we play well. When we take 19 penalties and we’re stupid, then we don’t play well. I just thought we played really well.
“Inconsistency with our discipline ( has cost us). Sometimes we allow emotions to get the best of us. Today it was about business, so it was good.”
The Thunder went the other way, starting the game with a costly penalty. On the opening kickoff , Kristiane Desautels took the rock 101 yards to the house only to have the major wiped out by a penalty.
“It defi nitely took a little bit of our momentum away right off the start,” Desautels told Postmedia’s Ian Hamilton. “( The Colts) used that and we couldn’t recover.”
The Thunder actually led 7- 0 midway through the fi rst quarter after a fi ve- yard touchdown pass from Jaeden Marwick to Thomas Bresciani was converted by William McGee, but that was the only time Regina was ahead in the contest.
Jevon Cottoy ( 25- yard pass from Brett Hunchak) and Cam Fox ( oneyard run) scored touchdowns on back- to- back possessions as Calgary took the lead. Marshal Broom converted both TDs and hoofed a 45- yard fi eld goal to make it 17- 7.
McGee hit a 22- yard fi eld- goal attempt but missed a 20- yarder, making the score 17- 11 at the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Calgary conceded a safety. Broom completed the scoring with a 35- yard fi eld goal late in the fourth.
“Our defence stepped up, like they do every game, and our off ence started clicking a little bit,” Fox said when asked why Calgary was able to improve to 2- 4- 0. “That’s what we needed.
“Penalties and discipline ( had hurt the Colts previously); we were a bunch of individuals. We’re slowly coming together as a team.”
The Thunder came apart because of six turnovers ( including four fumbles), blown coverages and untimely penalties. The Colts’ fi rst touchdown, for example, came one play after Regina was off side on a Calgary fi eld- goal try.
The Thunder held the Colts to 71 yards rushing — Fox had just 62 yards on 22 carries — but Hunchak was 19- for- 29 for 254 yards as the visitors generated 25 fi rst downs.
“I’d like to say that we didn’t ( underestimate the Colts) before the game, but looking back on it, we might have practised a little softer than we normally would,” Thunder defensive end Taylor Garrett admitted.
“As a defensive group, we knew they were going to be a big, strong, physical team and we thought we could match up well with them. Unfortunately, we didn’t execute the way that we wanted to.”
As for the Colts, they must continue playing with their backs against the wall.
“We’ve got two left and who knows? We might shock everybody,” said Blokker, whose squad has to win out in its fi nal two games, both on the road — against the Edmonton Wildcats on Oct. 4 and Edmonton Huskies on Oct. 11 — to have a shot at the playoff s.