On July 11, Central Alberta Buccaneers (3-1) kicked off against the Lloydminster Vandals at Lacombe’s MEGlobal Athletic Park. The Vandals squad travelled with a light 19-man bench while the Bucs enjoyed a healthy 45+ player roster.
The disparity in man-power wouldn’t be the only wide margin in this game: the Bucs won in a landslide 66-6 victory.
The Bucs took control of the game early. Lloydminster’s offense was rarely on the field longer than two plays at a time before they were forced to punt the ball back to the Buccaneers special team squad (or “Spades” as the team has nicknamed the special teamers).
As a result, Central Alberta enjoyed favourable field position for the entirety of the game. Cornerback Tyson Dichrow of Sundre praised the team’s offense: “We really controlled the ball. Our offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and, as a result, our runningbacks ran all over the field.”
The Bucs’ offensive prowess was to the relief of players, staf and fans – the pirate offense had been inconsistent throughout the first half of the season. However, “our offense has finally clicked and we put up points on the scoreboard,” said Matt Merkley of Sylvan Lake. “Our play calling was good and there weren’t many player miscues – we were determined to win.”