2003 Game Summaries - Sabres Football

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 15, 2003
Time runs out on the Sabres' season

The pundits had Scona walking away with the Northern Provincial Final. The Lords scored 445 points and only allowed 14 against entering tonight’s game. The Lords led the Edmonton Public League in rushing and displayed a precise passing game in their previous 2 playoff games. On paper, it wasn't supposed to be close. In reality, it could not have been any closer.

It was a game where both teams made mistakes, both teams had multiple turnovers, both teams got banged up but played hurt, and both teams played to the final whistle. The desire to win the game was demonstrated by players such as the Sabres’ cornerback who left the game with a finger 90 degrees from where it should have been. He had it reset and taped, and got back into the game to make an interception before the end of the first half. The Sabres’ fullback was helped to the dressing room before the second half was over with a knee injury, but returned in the second half to finish the game. The Sabres gave it their all, left nothing in their tanks, and Scona got a taste of real competition for the first time in their season.

The Sabres were the first to put points on the board. On the opening kick-off, the Sabres forced a fumble and recovered the ball on the Lords' 40-yard line. The Sabres made Scona pay for their turnover with a 5 play-scoring drive, capped with a 2-yard plunge by their tailback. The Lords responded with a three play series but were forced to punt on their first possession. The Sabres started their second possession on their own 30 and again took it to the Scona defense, moving the ball 65 yards before they were forced into kicking a 22-yard field goal. The Sabres increased their lead to 10-0.

The Sabres defense again came up big and held the Lords to 4 yards on their next possession, forcing them to punt again. However, Strathcona were able to stop the Sabres and received the ball back off of the Sabres first punt of the game. This time, Scona’s offense would answer the Sabres with a 62-yard drive that ended with their first touchdown of the game, making the score 10-7. Then, after another short series and punt by Sal, the Lords demonstrated their ability to score quickly with a 34-yard post-corner to their speedy wide-receiver. With a missed convert, Scona now had a lead of 13-10.

After receiving the kick-off, it was Sal’s turn to demonstrate their ability to pass. Starting at their own 39-yard line, Sal strung together a six play, 71-yard drive that included 66 yards of passing. The drive was culminated with a 24-yard pass and run touchdown, a crossing route by one of their speedy slotbacks. The Sabres retook the lead 17-13. Unfortunately, their lead did not last long as the Lords answered right back with a 61-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard strike into the endzone. Scona’s touchdown was hard to accept because the drive could have been stopped by an interception if it wasn’t for an offside call on Sal’s defense. The score remained at 19-17 for Scona at the half.

Sabres opened the second half with a two-and-out, but snuffed out a 34-yard Scona drive with another interception deep in the Sabres side of the field. Unable to take advantage of the turn-over, the Sabres had to punt yet again. However, after Scona advanced the ball back another 31 yards, Sal’s defense forced another turn-over with a fumble recovery. After missing the opportunity to score off the interception, the Sabres took advantage of the fumble. The Sabres moved the ball from their own 25-yard line to the Scona 40, before Sal’s QB faked out the Scona defense on an option, and sprinted the 40 yards to score. The score was now 24-19 with just under a quarter left in the game.

But again, the Lords would answer. Covering 60 yards through the air and another 4 on the ground, Scona found themselves on the Sabres’ six-yard line. Scona took a 25-24 lead on the next play and but failed to score a two-point convert. There was now just over eight minutes left on the clock; plenty of time for the Sabres to score again. And it looked like the Sabres would do just that. They initiated another one of their patented methodical drives and marched the ball 55 yards down to the Scona 18-yard line. From there, they were forced to attempt a 25-yard field goal. The kick was wide, but the Lords were offside and the ball was moved to the Scona 13-yard line with a first down. Unfortunately for the Sabres, they lost the ball on an option play and the Lords recovered it with only a minute and a half left on the clock.

The Sabres defense again rose to the occasion, forcing the Lords into punting after gaining only 23-yards back the other direction. To everyone’s surprise, the long-snap sailed over the Scona punter’s head and the Sabres had the ball on Scona’s 27-yard line and another chance to win the game. However, the Lords stripped the ball from the Sal runningback and recovered it with less than a minute left in the game. But again, the Sal defense came up huge, stopping the Lords from obtaining a first down, and had the ball given back to them on the Lords’ 25-yard line. With only 1.5 seconds left on the clock, the Sabres sent out their field goal unit to attempt a 32-yard field goal. Although the kick was into the wind, the Sabres kicker was making field-goals from this distance during the warm-up. With the clock running out, and the fans going crazy in the stands, the kick was wide right and the winner of the game could finally be declared. Scona 25 - Sal 24.

