With a few key players missing on offence, it was the defence that had to be relied on more heavily with it being able to shoulder the load as the W.R. Myers Rebels football team came away with a 13-6 win on the road against Canmore on Saturday.
“Our defence played really well — it was fantastic actually,” said Matt Williams, head coach for the W.R. Myers Rebels football team. “They had a big, strong running back, a quarterback with a strong arm and a solid line, and we were able to keep them relatively in check, except for a few big plays. On offence, I saw some good things happen as well.”
The team was pitching the shutout with a 13-0 lead at half-time before Canmore had some fortune shine on it in the third quarter with a drive that started at its own 10-yard line.
“Their quarterback heaved up a 35-yard pass that was tipped at least three times before their receiver caught it at mid-field to get them out of trouble, and they continued their drive from there,” said Williams of Canmore’s lone major of the game.
“It was a lucky play, but luck is sometimes part of the game.”
With the Rebels offence gasping a bit near the end of the game, as quarterback starter Trevor Marsden was pulled for cautionary reasons, after he took some big hits with a relentless blitzing Canmore team to try and get back in the game, the Rebels’ defence stood tall once again in the waning moments.
“They drove the ball late and got the ball down to about our 30-yard line when one of their receivers was fighting for more yards. Three or four guys went to the ball and stripped it out and we got the ball back and that was the game,” said Williams.
“We had a lot of that all game with lots of guys flowing to the ball and multiple guys getting in on tackles. It was nice to see where we got a few sacks too.”
W.R. Rebels is on the road this week on Friday with a game against Catholic Central on Friday at 5 p.m. at the University of Lethbridge field.