Please note: As this is a team orientated web site, rarely are names mentioned in the summaries. If you are interested to know who were making the big plays, please contact us at jd@sabresfootball.com
November 14, 2000
The 2000 Edition of the Junior Sabres Football Program comes to an endThe Junior Sabres' season wrapped up tonight with a 28-7 loss to Bev Facey. On the line was a trip to the league finals, but it will be the Falcons that advance. The good side of tonight's performance was that the games was closer than the score indicated. After Facey marched down the field and scored on their opening drive, Sal's first possession was highlighted by a 60 yard rumble to the Falcon's three yard line. Unfortunately, a fumble ended the drive on the very next play.
On Sal's second possession, they started marching again, but again coughed up the ball on Facey's 25 yard line. With the Sabre mishaps and Facey's ability to score two more touchdowns in the first half, the Sabres dug themselves a hole that they could not get out of.
The Sabres did manage an attack in the fourth quarter that led to their only touchdown of the game. However, any pride gained by the touchdown was short lived as Facey scored their final major on their next possession.
Positives that can be taken away from this game was the fact that the Sabres played much better this time around, after losing to the Falcons 41-6 in regular season play. The Sabres also managed to showcase some of the up and coming talent for returning members of the senior who came out to watch the game. The juniors demonstrated a balanced offense with some gritty defense. Many juniors are already pumped for next year, especially for another shot at the cross-town rivals.
November 9, 2000
Junior Sabres move into playoffsWith an overwhelming 48-0 win over the St. Francis Ram junior program, the Jr. Sabres enter the Metro League Premier playoffs. The production of Sabre runningback, Brian Klassen ended the chances of St. Francis getting into the Premier playoffs. Apparently, the cold slippery conditions had no effect on the Sabre back as he rummbled for 5 touchdowns.
The Sabres join Bev Facey, Austin O'Brien and St. Albert, while St. Francis, O'Leary, Bellerose and Holy Trinity play of in the Metro League City playoffs.
Playoffs begin next Tuesday for the Sabres as they take on the number one team from Facey. Game time is 5:00 at Coronation Stadium.
Senior's first loss comes at an inopportune timeAs fast as two time, league MVP Cory Jones can run the length of the field, the Senior Sabres' season is over. Once again, in a game that should have been tight; wasn't. Except this time around, the outcome was the opposite of the last meeting between these two teams as St. Albert handed the Sabres a 44-20 loss.
Just as the game started, snow was added to the already blustery conditions. This type of weather should have favoured the ground game of the Sabres, but it was the Skyhawks who took the most advantage of the slippery conditions. The play, whether it is called "student-body-right", "jumbo", or "tough-team" seems to be an ugly way to play offense under good playing conditions, but it was a smart play to use under the bad playing conditions. The Skyhawks moved down the field 6 yards at a time, taking a great deal of time off the clock on each of their drives. The slow methodical drives kept the Sabre offense on the sidelines standing still in the cold wind. With the odd, well-timed playaction play thrown in, the Skyhawks racked up the points.
The game started bad for the Sabres when the Skyhawk's returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Salisbury looked confident on their next drive which ended with a touchdown of their own. But just as the Sabres managed to get every break during the last game between these two teams, most of the momentum carrying breaks went to St. Albert this game, and they were quick to take advantage of them. The Skyhawks took a 31-7 lead into dressing rooms at the half.
The second half was supposed to be different if the Sabres were to have a chance for a come back. However, after stalling on their first drive of the third quarter, the Sabres were forced to punt the ball away. The punt travelled down to the Skyhawk's 10 yard line, but then Cory Jones returned the punt 100 yards for another touchdown. Sabre Pride prevented the team from folding as they kept trying to get something going, some like Jeff Sloman, sacrificing their bodies for the cause. They were to add two more touchdowns, but it wasn't enough. One highlight for the Sabres was Kyle Purpur's three rushing TD's.
The Sabres give all the credit to a team that was better on the day. St. Albert is a three year old program that had never won the Metro League Carr Conference, and they wanted it badly. The Skyhawks now move into provincial play for the first time with their first game against the Grande Prairie Warriors. The Sabre program fully supports the Skyhawks as the Metro League representatives in Tier 1 provincials.
