Senior Broncs lost their third game in a row on the road at Sylvan Lake on Friday, Sept. 26, and they lost it with a score of 42-12; but this may have been the most valuable loss they have ever received as it demonstrated their potential as no game has done so far.
The first quarter was a nightmare for Ponoka boys: Lakers got on the scoreboard in just the second minute of the game and it looked as if they would never stop. After the first touchdown, they even recovered the ball after their own kick and scored yet another, and they didn’t forget to convert after each touchdown, either. When the first quarter ended, the figures on the scoreboard were 28 and 0.
When the second quarter started, Broncs defense looked better organized and coordinated. They held off the Lakers offense at a safe distance from the goal line with timely tackles and good reading of Lakers’ offensive plays. But just as Broncs fans started to hope that the worst was over, Lakers squeezed two more touchdowns and subsequent conversions into the last two minutes of the first half, ending the second quarter 42-0.
And then there was the second half
As the gray clouds gave way at the beginning of the second half, it turned out it was time for the Broncs to shine, together with the sun, on the HJ Cody High School football field.
Third quarter was a tough time for Lakers offense as they struggled to repeat the feats of the first half with Broncs defense putting up solid resistance. The hosts’ rushing games were being disrupted and passing plays ending in failure thanks to close guarding of their receivers by Ponoka boys. Third quarter ended with no score for Lakers, adding to the already strengthening self-confidence of the visitors.
The beginning of the last quarter saw Lakers fans starting to give some support to the local team as they had stopped scoring. Lakers’ fast and tough running back, who had already scored three TDs in the first half, made another attempt to respond to the fans’ appeal, but was brought down in a spectacular tackle by Josh Parent of the Broncs, saving another TD. The move buoyed the defense further and they did something they had not done before: Rookie Devon Fischer intercepted a pass and scored a 30-yard defensive TD: 42-6. Two minutes later, Broncs offense took to the fleld and drove the ball to the five-yard line of Lakers’ goal and Kellyn Pritchard scored another touchdown: 42-12. But Broncs failed to convert after each of their scores. And the game ended without any further change in the numbers, but it showed that Broncs had the talent and the skill-set to be able to shut out one of the strongest teams in the league for a full half.
Broncs’ head coach Scott MacGregor blamed his inadequate motivating for the poor performance of the first quarter. “We were not mentally ready for this game. It is my mistake,” he said.
He said his emphasis on the solidarity among the players instead of finger pointing in his motivational effort during the halftime gathering of the team had paid off.
He added that he was glad that they could score a defensive touchdown but admitted that they would have to work more on conversions.
Next, Broncs host Camrose Trojans on Friday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Junior Broncs lost their away game against Hunting Hills with a score of 70-0 on Saturday, Sept.27.
Their next game is again on the road against Notre Dame on Saturday, Oct. 4.