For the second straight game, the Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) Mohawks nine-man football team ran into a team dedicated to, and proficient at, the passing game when they faced off against the Nipawin Bears at Glenn Hall Park in Humboldt September 23.
The offence of the L.P. Miller Bears of Nipawin features Brydon Ozmun, a receiver who played on Team Saskatchewan's Canada Cup football entry.
"I think I could count on one hand the number of times someone other than him touched the ball," announced HCI defensive coordinator Brian Hinz. "He was tough to tackle. You like to be able to punish guys who dance and juke but he is very athletic and we couldn't put a whole lot of friction on him."
Nipawin was the first to draw blood with a 25-yard field goal. Then they recorded a major when a deflected pass went to a receiver in the endzone.
The play was set up after HCI's Jordan Gursky and Ty Herring had combined for a quarterback sack, but a penalty on the ensuing play extended the drive.
"That was a little disappointing," said D-line coach Tom Schwinghamer. "My guys were working their tails off and we finally got rewarded."
Humboldt's offence was able to punish Bear defenders, however.
Behind Canada Cup offensive linemen Dillon Buckle and Drayke Unger and first year starter Eduard Hamman, the Mohawks had plenty of success.
Quarterback Daegan Engele scored two touchdowns on the day including a 19-yard scamper near the end of the first quarter.
Tailback Treyton Luker scored on Humboldt's first play from scrimmage, a 72-yard run, and Josh Giddings rounded out the first quarter scoring: 21-10.
Early in the second, a faked field goal attempt by Giddings increased HCI's lead to 18, but Nipawin responded with a two-point-converted touchdown three minutes later. They further eroded the gap when a Bear scooped and scored off a Mohawk fumble.
Suddenly, HCI's lead was just three points.
But Engele took the adversity in stride and drove for a touchdown that Nipawin was unable to answer due to a turnover on downs and the end of the half.
The Mohawks bore down and scored 30 seconds into the third quarter one play after a successful short kick.
The convert padded the lead to 42-25. But the Bears' will was uncowed. On their next possession, they took four minutes to drive, score and convert for eight more points.
Then Nipawin got a stop on defence and were driving the ball until HCI's Jarvis Painter jarred the ball loose as the second man in to finish a tackle.
Jonathan "Z Lightning" Zimroz made the Bears pay for the turnover with a 50-yard burst to paydirt.
In the final frame, a tired Bears squad played hard but could only muster up one score to counter two touchdowns from a Giddings reception and a Luker run.
One of those scores went unconverted.
"I'll take responsibility for that one suggested special teams coach Dave Rowe. "We had three injuries to our placement team, and I didn't get the puck out to them. Overall, I am very pleased with that unit."
The game ended after a last-ditch short kick was recovered by Carson Wourms, and Zimroz scored on one more long run to make the final 69-41.
"I think," ventured HCI head coach Shaun Gardiner, "we ground them down a little with our power set offence. I would like to see us take way fewer blocking penalties and shore up our tackling some, but it is a work in progress. What really matters is what we're prepared to do to improve and where that preparation can take us."
The Mohawks will put that willingness to work to practice and measure up to Clavet next Friday at Glen Hall Park at 4 p.m.