Congratulations to St. Albert and good luck for the rest of your season.
November 2, 2000
Strathcona County football alive and wellThe playoffs are in full swing now and an interesting observation can be made. At the high school level, 3 of the 4 league finalists are from Strathcona County. In the Miles Final, Arch Bishop Jordon will be hosting Ardrossan. In the Carr Final the Sabres are hosting St. Albert. And although Bev Facey is not in the finals, they finished a strong third in the league play. Further to this story, both the Sherwood Park Northstars and Rams have dominated the Bantam league. It would appear that football has made a resurgence in Strathcona County and a great deal of credit has to go to coaches and parents at all levels of minor football. Each level, whether it is Atom, Peewee, Bantam or High School seem to have dedicated staff for coaches and a renewed interest by the parents who are forming strong parent groups. At the high school level, it has been easy to detect the greater number of quality of football players coming from the Bantam teams and they are only making the Strathcona County high school teams that much better.
Congratulations to the coaches and parents for putting in the long hours to make our kids better. Good luck to those Strathcona County teams still in the hunt for league and provincial titles.
October 27, 2000
Sabres survive Metro League semi-final with 33-20 win over AOBThe Salisbury Sabres returned to a playing style they used early in the 2000 season; playing half a game. This could have been costly, especially against a team that always plays well in the playoffs such as Austin O'Brien.
The Sabre offense was sluggish in the first and third quarters, lacking the distinctive punch they have displayed in the last few outings. Defensively, mistackles and out of character penalties were mistimed as a hungry AOB team came at them hard. The 21-7 lead the Sabres held at half time looked to be in jeopardy at times in the second half as the Sabres failed to scored majors and AOB scored two more touchdowns. A comfort at the end of the game was a 3 minute offensive drive that ended with a touchdown that resembled the precision of last week's game. The other points came from a 30 yard field goal and two singles. A highlight of the defensive game was Luke Lavorato's three interceptions and two knockdown's.
The slow start for the Sabres may have something to do with emotional high from the big win last Friday, but excuses like that will not work as the Sabres move into increasingly more difficult games. The Sabres now play the St. Albert Skyhawks who beat the Bev Facey Falcons 35-7 in the other semi-final tonight. Bev Facey played hard and with injuries....
but they're done.The Metro League Final will be played next Saturday, November 4 at 2:30 at Coronation Stadium. The final game against the Skyhawks, a team the Sabres beat 48-7 last week, is not predicted to be a blow out again and should prove very close game that either team could win...
now that's entertainment.- great photos by Richard Westlund, Strathcona County This Week
October 23, 2000
New millennium is favourable for Sabres... so farNot only did the Sabres finish undefeated in regular season, the offense and defense both operated at record capacities. The defense continues to get better under the guidance of Coach B. Duxbury. From the time that Coach Duxbury joined the Sabre staff on a full time basis in 1997, the defense has been getting progressively tougher to score on: Average number of points scored against in regular season play in 1997 = 13.5, in 1998 = 13.0, and 1999 = 10.6. This year, the defense only allowed an average of 6 points per game (including 2 shut-outs). This betters the defense of the 1990 version of the Sabres which only allowed an average of 7 points per game during the regular season.
On the other side of the ball, in his first year as offensive co-ordinator, Head Coach C. Fraser has demonstrated his knowledge of how to run an offense. The offense scored an average 38.4 points per game in regular season play, which finally betters the Provincial Champion Sabre squad of 1986 where they scored an average of 38.2 points per game.
Everyone knows that regular season stats do not mean anything when it comes down to winning playoff games. It is nice to recognize the hard work of the players and coaches for a season that has been very successful thus far. However, the Sabres will have to improve even more to be successful in the playoffs.
October 21, 2000
Sabres finish regular season undefeated.Where were the Skyhawks last night? The hype for the last game of the season to be a close, back and forth type of game... but it wasn't to be. To quote the AM 1260's radio reporter, "The Sabres thrashed the Skyhawks". Final score 48-7. The only time the Skyhawks looked threatening was on the opening kickoff that they ran back to the Sabres 30 yard line. But a penalty on the play brought the ball back close to mid-field and that was as close as St. Albert would get during the first half. After a two-and-out series for the Skyhawks, the Sabres marched down the field and scored. And scored... and scored... and scored. Not to mention an interception at the St. Albert 10 yard line and a fumble on St. Albert's 2 yard line on two other red-zone possessions. The Sabres offense was on the field for at least 75% of the game, allowing the defense time to rest and come out flying.
