Todd Lewis
Bucs Banter
The Central Alberta Buccaneers kicked off against an opposing team for the first time May 25. The St. Albert Stars, an expansion team in the AFL, travelled to Lacombe’s MEGlobal field to take on the Bucs.
After giving up the lead to the Stars due to penalties and a few broken plays, the Bucs managed to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter. After the Buccaneer offense narrowed the gap to 28-20, the Bucs’ defense held the line and gave the offense a chance to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining. Quarterback Andrew Stannix found one of his receivers deep in the end zone and scored the six-point touchdown. To tie the game, the Bucs were forced to attempt a two-point conversion. However, the following pass attempt was picked off by the Stars’ safety and, as a result the Bucs lost 28-26.
“I am impressed with the [team’s] refusal to give up and with the comeback in the fourth quarter,” head coach Duane Brown said. “The penalties, however, were at a ridiculous level and will be fixed for next week.”
The exhibition was a good chance for the two teams to test out their players and strategies. Brown said “everyone got on the field and received significant playing time. The backups’ play was outstanding.” In particular, Brown praised the performance of backup quarterback, Andrew Stannix, who led the Buccaneers’ offense in the fourth quarter comeback.
Before the exhibition, the Bucs were busy with their third annual “Team up to Tackle Hunger” food drive in Lacombe. Players travelled door to door, asking for non-perishable food items for the food bank.
“We do this because we can actually make a difference in the lives of people in the community” said Brown. By the end of the drive, Lacombe residents had donated more than 2,000 pounds of food, which supplies half of the food bank’s annual needs.
The Bucs have seven days to prepare for next weekend’s matchup against their long-time rivals, the Edmonton Stallions. The game kicks off at 6 p.m., Saturday, June 1 at Lacombe’s MEGlobal Athletic Park.