John Paul II Crusaders dominate home opener, defeat Meadow Lake 74-14

“In the second half of the game, we were seeing more success running. We saw a lot of success in the first week playing Kindersley in our passing game, and we were able to replicate that again in this game.”

On defence, Pinno was pleased with the improved structure and team play from the season opener.

“I saw more group play rather than individual play. I felt like we swarmed to the ball better. I felt like the effort was higher. But the big one was just getting to our positions quicker. We were very late in the first week to where we needed to be.”

Pinno said that, along with tackling, was the defence’s main focus at practice throughout the week.

“Tackling like crazy. Obviously, one of the most important skills in football. So, between those two, it was a major focus.”

Pinno said the Crusaders used the opportunity to evaluate players at different positions.

“Last week, we had one of our players on offence who we thought would have more success on defence. We moved him into the starting defence group, and we thought he did really well. So, it was more of that rather than different plays.”

The team names an offensive and defensive player of the game after each contest.

“Our offensive player of the game went to Matthew Pyle, who is in Grade 9, and we put him at quarterback for the entire second half and he played outstanding. So, it was awesome to see him be able to run the ball and throw the ball a little bit too,” Pinno said.

“Defensive player of the game, we ended up giving it to Desmond Snyder. He played unbelievably. They both just gave really high effort the entire game. It was awesome to see.”

As the Crusaders turn their attention to Humboldt next Thursday, Pinno is looking for the team to continue its steady improvement.

“We saw a lot of success. There were still a lot of errors made, and we need to make sure that we’re always in the right position every single play to make a play on the ball,” he said.

“Defensively, that’s a team effort. The second that one person is out of position, it’s a major advantage to the opposition. So, we’re just refining right now and making sure that we’re always in the right spots and we can always have a chance to make a play on the ball.”

The Crusaders will look to improve their record to 2-1 when they host Humboldt on Sept. 17.

—

ryan.lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

John Paul II Crusaders dominate home opener, defeat Meadow Lake 74-14

What's Trending