Assiniboia Blasts Off Against The Bulldogs
U12 Division Rockets 44 - Bulldogs 32
The Moose Jaw Minor Football League kicked off with what could be seen as an upset as the Assiniboia Rockets defeated the Moose Jaw Bulldogs 44 - 32 in the U12 division.
The win - a rare victory for Assiniboia against a Moose Jaw team - came after a back and forth battle that could have gone either way.
The Rockets victory could be called surprising especially given the team only had two weeks of practices before making the trip to the Kinsmens Sports Centre’s Elks Field.
For Assiniboia Rockets head coach Nathan McCaslin it was a team effort that simply gelled.
“The coaching staff we have and the kids…I think this is a first for us; we never win our first game,”
He said the victory wasn’t something they foresaw.
“I’m very surprised they are a tough club. They have a great coaching staff. We’re just a small town and we’re super happy,” he said.
He said he was happy with how the Rocket players excelled in the game.
“It wasn’t just one. We spread it around. Our passing game is great yeah no complaints.”
He said a major reason why the team did well today was because they have players who are stuck around on the program for years starting out at the lower levels.
“We have kids who stick to this program…it’s just experience we have the most second year players that we’ve ever had. Next year is going to be rough but this year we’re just taking advantage of it,” McCaslin said.
He described the practice is going well with the kids being focussed and dedicated.
“They’re not messing around. They’re asking questions. It’s been really good,” he said, adding “they’ve played multiple years so they knew what to expect.”
Despite the victory the win could’ve went either way with Assiniboia on the losing end of the stick.
“It was a tight game. They fought hard, and as I said, we’ve never started the season out with a victory. We very rarely beat a Moose Jaw team if ever so they did well everything worked really great.”
Despite the loss the Bulldogs were happy with their performance despite the loss.
“I thought it was good. You know first game jitters. We have a lot of first years there. They played hard. There are some things we need to work on mainly just knowing our job and our positions,” co-head coach Roger Piloud said, adding about the Rockets “last year they competed really hard. This year they’ve got a couple of kids that can really run the ball.”
Piloud said the Bulldogs had wanted to throw the ball more and he was glad to see the Rockets take to the air as much as they did as well.
He said the team is looking forward to the season and they have a group of players who really willing to work hard every day to make it happen.
“They want to learn. They’re there for each other. They’re good teammates.”
Out Of Town U12 Scores
MJ Lions 54 - 0 over the Weyburn Ravens
