Junior Broncs lost their second home game to Stettler Cougars on Saturday, Sept. 6 with a score of 37-0, demonstrating some flashes of brilliance in defense but failing to do the same in offense.
The visitors got onto the scoreboard immediately after the kickoff with a touchdown coming with a return of the kick, delivering an early shock to Ponoka boys. But Junior Broncs quickly regrouped and solidified their defense line-up holding off the Cougars offense. One of the most memorable moments of the first quarter came when Nolan Radey of Ponoka tackled a Cougar player almost twice his size, practically preventing a touchdown. The rest of the first quarter did not go very well for the hosts with Junior Broncs going as far as only the 40-yard line of the Stettler territory. Just seconds before the end of the first quarter, using an opportunity created by a fumble by the Broncs defense, Cougars scored a second touchdown taking a 12-0 lead.
When the second quarter started, there appeared to be renewed motivation among the Broncs who got three consecutive first downs to make it deep into the Stettler territory. Ponoka boys tried to score mostly through rushing plays with Jared Bussiere, Sean Rowland and Noah Longjohn carrying the ball, and once got quite close to the visitors’ goal line, but turned the ball over within the five yard line of the Stettler goal. Procedure mistakes cost a lot of yardage to Ponoka boys while turnovers also played into the hands of the visitors. Cougars kept finding holes in the Broncs’ defensive line and scored two touchdowns in the last three minutes of second quarter and with the conversion after the second touchdown, the first half ended with 26-0 for the visitors.
Two minutes into the second half, Cougars struck once again and converted the kick after the touchdown to make the score 34-0. But Broncs did not lose their motivation and kept defending their territory. Three minutes from the end of the third quarter, just within the 10-yard line of their goal, Ponoka defense forced the visitors’ offense to turn over the ball by tackling the Cougars carrier in each of the downs. When they got the possession, however, Broncs offense could not take the ball outside the 10 yard-line of their half of the field and they turned it over, too.
The last score of the game came from a field goal from the Cougars four minutes from the end of the game sealing the final score 37-0.
Junoir Broncs play their next home game on Saturday, Sept. 13 with Lindsay Thurber.