With a 40-14 beating of the R.F. Staples Thunderbirds in the first round of the playoffs last Saturday, the Athabasca Pacers punched their ticket to the championship game against Vermillion.
Coming up against a Thunderbirds team they had beaten twice (and that had recently dealt first-place Vermillion their only defeat of the season), the Pacers knew their opponents would be motivated.
But they made full use of their home field advantage, feeding off the friendly home crowd and once again shrugging off the effects of wintry weather conditions to cruise to victory.
“We pretty much controlled the game from start to finish,” noted Pacers head coach Pete Burden.
With their season on the line, the Pacers played their veterans for the majority of the game, resulting in a 34-0 score with only minutes to go in the game.
That’s when the rookies got some playing time, and though the Westlock team was able to score two touchdowns, the coach was more concerned about getting the youngsters some experience than shutting out the opposition.
When the veterans were playing, however, they made their mark, leading their team to the victory.
“Defensively we were led by Randall Weber; he had a monster of a game with 16 tackles and one for a safety,” said Burden. “Offensively we moved the ball really well. Michael (Pieroway) had a really good game at quarterback.”
For the second consecutive week, the Pacers faced snowy conditions, so once again they shifted the focus from passing to the running game, and once again the transition was a success. This week they wound up with 373 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns on the ground.
“It’s hard to defend against us, because we don’t just have one or two key players. We spread the ball around,” said the coach.
Westlock came to play, but the Pacers proved once and for all that they were the better team this season with their third win in as many games.
“Physically they’ve improved. They’re in a lot better shape than the first time we saw them,” said Burden.
“We matched up well. We did a lot of film study, and we were quite well prepared.”
Now the Pacers turn their attention to the division championship game against Vermillion, the team that has handed them their only two losses of the season. They’ll make the long trip to Vermillion this Saturday.
“We should match up pretty well; hopefully we’ll get a little better weather,” said the coach. “Hopefully they’ll figure they have us beat because they did beat us twice. They execute very well, and their team speed is what we’re up against.”
The Pacers most experienced players will get the call in the big game. If the Pacers win, they’ll move on to the consolation final against the winner of the other division.
“We’ll have to play perfect football.”