Even though the Lords get to move onto the Provincial Championship, there were many accomplishments completed by the Sabres during the game. The Sabres caused and recovered two fumbles and had two interceptions. They held the Public League’s best rushing team to only 109 yards rushing, while gaining 265 yards along the ground themselves. The big difference was Scona’s 235 yards passing that eclipsed Sal’s 116 yards passing. The parity of the two teams in this game was indicated by the total yards gained; 381 for the Sabres and 344 for Scona. (It’s just too bad that the winner is declared on points scored.)

This game was pure entertainment from start to finish, likely the best game to watch in Alberta this year. It was also a class act, as both squads earned respect from each other. In the end it was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Sabres were gracious in defeat. A great season has come to a conclusion, but at least their season ended in a fierce battle to the final whistle. The Sabres now wish Lords the best of luck and would like to see them keep the “North’s” 4-year winning streak alive. Sal hopes this true test has prepared them for what could be a tough game against Calgary’s St. Francis Browns. The Provincial Final will be hosted by Scona at Foote Field next Saturday.

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November 8, 2003
Sabres end Warriors' season with 39-16 defeat

Anything can happen once playing conditions become less than desirable. Even though the Sabres easily handled Grande Prairie back in September, they were fully aware that the frozen field could even the odds and make the rematch more difficult. Initially, it looked like it was going to be a struggle of a game as both teams traded punts without significantly moving the ball down field on their first possessions. The momentum shifted towards Salisbury on the Warriors second possession with a Sabre interception. The Sabres took advantage of the turnover and moved the ball 39 yards on the ground and 29 more through the air, capping the 68-yard drive off with a 3-yard plunge with their fullback to take an early 7-0 lead.

Again, the two teams traded a couple of punts unable to move the ball. This was until a Warrior squeaked through the line and ran 41 yards towards the Sal goal line. Fortunately for the Sabres, one of their linebackers took exception to this large gain, ripped the ball from the hands of the ball carrier, and returned it 43 yards back towards the Grande Prairie goal line. The Sabres offense then ground the remaining 50 yards with their running game and ended the drive with a 13 yard run for another touchdown for Sal and their fullback. Their lead was then 14-0.

A new pattern was beginning to form for the Sabres. This was a team that has given up far too many turnovers this season. However, this afternoon things would be different. On the Warriors next possession, Sal created their third turnover of the game with their second interception. Once again, the Sabres would make Grande Prairie pay for turning the ball over. With another 29 yards through the air and 36 along the ground, the Sabres (and their fullback) had their third touchdown of the game, taking a 21-0 lead.

Grande Prairie was not ready to give up just yet. Their next possession ended with a touchdown of their own. The Warriors added a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 21-8. Scoring their first touchdown against the Sabres this year provided the Warriors with some momentum as their defense came out and forced Sal to punt on their next possession. However, the Sabre D reduced some the Warrior momentum by forcing them to punt right away. A serious injury to a Sabre resulted in the half being cut short, and the early break may have snuffed any momentum the Warriors had developed. When the players returned to the field to finish the 1:28 left in the half, the Sabres’ offense marched the ball 65 yards and scored with a 1 yard QB sneak to take a 28-8 lead.

After the last 1:28 of the first half was finished, the second half was immediately initiated. The Sabres won the initial coin-toss and chose to receive the kick-off in the second half. Sal took advantage of having the ball back-to-back, but had to start deep in their end due to a blocking infraction on the return. Nonetheless, the Sabres marched 94 yards and ended their drive with a pass to the back of the endzone to their slotback, making the score 35-8.

The Sabres then took advantage of their four-touchdown lead and started inserting second-team players. The Sabres were still strong, but the Warriors were able to find weaknesses and put together their second scoring drive. Another two-point conversion made score 35-16. Sal’s sophomore QB did well to move the Sabres into scoring position and threw a strike into the endzone only to have the play called back on a holding call. A field-goal attempt was unsuccessful but did result in a single to make the score 36-16.

