Athabasca Pacers – Tier 2 Champions.
The local football team claimed their spot at the top of their division of the Wheatland Football League with a decisive 34-14 defeat of the Vermillion Marauders on Saturday.
Though the Marauders had dealt the Pacers their only two losses of the regular season this year, the local team went into the game in Vermillion on the weekend with lots of confidence, and it paid off as they stunned the home team, besting them on defense and offense on their way to the victory.
The game didn’t start well for the Pacers, as Vermillion scored a touchdown on their first possession, but the local boys bounced right back and led 14-7 at the half.
“From there on, our defense dominated the game,” said head coach Pete Burden.
“We were able to control the ball all day long.”
Having seen the team before, the Pacers knew they would have to contain the Marauders speed in order to be successful on Saturday, and the defense came through in doing just that.
“Our defense did exactly what they were supposed to do. They didn’t allow that big outside run.”
Meanwhile, the offense held up their end of the bargain, pushing the Vermillion defense further and further into their own zone as they kept the pressure on.
The team wound up with 258 rushing yards and 217 passing yards in the victory.
The coach was not surprised to see that his team had what it took to defeat Vermillion, as they finally perfected the game plan they had been trying to use on the team in the past.
“We finally made the adjustments we needed to make right from the start. Everybody stepped up and played really well,” said the coach.
With the win, the Pacers achieved their 2012 goal of winning their division and becoming the Tier 2 champions.
And they did so in front of yet another large crowd of fans, who made the long trip to Vermillion to support their team.
“We had a fantastic crowd. I’d say we had more fans there than Vermillion. And they were real loud and got us going.”
The team will need that support once again this Saturday in their last game of the season; they’ll travel to Bonnyville to meet Tier 1’s Voyageurs in the league’s consolation final.
“They’re very big. It’s going to be a challenge,” said the coach.
“We’ll have our work cut out for us. We have to game plan and work away from their size a little bit. It’s all going to depend on how our offensive line can handle it. We’ll have to work on our blocking assignments, and we can’t make any mistakes. They don’t have any weak links.”
If the Pacers can play another great game of football, they could win their first consolation final in several years. But win or lose, the coach wants to see his team have fun.
“It’s the same thing we’ve told them the last two weeks; just enjoy every minute of it. Make sure that when the game’s over, you have no regrets and gave everything you had. Take it in, and remember it.”
