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Broncs lose but keep showing improvement

Ponoka’s Senior Broncs hosted Rocky Mountain House Rebels on Friday, Sept. 19 and lost the game 16-0
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Douglas Burton of the Broncs bringing down the Rebels ball carrier during the second quarter of the game against Rocky Mountain House at the high school football field in Ponoka on Friday

Ponoka’s Senior Broncs hosted Rocky Mountain House Rebels on Friday, Sept. 19 and lost the game 16-0 despite having improved quite a lot as compared to week before.

Throughout the game, Broncs’ defense looked like a ship trying to keep steady in choppy seas (and mostly achieving it) while the offense gave the impression of a plane on a runway, consistently gaining speed but never reaching the velocity to take off the ground.

In the first quarter, the Broncs defense managed to keep the Rebels offense away from the Broncs’ goal line, and recovered a fumble for good measure, but offensive effort came short with two turnovers killing hopes for an early touchdown for Ponoka boys. The first quarter ended scoreless.

With the start of the second quarter, visiting Rebels intensified their onslaught on the field with both passing and rushing plays and the effort paid off in the fourth minute of the second quarter with a touchdown for the Rocky team.

The kick return saw a fired-up Broncs offense moving the ball consistently, raising hopes for an equalizer. Ponoka boys managed to get four consecutive first downs, three of them in the Rebels territory, to reach the five-yard line, the point where the expectations were shattered when the Rebels defense managed to stop and thwart the hosts’ advance.

After the touchdown chance was squandered, Jeremy Key of Broncs intercepted a pass from a Rebels play but the ball was fumbled within seconds, killing the chances of equalizing before the end of the first half.

The third quarter saw both teams striving for a touchdown but the defensive efforts on both sides were too good to allow it happening. When the fourth quarter started, Broncs defense again showed some signs of brilliance resulting in taking over the possession of the ball.

Four minutes into the last quarter, Tyler Ekeli had an interception allowing the Ponoka side to go on the offense, but the ball was turned over on downs. Two minutes later, Douglas Burton recovered a fumble and on the first down, Tyler Ekeli had a 15-yard rush, but the longed for touchdown was nowhere in sight.

When Rebels took over the possession, they moved the ball slowly and steadily and scored their second touchdown just two minutes from the end of regulation and unlike after the first, they did convert the kick and made the score 13-0.

The last minute effort by the Broncs to score through a passing play did not produce the hoped for result when the pass ended up incomplete.

Despite the loss, the Broncs demonstrated a lot of improvement in ball handling as compared to their previous games and they hope to return with a win from Sylvan Lake where they will be taking on the hosts H.J Cody on Friday, Sept. 26 at 4.30 p.m.