The Sabres’ defense shut the Warriors down for the remainder of the game. The game ended with one final drive by Sal, which was capped by a 21-yard field goal for a final score of 39-16. In total the Sabres defense had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, a strip, a 15 yard sack and caused the Warriors to turn the ball over in downs on three occasions. Offensively, Sal went 12/20 for 194 yards through the air and added another 218 on the ground for a total 412 yards of offense. With the win, Sal extends its winning streak against Grande Prairie to 6 wins dating back to that frozen November of 1995 when the Warriors defeated Sal in triple over-time.

In their first meeting against the Warriors this past September, the Sabres passed for 160 yards and ran for another 350. This afternoon’s game was far more balanced between pass and run. The ability to make plays on the ground and through the air will be a necessity in the Sabres next contest; a game that will be their biggest challenge of the season. The provincial semi-final has the Sabres in a position to stop the machine that is now the Edmonton Public League champions. The Strathcona Lords defeated ME Lezerte 56-0 in their league championship this afternoon and look avenge their team-mates that lost to Bev Facey in last year’s Northern Final. The Lords have been provincially ranked number one all year and have not lost a game since the Falcons defeated them last year. This one should be a doozy. The meeting of the Metro League Champs and the Public League Champs will take place next Saturday.

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November 1, 2003
Champions once again!

As far as entertaining football goes, you'd think last week's game against the Falcons would have been hard to beat. Well the Sabres did one better in tonight's Carr Championship Game.

A sense of deja vu was creeping in as turn-overs allowed ABJ's potent offense to pile up the first-half points. The Scots took a 28-7 lead into halftime and looked to be in control. However, the Sabres stormed back scoring the only points in the second half to win the championship 35-28. An unprecedented comeback for the Sabres has led to their league record 6th Metro Title.

The game started well for the Sabres as their defense caused Jordan to fumble on their first drive. On their subsequent possession, the Sabres marched back down the field on a 70-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead. Not to be outdone, the Scots strung together a 74-yard drive of their own to tie the game at 7-7. A few series later, Jordan kept a drive alive with a fake punt, but were forced to attempt a field goal as their drive was ended short of the endzone. However, as the Falcons found out last week, the Sabres are tough to kick against as Sal blocked the attempt. This was a great play by the Sabres, but the memory of the play was quickly washed away with ABJ’s next possession that ended with another touchdown.

After the second Scots scoring drive, not only did the wheel’s fall off for the Sabres, but the fenders, doors and the hood ornament. On the ensuing kickoff, a short kick bounced through the hands of a returning racing up to field the ball. The Scots had the ball on the Sabres’ 20-yard line from which they eventually scored to take a 21-7 lead. Lighting does strike twice, because the next kickoff was again fumbled with Jordan jumping on the ball. This time they only needed one play from the Sabres’ 29-yard line to take a 28-7 lead. Would you believe that the next kickoff could be fumbled? It was, but at least Sal pounced on this one. The Sabres then began marching the ball again, and moved the ball 40 yards down the field. However, they came away with nothing as they were intercepted just before half time.

Sal now faced a 21-point deficit against a team that beat the Sabres by nearly that amount earlier in the year. Never did the Sabres believe the regular season game was true to what should have been. Never did the Sabres believe the first half represented how the game should have been going. The Sabres’ offense new they could move the ball, they just needed possessions. The Sabres’ defense new they could stop Jordan, they just had to get them out of their game plan. They spent the next half showing everyone they could do anything they wanted to in this game.

In the second half, the Scots kicked to the Sabres. This time the Sabres hung on and ran the ball to their own 40. Seventy yards later the deficit was cut in half; 28-14. Then it was one, two, punt for Jordan. After good punt return, Sal marched 41yards and was on ABJ’s 13-yard line. From there, a crossing route by a slotback resulted in another touchdown and the score was now 28-21.