The Sabres have been averaging over 400 yards per game, but last night they produced over 600 yards. Three backs had over 100 yards rushing with one gaining over 200 yards. The air attack also added another 150 yards. Receptions were made by five different players, and four different players capped off drives with touchdowns. The offense is still getting better each week and opponent defenses are still finding it hard to figure it out.
St. Albert's punt team was the busiest part of their squad as the Sabre D once again demonstrated what a little homework and a great deal of hard work can do. St. Albert's big guns were shut down and their running game was ineffective against the gang tacking defense from Salisbury. Lost yardage, lost fumbles and an interception proved demoralizing for St. Albert. The undefeated Skyhawks looked shocked at half-time to find themselves down 28-0.
The second half was mostly the same as the first with the offense adding another three touchdowns. The Sabre's punt team finally saw some action in the second half with two punts. Two. Late in the game, the Skyhawks resorted to an offensive scheme that was very unbecoming of a Metro League team. However, it did manage to get them on the board with under three minutes to play in the game, breaking the defense's shot at another shut out.
Not since 1995have the Sabres gone undefeated during regular season play. Those that remember that year will recall that that season's final regular season game against Leduc ended in a draw. It has not been since the 6-0 Sabres of 1989 that Salisbury won all regular season games. The 2000 edition of the Sabres now enter playoffs with the number one offense in the Metro League, scoring 192 points and the stingiest defense in the league, only allowing 30 points against.
With the end of a very successful regular season, the Sabres are very aware of how such season can end in a hurry with a loss in the playoffs. Many of this year's team were members of last year's squad that lost in the semi-finals after finishing the regular season in second place. Opponents play differently in the playoffs and every game is sudden death from now on. Last year, AOB demonstrated how the fourth place team can finish as league champions, so every game will be viewed as the toughest of the year. The Sabres will now face the winner of the AOB and O'Leary quarter-final game. The Sabres' semi-final is next Friday, October 27, 5:00 at Coronation.
-photo by Richard Westlund, Strathcona County This Week
October 12, 2000
Sabres roll over O'Leary 49-7This forum doesn't normally make a habit out of singling out individual players, but tonight, Darcy Bennett went on a tear. Over 200 yards rushing, 12 individual tackles, 2 sacks and 1 interception was tonight's output. Not a bad day's work. Bennett was surrounded by his team-mates who all seemed to have woken from their post-Facey lull. It was another night of punishing tackling, interceptions and sacks for the defense. The only score against the Sabre-D came in the 4th quarter via a long pass and run by the Spartans. The offense racked up over 450 yards again with multiple players doing the damage to the Spartan defense and five different players doing the scoring. Opponents are still finding out that stopping one player is not enough against this Sabre offense as it is loaded with multiple dangerous weapons.
So it comes down to one game. There are two teams that haven't yet played each other in a regular season game this year and both are undefeated. The St. Albert Skyhawks crushed Bellrose tonight in their version of a cross-town rivalry. While both Salisbury and St. Albert have already earned first round byes in the playoffs, next Friday's game is for the pride of finishing first. It will be St. Albert's league leading offense against the best defense in the league. It will also be the league's second most productive offense (narrowly) of Salisbury against the second best defense in the league. The Sabres beat the Skyhawks 20-7 in exhibtion play earlier this season, however, St. Albert was without last year's league MVP Cory Jones who will be in the line-up on Friday. All match-ups point to a very exciting and entertaining ball game. If you would like to see some very good high school football, the game will be played at Coronation at 7:30.
October 5, 2000
Sabres chalk up second shut-out of the season - beat AOB 28-0.Without having the great rivalry of Bev Facey as a motivation, the Sabres found it tough to find emotion for tonight's game. Defensely, the Sabres were strong as ever, but the offense once again had trouble playing to their full potential. Unlike the Bellrose game where the offense took the first half off, this night saw little fire in the second half. Three of the four touchdowns were scored in the first half, with the last score of the game coming with only seconds left to play in the game. One of the four touchdowns was scored by the special teams on a fake field goal.
