Bengals ground Falcons
The Big Rock Bengals are off to a roaring start.
The Bengals opened the Calgary Midget Football Association season by beating the Calgary Falcons 19-13 Thursday at Shouldice Park.
“I’m very happy with how we did tonight, the kids came back and did what they were suppose to do and they listened,” said Bengals head coach Bruce Marlow.
The victory matches the improved Bengals’ total from last season.
The Falcons had a quick start by scoring a touchdown off the opening kick off and followed that with running in another major three minutes later but the extra point was blocked, giving Calgary a 13-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Bengals’ cylinders were sputtering after the opening whistle, only getting points on the board at the very end of the first half with a 30-yard field goal by Seth Nelson.
Answering the call, the Bengals’ Big D shut the other door after allowing the Falcons’ 13 points in the opening half.
“Defence had a really good game,” Said Bengals defensive end Tyler Going. “The first half was a bit shaky but the whole team woke up in the second half.”
Going had two sacks on the game in a position that he does not usually play.
In the second half the Bengals’ offence made the necessary adjustments to march down the field.
The Bengals’ first drive of the second half resulted in a Nelson 25-yard field goal late in the third quarter to cut the Falcons’ lead to 13-6.
On their next possession, the Bengals were able to march down the field. From inside the red zone Big Rock quarterback, Tyson Pitcher, took off for a 19-yard run, before being stopped on the Falcons’ one-yard line.
After one failed attempt, Pitcher ran the ball in himself bringing cutting the Falcons’ lead to 13-12 but the extra point was blocked with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter.
The furious Bengals defence then took charge forcing the Falcons’ to punt.
Taking over at near midfield, Pitcher completed a pass for 10 yards but missed the next pass on second down forcing the coaches to think fast with 30 seconds left.
The Bengals were close enough to the end zone that they decided to punt. Nelson’s punt bounced in the end zone to tie the game with less than a half-minute remaining.
At which point Marlow told his defence to play to the very end of the game.
They did just that.
With the ball on the Falcons’ 50-yard line the Calgary quarterback dropped back for a pass, which was promptly picked of by the Bengals’ Glenn Doroshenko who ran it back for the winning touchdown with virtually no time left on the clock.
Marlow was proud how his team came back to win.
“The boys could have said we’re not going to win, we’re going to go home but they didn’t,” Marlow said. “They finished the game and that’s Bengals football.”
Bengals receiver Blake Klotz had five catches for 30 yards.
Nelson, a standout rookie defensive back for the 2015 high school provincial champion Foothills Falcons, was named player of the game by his coach because of his fight, determination and game changing plays.
Nelson caught an interception last in the second quarter and had a number of defensive plays. The Bengals next game is against the Midget Calgary Stampeders, on April 14 at Stampeders Field at Shouldice Park.