Then the true test of character came. On their next possession, the Sabres fumbled and lost the ball at mid-field. The momentum looked to shift again, and they were only a touchdown away from tying the game. However, the defense stopped Jordan yet again. The Scots went to the air and attacked an area they had success with in their previous game with the Sabres. But this time it was not to be as the very same cornerback was in position this time and knocked the ball away. Jordan was again forced to punt. The next play was simply magic. How the Sabres’ tailback stayed on his feet on his punt return is still being debated, but with a little help from his escort, he returned the ball 80 yards for the tying score. The red-and-black shaded side of the stands erupted.

Forced out of their regularly troublesome running game, in their next possession Jordan went to the air again. This time a long pass up the middle came down in the hands of the Sabres’ safety and another drive for the Scots was over. Sal had the ball on their own 35-yard line. From that point, the Sabres methodically moved the ball down field, eating the clock as they went. The drive was kept alive on 2nd and 10 when the Sabres’ composed quarterback found an open, backside receiver for a 14-yard gain. The drive was capped off by a short dive for the tailback’s second touchdown of the afternoon; 35-28. After recovering a Jordan fumble on the kickoff and with the help of some undisciplined play from a Jordan team in shock, the Sabres had possession of the ball for most of what remained of the 4th quarter.

In the first half the Sabres only had 153 yards rushing and 45 passing. By the end of the game they had 478 yards offense with 401 on the ground. Two touchdowns were scored by their fullback, two by their tailback and a fifth by a slotback. Defensively, once they had Jordan figured out, they stopped them cold. The Scots managed only one first-down the entire second half.

The Sabres did it. They weren’t supposed to do it, but they did. A "shocker"? If anyone had done their homework, they would have known that Sal went into the Carr Championship final of 2000 undefeated. They played a St. Albert team which they beat 48-7 in the regular season. St. Albert came out and beat Sal 44-20 to win the Championship. Lesson learned. Now Sal has their 6th Carr Championship banner to hang up.

Congrats Men.

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October 25, 2003
Sabres outrun Falcon aerial attack

While earning a place in the Carr Championship was the intention, surviving the game against the defending provincial champions was the goal. The Sabres had to play half of their offense on defense; not by choice but out of necessity. Sal has played without one starting middle linebacker since the first week of the season, and they were dealt a serious blow last week when their other middle backer was injured. In the secondary, the Sabres were without a starting cornerback and another halfback played with pain. Therefore, the past week of practice was spent re-tooling the defense by shuffling players around and adding in more players from the offense. Apparently, the re-tooling was a success as the crew that took to the field did what they had to in order to win the game.

Offensively, the game plans of the two opponents could not have been more opposite. The Sabres’ option-based offense used time-consuming, methodical drives to move the ball. The Falcons, once they realized that a running game was not an option, took to the air and were effective in moving the ball by large gains at a time. The result was an amazing display of high school football. For Sal, their game included 415 yards of offense; 313 yards of rushing and another 102 of passing. Everyone sitting in the full bleachers received more than their money’s worth.

The game started with the Sabres D forcing the Falcons to punt right off the start. However, a very questionable non-call for no-yards allowed the Falcons to recover their punt inside the Sabres’ 20-yard line. This could have been a disastrous start for the Sabres, but Sal’s defense once again prevented the Falcons from gaining any more yards. This lead to a field-goal attempt, but to the dismay of the Falcons, Sal blocked the kick and recovered the ball on their own 15-yard line. What followed was an impressive 84-yard drive down to Facey’s one-yard line that consumed the majority of the first quarter. However, the Falcon’s defense dug in and stopped the Sabres from scoring. Opportunity missed.

Sal’s next drive ended with success. Starting at the Falcons’ 50-yard line, the Sabres again systematically drove the ball at the Falcons defense, but this time, capped the drive off with a 5-yard run by their tailback to take a 7-0 lead. From that point, things started flowing for Sal. On their next possession, a flawlessly executed option on their first play saw their quarterback dash 49 yards for another score. Then, after the Sabre defense again forced the Falcons to punt deep in their own end, Sal’s tailback returned the punt 55 yards for another score. Up 21-0 after one and half quarters, it looked like the Sabres were going to walk away with the game. But that was not to be the case as the turn-overs began.

The defending champs obviously had a core of players from their successful team of last year as they did not quit in the face of large Sal lead. Once their passing game started to click, there was a shift in momentum. First came a 77-yard aerial attack that made the score 21-6 (PAT missed). This was followed by another 61-yard pass dominated drive that was capped by a 5-yard run. The Falcons had cut the lead to 21-13 and had the momentum at halftime.