With only two regular season games left, this team must tap into an emotional drive or the chances of finishing first will disappear. With their record of 3-0 the Sabres are ranked 6th in the province and find themselves in the playoff driver's seat. They are now assured a playoff birth, but with two more victories they will finish first and enjoy a first round bye in the playoffs. But they will have to be firing on all cylinders to get the top spot.
Both the Senior and Junior teams take on O'Leary next week. The Juniors play on Tuesday and the Seniors on Thursday. Both games are at 5:00 at Coronation.
September 29, 2000
Big Win for the Senior Sabres, Facey Goes Down 26-16
The Sabres entered this game as the underdogs. Bev Facey was ranked as the 5th best program in the province, where as the Sabres were only ranked 10th. The rankings will have to change as the Sabres demonstrated that on this night, the Sabres were the better team.
The first half was tight with Facey drawing first blood on a deep pass into the endzone. The Sabres struck back with two of their own but did not convert on
either. The Falcons ended the scoring for the half with another touchdown and a fieldgoal. The half ended with the Falcons leading, 16-12.
But that would be all the scoring for the game for the Falcons. The defense became dominant, shutting down Facey's main plays and it seemed that Facey could not adjust. The Sabre offense was able to adjust after Facey began to adjust to the Sabre's most successful plays. The Sabre offense was also the most balanced of all the games played this year. The running game racked up over 300 yards for the second game in a row, and the passing game became important and successful with 143 yards including two touchdown passes from 38 and 50 yards.
The Sabres have the monkey off their back for the time being. It is a relief to beat the Falcons who won last year's league semi-final agaist the Sabres. But there is a good chance that these two teams will meet again. That one will be entertaining.
Next up for the Sabres are the defending Metro League Champs, the Austin O'Brien Crusaders. Game time is 5:00 at Goldstick Park, Thursday October 5th.
-photos by Humberto Bonizzoni, Sherwood Park News
Jr. Sabres Go To 2-0 With Win Over Stormdogs 25-6Both Bellrose and Salisbury were hoping to stay out of the losing column during the second week of play. Unfortunately for the Stormdogs, they met the same fate as their Senior team mates as they were handed a loss by the Sabres. The defense held the Bellrose offense to only 6 points and provided the ball for the offense with three interceptions. The offense provided the 25 points, including going 4-5 in the passing department. Next game is Tuesday October 3 against arch rivals; Bev Facey Falcons. The game will be played at 4:30 at the Strathcona Athletic Park.
September 20, 2000
Sabres Come Charging Out of the GatesThe Senior Sabres demonstrated that last week's game was no fluke by defeating the Bellrose Stormdogs 41-0. It only took three plays from their own 40 for the offense to open the scoring. In total the offense rang up 5 touchdowns with close to 350 yards rushing. Two runningbacks had over 100 yards rushing in only a combined 17 carries. The sixth touchdown came via a punt that was returned for a major.
Obviously, the defense played well. Not allowing any scoring is a great accomplishment in itself, but the defense held Bellrose to one first down in the entire first half. The Stormdogs wouldn't get another first down until late in the fourth quarter. The Sabre defense has not been scored on in 7 quarters of football.
With Salisbury's one-sided win, and their cross town rivals, Bev Facey, crushing O'Leary 51-0 in the subsequent game, next Friday's games against each other is sure to be entertaining. The battle to be 2-0 goes at 4:45, Friday, September 29 at the Strathcona Athletic Park.
Rolling right along, the Junior team wins again. The offense, defense and special teams all performed well. The offense contributed 14 points with a tough running game. The punt team added the other touchdown when a bouncing ball that was misplayed by a Trojan returner was pounced on in the endzone. The only points that the Trojans gained were a gift from the Sabre offense as they gave up a safety to re-establish field position. In other words, the defense did not give up any points. Overall, it was a very successful start to the regular season. The Junior's next game is against the new junior program of the Bellrose Stormdogs. Game time is 4:45 at Bellrose in St. Albert.
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