Rebels face tough Chinook team at home

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

After a huge defeat of the Catholic Central Cougars in their first week of action, the W.R. Myers Rebels had another tough test in Week 2 as they took on the Chinook Coyotes at home on Friday night. Under the Ken McDonald lights, the two teams saw plenty of points scored back and forth. But in the end, the Coyotes were able to put up touchdown after touchdown en route to a 48-36 victory.

Facing a large school from Lethbridge, the Rebels knew they were going to face some stiff competition in their second week.

“We always know we’re tough when we face Chinook. They’re the largest school in Lethbridge and have roughly three times the population we do. Still, I felt we matched up pretty decently with them, but it just wasn’t our night, and we made far too many mistakes in a game with virtually no room for error,” explained Jason Jensen, head coach of the Coyotes.

Right from the get-go, the Rebels were on their heels as their defence was called upon after the offence was unable to find the end zone.

“This was very apparent on the opening drive. We had first possession, and put together a good series, before being forced to punt. The Chinook returner found a seam, and returned that punt for a touchdown, putting them up 7-0 just minutes into the game. This definitely put us on our heels, and we struggled to settle back into the game. Midway into the second quarter, the Coyotes punched through again, this time on a 14-yard run, to go up 14-0,” stated Jensen.

Being down quick wasn’t ideal, but the Rebels are known to battle from start to finish. The coaching staff harped on getting back to basics and playing their brand of football — which turned into a big score for the Rebels to put themselves back within a touchdown.

“At a point like that is where you kind of worry about the team getting too discouraged, and maybe folding up. But these Rebels boys still had some fight in them, answering back with an 11-play drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown plunge by Elias Cooper, to narrow the gap to 14-7,” continued Jensen.

Before the break though, both teams experienced some huge plays to add more points to the board. The Coyotes saw a big run to put six on the board while the Rebels responded with a big throw to get right back into things.

“From there things really got wild. The Coyotes broke off a huge 55-yard run to score widen the gap to 21-7, but then 8 plays later, we would answer right back with a 100-yard drive, ending with receiver Brady Jensen hauling in a 20-yard touchdown pass, making it 21-14 heading into halftime,” said Jensen.

The scoring continued after half-time as each team came out roaring. With the first possession, the Coyotes saw another huge drive that resulted in another touchdown.

“Coming out of halftime, the Coyotes had first possession, and they made the most of it, going 62 yards downfield to score, putting the lead back to two scores, at 28-14. After another short, penalty-aided drive, they were back deep in our end, and able to punch in a two-yard run to make it 35-14,” stated Jensen. “But credit to our boys, they never stopped fighting. The defence dug in with a solid stand and forced the Coyotes to surrender in their own end. From there, a short four-play series was capped by quarterback Dane DenHollander driving his way into the endzone to make it 35-21. The rest of the fourth quarter was really crazy, as the Coyotes managed two more touchdowns, and so did we, with Cooper and John Van Uden each hit the endzone, giving us a final score of 48-36.”

Despite dropping the game, the Rebels were happy with their effort. Trading touchdowns back and forth certainly led to an exciting game from start to finish. The coaching staff though is eager to get back out to the practice field to work out the kinks before they return for Week 3.

“That was one of the wilder games I’ve ever been a part of, and unfortunately we just couldn’t get things under control enough to take the win. Still, I’m proud of my boys for not giving up, and continuing to fight right up until time expired. There’s an old saying I love, and that’s ‘we win, or we learn and get better’,” continued Jensen. “And I am quite certain we’re going to take a lot away from this loss. Now we have to get ready for next week’s opponent, the Cardston Cougars. They’re always a very tough team, and last year we beat them for the first time in around 20 years. We know they’ll be out for revenge, so we’re going to have to be at our best. It’s going to take a good week of practice to get there, but I’m pretty confident in my boys’ ability to rebound, and I think we’ll be ready to take it to them.”

The Rebels hit the road for Cardston on Friday night with kickoff going at 7 p.m.