Sensing the momentum shift, the Sabres wanted to come out of their dressing room and re-establish their dominance in the game. This would become a difficult task as their first four possessions of the second half were squandered away with turn-overs; fumble, fumble, interception, interception. The entire 3rd quarter was a write-off for the Sabres offense. It was he Sabre defense that was keeping Sal in the game, but the Falcons were bound to eventually take advantage of the turn-overs. Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Falcons started to move the ball again. A 59-yard scoring drive was followed by a two-point convert attempt. The pass was knocked away, but the Falcons were now only trailing by 2 points.

The next Sabre drive stalled at the Falcons’ 24 yard line. Although, not before the drive was kept alive by a beautiful 30-yard catch on a play-action play to their soft-handed fullback. A 31-yard field goal attempt had plenty of distance but was just wide left. The Falcons were still within a field goal of winning the game.

The Sabre defense again stepped in and got the ball back for the offense. On their first play of their next possession, the Sabres once again used play-action and this time a crossing slot-back took the ball outside for a 40-yard touchdown. The Sabres re-established a 9-point lead at 28-19.

With close to two minutes left, time was running out on the Falcons. All the Sabres had to do was run the clock out. However, a two-and-out situation had the Sabres punting in their own end. Fortunately for the Falcons, the long-snap was high and the Falcons had the ball on the Sabres 30 yard line. Once again, the Falcons took the air and a perfectly placed pass landed in the hands of a receiver just inside of the end zone. The lead was cut to 2 points once more. The air was tense during the short-kick off, but it was a Sabre who managed to secure the ball. From that point, Sal managed to run out the clock and stop the fun with a 28-26 win.

This one will go down as a classic between the two rival schools. A highly entertaining game that unfortunately only one team could win. With the victory, the Sabres have secured a spot in the Tier 1 provincial playoffs and will face the winner of the Grande Prairie / Fort McMurray game to be played next weekend. In the meantime, Sal has a date with its nemesis, the ABJ Scots in the Carr Championship game next weekend. Backed by the strength of minor football in the Sherwood Park area, Jordan has once again demonstrated that their program is as strong as any other school’s in the Park. They could easily declare themselves a Tier 1 team for provincials and have success. However, they continue to play in Tier 2 provincials, which means the championship game has no bearing on Sal’s run in provincials. What is to gain is the designation as the best team in Sherwood Park (and the league). This should be another entertaining game.

Game time is 2:30 next Saturday back at Foote Field.

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October 19, 2003
ABJ doubles up on Sal

Just going by the the film, one would still have to agree that ABJ deserved the win. They still have the team speed that can burn you if you make even the smallest mistakes. Unfortunately, Sal made 6 too many.

The first half was not a bad half by the Sabres. An interesting call brought back a 60 yard touchdown on their second touch of the game. Even still, they managed to regroup and score on an impressive drive. If some correctable mistakes did not occur on subsequent drives during the half, the Sabres may have taken a lead into the break. Defensively, gains by the "fly" were kept to a minimum, and they also did a great job taking away ABJ's deadly seam pass. It was only a couple of long throws to the outside at the end of the half, but it was enough to give ABJ the lead at half.

It was the second half where Sal self-destructed. With ABJ scoring on the first play of the second half and taking a 21-7 lead, the Sabres seemed to scramble on defense and move away from their offensive game plan. Fumbles and missed assignments moved the Sabres into passing situations and away from the running game that had success in the first half. Defensively, missed tackles against the Scots usually meant another long run for a touchdown.

Yes, ABJ deserved the win. Yes, Sal did not play very well in the second half. But as far as the film indicates, the lob-sided score of 41-21 did not parallel a mis-match on the field. Both teams are blessed with talent, the Scot's talent simply played better. If Sal can get by Facey, the rematch will be very entertaining.

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October 13, 2003
Thank Goodness for Football

What a great Thanksgiving Day afternoon to play football. A sunny and warm autumn day with a light breeze. Perfect conditions for day of football. On this day, the Sabres were to play the Lindsay Thurber Raiders from Red Deer. However, after being embarrassed by Bev Facey earlier this season, they decided against playing the Sabres. How fortunate for sportsmanship that the smallest team in Alberta stepped up, threw their helmet into the ring, and challenged the Sabres to a game. Ex-Eskimo Chris Johnstone decided that playing the Sabres would provide his program experience playing a Tier 1 team, and so he brought all 14 (yes 14) of his players to Edmonton for an exhibition game.

