Week three introduced the Big Rock Bengals to a big wake up call.
The Bengals lost their first Calgary and Area Midget Football Association regular season game against the Calgary Colts on April 14 by a score of 36-14 at Shouldice Park.
“We had a horrendous week in practice with a whole bunch of guys missing,” said head coach Bruce Marlow. “Our 2 and 0 record got to our heads a little bit and this is a good reality pill.”
Big Rock struggled against the Colts because of the lack of substantial players. Several key players such as Seth Nelson, Jude Oh and starting quarterback Tyson Pitcher, were out due to injuries.
Cameron Feitz was the starting quarterback for the Bengals. Feitz threw no interceptions but had several sacks against him on the game.
This time of year football is a popular sport all over the Alberta region. Several Big Rock players attended team Alberta’s U18 tryouts and a few of them got banged up, along with spring camps for high school football starting up.
The Bengals started the game slow by letting two touchdowns in by the end of the first quarter. Big Rock would not get on the board until the end of the second quarter when the ball was handed off to Blake Klotz at their own 45-yard line. The rangy slotback did the rest and took it all the way down to score a touchdown to cut the score to 28-7 close to the end of the first half.
At the last few seconds in the half and the Colts in possession, its quarterback stepped back and released a pass that was intercepted by Bengals linebacker Tyler Going before being brought down after a short 20 yard run.
Big Rock had the fire and determination to bring a fight in the second half, but because of so many young guys on the field it was hard for the team to settle in.
“I’m very proud of everyone on this team because every player that was eligible to play did play tonight,” Marlow added.
In the third quarter the Bengals defence lived up to what they have been doing all season. They held the Colts to their 14 point lead in the third quarter yet the Calgary club quickly responded.
The defence held the Colts until third down forcing them to punt, but as the ball was kicked to the other end the Bengals could not gain control of the ball and it bounced into the end zone recovered by Calgary for a touchdown. The major gave the Colts a 21-point lead.
With the score getting out of reach, coaches told their players to keep their heads high and finish the game.
After a disappointing touchdown and several drives later the Colts were in possession of the ball when Big Rock forced a fumble and recovered it.
The Bengals tried to use the momentum from the fumble to their advantage, but only took it 25 yards down the field until the Colts forced a fumble of their own and recovered it.
All seemed hopeless for the Bengals before the Colts quarterback stepped back and tossed the ball right into the arms of linebacker Nick Wiebe.
The Holy Trinity Academy student picked the ball off and took it to the house to raise the hopes of the Bengals making the score 35-14 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
With so many injuries and not a big roster, Big Rock’s coaching staff had to put in a lot of the players that are new to the game.
“They were all valuable when they needed to be,” the coach added. “They kept their heads up and were in it to the end. I’m proud how they conducted themselves.”
With five minutes left to play and a slim chance to come out with a win, the Bengals did everything they could to score a touchdown. Efforts failed when they fumbled and lost the ball.
The defence held the Colts to a safety with Going pinned into the end zone, rounding out the scoreline.
“It was a real learning experience today,” said defensive coach Rock Marlow.
“We had a lot of young guys in today.”
The Bengals’ next game is against the Northern Raiders on April 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Hellard field in Shouldice Park.
For more information on the Big Rock Bengals go to www.bigrockbengals.com.
