Rebels look to make it two in a row

Times Photo by Meg Noguchi. KEEP IT UP: W.R. Myers Rebels defeats the Brooks Buffalos on Friday night at the Ken McDonald Memorial Sport Complex.

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

After a slow start to begin the campaign, the W.R. Myers Rebels were looking for their second win in a row this past weekend. A big Week 4 win against the Strathmore Spartans got the Rebels back on track, and Week 5 saw them match up against Brooks.

“After finally getting into the win column last week against Strathmore, the whole team was eager to keep it going. Our goals going into this matchup with Brooks were to improve over our win against the Spartans, as even though we won, we could see that there were a ton of things we could still clean up, and of course, get the W,” stated Jason Jensen, head coach of the Rebels. “Now, the Buffalos had played tight games against two of our perennial rivals, Willow Creek, and Crescent Heights, so we figured we were in for maybe an even tougher test than last week. Of course, that proved to be correct.”

Playing at home, the Rebels were able to start quickly and get some great field advantage. Despite being deep in Brooks territory, a turnover had the Rebels’ defence out on the field.

“We started out with the ball and were able to drive deep into the Brooks zone, before one of their defensive backs broke on a pass and picked it off. Thankfully, our defence was fired up, and after two incomplete passes, punt returner Duke Downey finished off our original drive, taking the third-down punt to the house to put us up 7-0 early. Of course, there was plenty of fight in the Buffalos, and they answered straight back with a 6-play drive into our red zone,” added Jensen. “The defence dug in and held them to a field goal attempt, which went wide, but still counted as a rouge to make the score 7-1. After that close-call, our offence went back to work, driving 75 yards downfield before quarterback Austin Pierson connected with receiver Treyden Hansen on a two-yard strike to make it 14-1. Now, at this point, I was cautioning the boys not to get too cocky, since last week we found ourselves up by two scores early, and then found ourselves down by two scores by halftime. We coached were not interested in getting into another shootout like that.”

The second quarter saw the Buffalos get back on the scoreboard after a big drive. No panic within the Rebels, they were able to weather the storm and increase their lead heading into the break.

“Sure enough, as the quarter rolled over, Brooks was back on another solid drive, and this time they hit paydirt, narrowing the score to 14-8. After this, both teams exchanged short possessions before a quick interception by senior defensive back Logan Van Uden sparked another Rebels scoring drive. This one resulted in a 10-yard field goal by senior kicker Even Abela, making the score 17-8,” said Jensen. “At this point, it seemed like everyone had kind of settled in, and the game turned into a grind, with each of us stringing together short drives, but no one managing to break through. But then rookie running back sensation Harmon Pierson flipped the field with a 58-yard run, before Van Uden capped the series with a seven-yard plunge into the endzone to send the game into the half at 24-8.”

No lead is safe at the half, and the Rebels knew more work was needed before they left the field with a win. The coaching staff implored the team to start fast like they did in the first quarter.

“At halftime, we coaches were driving home the idea that we had to keep the foot to the floor, and not let up, as Brooks had shown before that they were capable of exploiting the slightest chance they’re given. We certainly didn’t want to let them back into this game,” explained Jensen. 

In the third quarter, Brooks looked to cut the lead down as they had taken the ball to start. The Rebels’ defence continued to be hard to score against as they proved over and over again.

“Of course, they came out and threatened, but both defences stood tall, through several drives, before Van Uden was at it again, this time with a 60-yard run to the endzone to make it 31-8. A timely interception by defensive back Nixon Cooper gave us the ball back just as the time rolled over to the fourth quarter,” added Jensen.

Early in the fourth, the Rebels continued to find the endzone to extend their lead as time began to run short for Brooks.

“Nine plays later, Austin Lerson connected on his second touchdown pass of the game, this time hitting receiver Gavin LePard on a 21-yard strike to make it 38-8. The Rebels’ offence wasn’t done yet, as after a five-play Brooks drive that ended with a turnover on downs, we drove back 70 yards downfield, culminating in a 16-yard touchdown run by Harmon Pierson, which would cap the scoring for the night. The Buffalos tried their best ot fight back, but the Rebels’ defence locked in, and got them stopped as time expired,” continued Jensen. 

Despite the 0-2 start, the Rebels were able to grind out a pair of wins to get right back in the thick of things. The coaching staff has been happy with how the team has responded, but once again, they don’t have much time to celebrate the victory.

“Given the rough start to the season, and even some shaky play in the win last week, it sure felt good to get a win like this, where all three facets of the game were firing and contributing. I’m damn proud of how these boys have progressed, and how committed they all seem to be to getting better week after week. Now we have to see if we can keep it going this next week, as we play our second league game in a row, this time in Lethbridge against the Winston Churchill Bulldogs,” said Jensen. “They’re always one of the toughest teams on the schedule, and I know their coaches well. They’ll have their players ready to take it to us. Hopefully it’s another good game, and we can keep things rolling for another week.”

The Rebels head to Lethbridge this Friday evening to take on the Winston Churchill Bulldogs at the University of Lethbridge Community Stadium. Kick off is set for 5 p.m.