You could not have witnessed a game with more class. The Sabres, in a position to perhaps hit triple digits, did not. The Wolfpack in a position to injure their opponents, did nothing of the sort. Instead, the Wolfpack played hard against the Sabres who played the bulk of the game with their second team and/or a few players brought up from their Junior program.

Due to the nature of the game, no statistics were kept. The obvious stats for the game were the seven touchdowns and two field goals that made up the score. An idea of what could have been came on the third play of the game when the Sabres returned the first punt of the game for a 50 yard touchdown. This return was called back due to a blocking infraction, however, on the very next play Sal's starting tailback ran the ball untouched for a 35 yard touchdown. That was the last time he touched the ball all game. Three more touchdowns were added before half; two by pass plays and another on another successful punt return. A field goal was also added for a half-time score of 31-0. Three more touchdowns were scored in the second half; including a nice scamper from Sal's starting runningback from their Junior program, another off of an interception, and a final 40 yard run on the last play of the game by the Sabre's second team quarterback. Other highlights included numerous sacks and a second field goal from around 28 yards.

The Wolfpack can be proud of their efforts. They never took a play off. And while their main ball carrier had a hard day running the ball, everyone respected his efforts. The Sabres appreciated the opportunity to keep in game shape during the week between regular season games. A chance they thought was lost when Thurber shied away from their scheduled match. Despite the score, everyone seemed to have enjoyed the game. Players from both teams chatted together after the game, a great demonstration of sportsmanship.

Thanks again Hinton and good luck with your program.

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October 2, 2003
Two points is two points is two points

They say for a team to be successful they have to be able to win the ugly ones. Well, they don't come any uglier than the game tonight against the St. Albert Skyhawks. Under perfect conditions for a football game, the Sabres should have been able to fire on all cylinders. Instead, they sputtered and stalled for the first 44 of the 48 minute game. A game that was scoreless until the third quarter was won in the end by the Sabres 15-8.

Defensively, the Sabres held tough. St. Albert had to work hard along the ground to get first downs, and their passing game was disrupted. The Sabres managed to pick the Skyhawks twice and twice they knocked passes down. St. Albert's touchdown was the result of a 50 yard run up the middle. Their extra point came off a punt that was not returned out of the endzone.

Offensively, there's not too much to describe for the most part. The first few drives were long and well executed and reached scoring position. However, they Sabres failed again and again to put points on the board. During the game, Sal was guilty of three fumbles and lost all three. Sal completed only 5 passes for 61 yards. Add another 196 yards of rushing for a total output of 257 yards.

What was working were their punt returns. With around 4 minutes left in the game and the Sabres still down 8-0, a 67 yard punt return from inside their own 10 yard line got the ball deep into Skyhawk territory. A blatant, objectionable conduct play by a Skyhawk player added another 15 yards on the end of the play. From there, the Sabres managed to punch the ball in with a few running plays featuring a back that did well to find holes. A two-point conversion was successful and the Sabres had tied the ball game.

After halting St. Albert's next drive, the Sabres offense had the ball again with just under 2 minutes left and again the managed to get the ball into scoring position after a 55 yard punt return. However, this time they stalled yet again. So Sal sent out their punter, who "aimed" the ball towards the side of the endzone for a single. With only 11 seconds left, the Skyhawks attempted a screen but the play was well covered and a ball that squeaked through the runningback's hands ended up in the hands of the defensive end. The end managed to run the ball back the 40 yards for a touchdown. The convert was not attempted.

It wasn't pretty, but the Sabres still get the 2 points for the win and remain undefeated. Sal is now 3-0 against Metro League opponents and finish their games against Tier 1 teams with a 5-0 record. The Sabres now have two weeks until before they play their last game of the regular season. Their final game will be against Archbishop Jordan. ABJ who had the bye this week, blew away AOB with a score of 50-1 last week. So it will be a game the Sabres cannot take lightly. However, before they play the with ABJ, the Sal will be playing an exhibition game against the Hinton Wolfpack. The Wolfpack, is a Tier 4 team are looking to gain some experience against Sal. Sal goes into the game looking to fix certain problem areas before taking on the Scots. The game against Hinton is to be played at Foote Field at 11:30 am on Monday, October 13th.

