Richard Froese
South Peace News
The Peace River Prospectors have been eliminated from the playoffs in the Peace Country Bantam Football League.
The fourth-place Prospectors were shut out 37-0 by the undefeated first-place Grande Prairie Broncos in the Horner Cup semifinal game Oct. 28 in Grande Prairie.
Peace River faced a strong challenger in the game, co-head coach Josh Scott says.
“We knew the game was going to be a tough matchup,” Scott says.
“The Broncos are a good team and we knew we had to play to our strengths.”
Still, the Prospectors gave it their best shot.
“Although the score doesn’t reflect it, we came out strong in the first quarter, controlling the ball and marching down the field effectively,” Scott says.
“We were able to keep the Broncos’ defence on their heels but ultimately penalties stalled us.”
He says that was the tale of the rest of the game.
Two Prospectors showed strong efforts in the game, he notes.
“Our quarterback, Noah Reuther, was a great game manager, effectively call out defensive schemes and making necessary adjustments to help the offence,” Scott says.
“Our running back, Alexander Kenny, played his most physical game, constantly busting out on the outside and forcing the defence to chase him down.”
Peace River defence was also tough.
“Defensively, we had lots of players step up and make great stops on second down, forcing punts and turnovers,” Scott says.
In the league final Nov. 4, the Broncos were scheduled to play the Grande Prairie Raiders for the Horner Cup for the top four teams in the league.
Despite the playoff loss, the Prospectors can still look up, the coach says.
“Our season this year was a blast,” Scott says.
“We had new coaches join us which allowed us to work more on an individual group base.”
It was a growing season for the players.
“We enjoyed every week with the challenge to prepare for the game ahead and the players understood the assignment and got to work every day,” Scott says.
“Throughout the season, we could constantly see changes in everyone.
“We went from a young team learning the game to players asking about defence schemes and adjustments they can make to cover.”
Looking to next season, coaches remain optimistic for another strong team.
The Prospectors will lose six players who move up to the high school Pioneers’ team while 16 Prospectors return.
“The pee wee Panthers had a successful season and a full roster, so we are hoping to see that trend continue and hopefully start to translate into numbers for team as well,” Scott says.