Rebels round out the regular season with a matchup against Winston Churchill Bulldogs

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Taber Times

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

At home for the final regular season game, the W.R. Myers Rebels were looking to put a bow on a great 2024 campaign. The Winston Churchill Bulldogs came to town on Friday night as the two teams hoped to head into zone playoffs.

“Winston Churchill is always a good challenge for us. They’re a tough, scrappy team that doesn’t stop coming at you no matter what the score, so we definitely weren’t taking them lightly,” stated Jason Jensen, head coach of the Rebels. “To add to that, a win in this game would guarantee us first place in our division, meaning we would for sure host the first round of zone playoffs next week. So we were plenty motivated to close out the regular season strong.”

Despite coming off a bye week, the Rebels showed no rust early. The offence was hot right out of the gate and gave the team a lead after a minor hurdle.

“We came out of the gates flying, putting together a nine-play drive that was unfortunately derailed by a fumble on the Bulldogs’ 50-yard line. However, our defence went in and took it right back, intercepting a pass on the first play, and the offence got back to work,” explained Jensen. “The Winston players proved they were in for a fight though, and stymied another drive, forcing a third down fumble that put them in our end. Thankfully our defence was equally up to the task, shutting them down, and forcing them into a long field goal attempt, which they missed. Our offence went to cooking from there, stringing together a five-play drive, capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dane DenHollander to receiver Elias Cooper to put us up 7-0 as the first quarter drew to a close.”

With a lead heading into the second quarter, the Rebels were hoping to limit the turnovers. The Rebels and Bulldogs would trade drives back and forth but neither team was able to do much offensively as the first half came to a close.

“The second quarter saw both teams trade long drives, with neither side getting any scoring luck until a late 37-yard field goal attempt went wide, but still cleared the back of the endzone for a single point, sending us into the locker room up 8-0,” continued Jensen.

Heading into the second half, the coaching staff once again preached taking care of the ball. With only a small lead, the team knew limiting errors would be crucial.

“At halftime, ball security was a real stressing point for us as coached. I don’t know if it was because this was the first cool weather game of the year, or what, but we definitely seemed to have a case of fumble-itis going on, and we needed to stop it. Other than that, we felt the game was going well for us, so we just needed to keep our foot on the gas from there on out, and good things should happen,” said Jensen.

Coming out of the break, both teams once again struggled to find much offence as the defensive units remained strong. While the offence wasn’t able to put any points on the board, the Rebels’ defence made a big play at the end of the quarter to put the Rebels up by 10 heading into the final quarter.

“The third quarter was similar to the second, with both teams trading short drives, but neither of us breaking through for scores. Finally, late in the period, we were able to crack off a few big plays and get into scoring position, until a bit of a wacky play happened. Somehow our ball carrier collided with the referee on the goal line and was ruled short of the touchdown. Unfortunately, this was third down, so we turned the ball over to them on their own one-yard line. Thankfully on the next play linebacker Gavin LePard and defensive lineman Jaxon Maksymytz met at the quarterback, sacking him in the endzone for a safety, making the score 10-0 as the quarter drew to a close,” added Jensen.

After two quarters of limited scoring, the Rebels were eager to extend their lead early in the fourth. Thanks to some more strong defensive work, the Rebels were able to get their offence out on the field in good position which set up for their first touchdown since the first quarter.

“The 4th quarter was a bit of a wild one, as the Bulldogs came back swinging, but our defence dug in, forcing them to turn the ball over to us near midfield. 2 plays later, Cooper broke off a 51-yard touchdown run, making it 17-0. Then on the ensuing kickoff, kicker Carson Becker booted the ball through the endzone for another single, making it 18-0,” said Jensen.

From there though, it was all Rebels as they continued to find the endzone to make it a tough hill to climb for the visitors.

“A big third down stop on the next drive saw us get the ball back again near midfield, and again the DenHollander-Cooper connection was good for another score, this time on a two-yard pass to make it 25-0. Becker then proved that his previous big boot wasn’t a fluke, as he drilled another one through the endzone on the ensuing kickoff, widening the gap to 26-0. He wasn’t done there, either, as three plays later he picked off a Bulldogs pass and took it 40 yards to the house to cap the scoring at 33-0. One last defensive stand was in order, but at that point, the game was sealed,” explained Jensen. “I can’t say enough how impressed I am with these boys’ performance. They overcame some first-half hiccups and just got stronger as the game wore on. To go with the offensive output I mentioned, linebacker Red Cunanan led the team with eight tackles, followed by linebacker Gavin LePard with three tackles plus three sacks. All in all, 15 different players recorded tackles on the day, showing just how complete of a team effort it was.”

Despite the big total on the scoreboard, the Rebels’ coaching staff realized things could have been much different. Thanks to some big turn of events that put the ball in the Rebels’ playmakers’ hands, it turned into a much different game.

“I have to say, my hat is off to the Bulldogs. They’re a tough team, and that certainly did not feel like a 33-0 game. In truth, the game was a lot closer than that. This was a big one for us, as it meant that we finished the season undefeated in league play, and that first-place finish means that we are the inaugural champions of the new Southland Football League’s 3A division,” continued Jensen. “Unfortunately the trophy wasn’t ready for presentation at the game, but it will be awarded to us at the league awards ceremony in November. That’s a big feather in these boys’ cap, as it means this season will now officially be commemorated on that trophy.:

A big win to remain undefeated in regular season play is surely a big boost for the Rebels, but now the real work begins. Rival Crescent Heights is waiting and the Rebels know they’ll need their best football in the coming weeks.

“Our focus now has to quickly shift, as we head into zone playoffs. Our next goal is the zone championship, which comes with a banner, and a berth into Provincials, and that road won’t be easy. Our semi-final opponent is the Crescent Heights Vikings out of Medicine Hat. When we played them earlier this season, they gave us everything we could handle, and we narrowly squeaked out a one-touchdown win, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us. Hopefully, a good week of practice is ahead of us, and we can get the job done,” finished Jensen.

The Rebels line up against the Crescent Heights Vikings on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at Ken McDonald Sports Complex.