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September 25, 2003
Sabres defeat Facey

The consistency of play was there, but the score wasn't quite on par with previous games this season. With a few holes shot in their feet, the Sabres beat the Falcons 22-15 in front of another full set of bleachers in Sherwood Park's Strathcona Athletic Park.

Another windy evening meant another run-based game plan. The Sabres three rotating runningbacks and their quarterback combined for 260 yards along the ground. However, even in the windy conditions the Sabres still completed 10 passes for 123 yards. A net offensive output of 383 yards should have led to more points but drive-stoppers like the interception on Facey's one yard line kept the score close in the first half. The Sabres also had a 65 yard punt return for a touchdown called back on a blocking infraction that occurred 20 yards behind the play. Defensively, the Sabres completely shut down the Falcons' running attack. Facey's ability to pass was also interrupted a couple of times by interceptions. The Falcons had trouble moving the ball until they hit a quick slant that turned into an 50 pass and catch. After recomposing themselves, the Sabre D managed to stop the two point conversion attempt. So instead of what should have been a 22-6 lead a halftime, was a narrow 8-6 lead (a single point was scored on a punt).

The third quarter went scoreless, but a circus catch on a corner route by a Sal slotback was a definite highlight. In the fourth quarter, the Sabres were able to put more points on the board. A long methodical drive was capped by a 5 yard run for a touchdown that made the score 15-6. Not too long afterward, the Sabres quarterback kept the ball on an option play and dodged and weaved for 61 yards adding another touchdown for a 22-6 lead. But the Falcons did not give up. With the wind at their backs, Facey put their own drive together that involved two amazing receptions by their star receiver. The Falcons managed to get the ball inside the Sabres 5 yard line, but the Sabres defense held on the first three attempts to score. That is until a face mask call gave the Falcons three more chances from the Sabres one yard line. Fortunately for Sal, the Falcon quarterback was pressured to throw an interception in the endzone and their drive was finally stopped.

With less than three minutes remaining, all the Sabres had to do was run out the clock. But they were forced to punt into the wind from their own endzone. Sal's plan was to give up a safety, kick the ball off and have the defense snuff out the hopes of the Falcons. Someone should have told the strategy to Facey, because the ruined the plan by returning the kickoff for a touchdown. With the conversion, the score was now 22-15. Not taking anymore chances, the Sabres sent their starting offense back into the game and that managed to get an important first down and subsequently killed off the clock.

For the fans in the stands, they got their money's worth. However, in the eyes of the Sabres the game was closer than necessary. There were costly mistakes, but not enough for the Sabres to lose the lead during the game. With the interception on the one yard line and the called back touchdown on a punt return, the "shoulda coulda woulda" score may have been 36-15.

Flashes of Facey's ability to pass the ball were enough for the Sabres to take note for the probable meeting between the two programs later this season. That should be another great game. However, to get to that game the Sabres will have to finish well against St. Albert and ABJ, two more good Metro League teams.

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September 20, 2003
Sabres win on the road

Talk about consistency. The Sabres have won their first three games of the year by scores of 36-6 (Ft. Mac), 37-3 (AOB) and now 39-8 against the Warriors of Grande Prairie. Grande Prairie Composite and Sal entered today's game ranked 4th and 5th respectively in the Tier 1 provincial rankings. When Sal scored on their second play of the game and Grande Prairie on their third, it looked like it was going to be a see-saw battle from start to finish. Sal expected it to be especially challenging since they were short two starting wide-receivers, a starting middle linebacker and their starting center. However, after Grande Prairie scored their touchdown, Sal's offense ran the ball all over the Warriors and the Sabre defense did not allow the Warriors to get close enough for even a field goal attempt.

Sal opened the game with a play designed especially for the expected defense of the Warriors. A pass play, which if the ball was not underthrown, would have scored. Instead, the player at the end of the pass had to slow down and was caught from behind, but not after gaining over 60 yards on the play. On the second play, the ball-carrier was not touched on his way into the end zone. But Grande Prairie came right back on their first possession with a couple of run plays and a long pass and run that scored. A single off a punt was the only other score the Warriors could manage. Two of the Warrior drives were snuffed out by interceptions both by Sal's QB/cornerback.

