Teams Start Playoffs On A Fun Note
“They have more coaches than players,” a member of the Assiniboia Rockets said after shaking hands with the Moose Jaw Bulldogs.
It’s not something lost on the Rockets coaching staff who despite only numbering two have created an efficient offence and a decent defence. This while incorporating a large number of underage Grade Four ten year olds in the team‘s ranks.
The 34 - 0 playoff victory may have seen to be the primary focus of the game.
But for the Rockets and the Bulldogs the game was more about lessons learnt and the fun the game brought to kick off the Thanksgiving weekend.
“We’ve ended in fifth place which is the same as the last two seasons. The kids are fighting hard. They are working hard,” Rockets head coach Nathan McCaslin said.
MJ Bulldogs’ ball carrier (foreground) breaks a tackle - MJ Independent photo
The underage members of the Rockets is nothing unusual for the coaches. In order to get sufficient numbers to field a team underages are often members of the Rockets.
“We need them (underagers) to put a team on the field,” he said, adding “even though we have kids in Grade Four they do really well.”
For MJ Bulldogs head coach Josh Sigurdson the game was the best played by the Bulldogs this season.
“It was good. Honestly the best part of the game was everyone played their best game of the season,” Sigurdson said.
Internally the Bulldogs give out a Dog Of The Game award and It was tough to narrow down who should receive it after Thursday evening’s game.
“It was a most complete effort by everyone and it was nice to watch for sure,” he said.
A large number of the Bulldogs’ players are new to the sport this season and the team has found itself on the losing end of the stick against teams with more experienced players.
Sigurdson was complimentary about the Rockets.
Moose Jaw Bulldogs Nolan Neuls-Dumoulin (right) fights for a fumble with an Assiniboia Rockets’ player in front of referee Dillan Beattie - MJ Independent photo
“They have a great team. Number Nine (Bella McCaslin) she is unreal. She is going to be a threat for years to come. They have a young team that’s going to be very good,” he said.
Bella McCaslin running back - one of three girls on the Rockets - was herself an underager for the U12 Rockets and in her third season with the team.
“She’s a tough kid. She is tough to tackle all the way around. She definitely presented us with a challenge the past three weeks.”
Asked about the three girls on the team McCaslin said they’ve all contributed towards the team’s success.
One of the girls is in her third season while two girls are in their first season.
About the Rockets 2025 roster there is the potential of 20 players returning for the 2026 season. A potential impact higher than the team’s fifth place finish the past two seasons.
“The majority of our team (Assiniboia Rockets can return), we only have five or six moving on. We are looking forward to next year,” McCaslin said.
About the 2025 season it was a fun year for the Rockets.
“The defence loved hitting, loved contact. As I said it was the first year of football for a lot of them and they really took to it,” he said.
About the Bulldogs he said the Rockets had a good game against the Moose Jaw team but then the Bulldogs defence figured out the Rockets.
The Rockets played a largely ground game on Thursday evening often using Bella McCaslin as an offensive decoy in hopes of drawing the Bulldogs’ defenders.
Moose Jaw Bulldogs’ Liam Adrian (left) steps past Assiniboia Rockets’ defender Reid Coatley tackle attempt - MJ Independent photo
“We just have to take everyday as it is and go from there. We know we have the toughest week of the season coming up,” Sigurdson said.
The Bulldogs - with a majority of players new to football - have learnt and improved massively.
“I think the kids are ready. No matter what the result is what happened is they are all better football players. The turn around in some of the kids just from week one to now was the thing. And that is all you can ask for,” he said.
“I’m super proud that we’re here that doesn’t mean the work has stopped.”
Asked if the Bulldogs have learnt since initial practices in August he described it as “night and day.”
“For myself, without a kid in the league, it’s very satisfying to put some time into kids and have them succeed the way they have,” Sigurdson said.
“It was our first complete game as a team and it was absolutely the right time to have it.”