A nagging cross-wind hampered both teams' passing games. Sal had 7 completions by 4 receivers for just over 160 yards. But a passing game was hardly necessary as the Sabres ran the ball for over 350 yards. Four different runningbacks piled on the yards with the Sabres' two QB's contributing close to 80 yards to the total. All touchdowns were via the ground game today, three by the runningbacks and three by the quarterbacks.

Sal's dominance over potential northern provincial opponents bodes well for later in the season. However, they have yet to display dominance in their own league. Such an opportunity presents itself on Thursday when the Sabres meet arch rivals Bev Facey for a regular season match. Sal's historical dominance over the Falcons has been clouded for the passed couple of years as the Sabres have not beat them since the 2000 season. With the Falcons losing to Grande Prairie and the Sabres thumping Grande Prairie, some may predict an easy win over the Falcons. However, Facey's win over ABJ demonstrated that maybe their game against the Warriors may have occurred too early in the season to be assessed properly. It is sure to be an entertaining affair as these two Tier 1 teams go to battle one more time. Game time is 5:00 at the Strathcona Athletic Park.

PS. Thanks go to the Warriors football program for graciously feeding the Sabres after the game.

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September 11, 2003
The Sabres improved their all-time record over Austin O'Brien to 12-1-1

Last night, the Sabres defeated the Crusaders 37-3. Defensively, the Sabres rarely allowed the Crusaders over mid-field. AOB's only points of the game came from a field goal set up by the their longest run from scrimmage. One of the Crusaders' patented misdirection plays worked to perfection, but their runningback was run down from behind before he could make it to the end zone. Eighteen different Sabres had tackles during in the game that saw three fumble recoveries and one interception.

Offensively, the Sabres' passing game continues to develop. The Sabre quarterbacks completed 16 of 25 for 309 yards. Their starting quarterback was 13 of 20 for 229 yards during the first three quarters making way for his back-up who was 3 for 5 for 60 yards. The QB's did a fine job spreading the ball around as 5 receivers and two backs saw passes come their way. None of the receivers had less than 25 yards receiving, with the highest total being 79 yards. The Sabres' three runningbacks added another 169 along the ground and punched the ball over the goal line three times, including the first score that came off the third play of the game. Two other touchdowns were added by the Sabres' passing game. In all the Sabres produced 478 yards of offense. Sal's kicker was 1 for 2, connecting on a 16 yard chip-shot and was only called on twice to punt.

Overall the game started fast for the Sabres, but a 27-3 lead at half may have led to a lack of intensity in the second half. The defense continued to hold, but the offense had a few drives sputter without finishing with points. Next week, the Sabres travel to Grande Prairie to play their second of non-conference games against the Warriors. Last week Grande Prairie beat the defending provincial champion, Bev Facey Falcons demonstrating that they are for real. The Sabres will have to put in 4 full quarters to get by their opponents from the Peace Country.

The Sabres leave for Grande Prairie on Friday, Sept 19 and play the Warriors on Saturday. Sal continues their regular season games against Bev Facey on Thursday Sept. 25 at SAP.

September 10, 2003
Pre-season Success

Over a period of 8 days, the Sabres played 7 modified, short exhibition games and one full, non-conference game. In Hanna's Sun Bowl Sal beat Eastglen (4-1) and Ft. McMurray (2-0), and tied Cochrane (1-1) and Oilfields (0-0). At the ME Lazerte Jamboree, the Sabres lost their first game of the tourney to Eastglen (1-0), tied Parkland (2-2) and beat Sexsmith (4-1).

Sal also played the first of three exhibition games that are part of a non-conference schedule. The non-conference games are played as part of the unofficial northern provincial conference for tier 1 teams. Participating are Salisbury, Bev Facey, St. Albert, Grande Prairie, Father Mercerdi of Ft. McMurray and Lindsay Thurber of Red Deer. Salisbury opened their non-conference schedule against Father Mercerdi with a 36-6 win. Grande Prairie started their season on the right foot by defeating the defending provincial champions; the Bev Facey Falcons.

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