The Westlock Thunderbirds football team put one in the win column last Friday night posting a 34-3 win over the Vegreville Vortex.
It was a satisfying win, with the T-Birds coming off a disappointing loss to the Pacers in Athabasca Sept. 7 to open their Wheatland Football League season. Coach Jon Kramer said he was pleased to see the team playing more in line with what he knows they’re capable of, regardless of the score.
“This week I was proud of the score but I was proud of the way we played, too. There were a lot of times when we running the ball and the blocks were there. When we made tackles, there was two or three guys on there and that’s how football is supposed to be played.”
Westlock came out to a strong start against the Vortex, quickly shutting down their offence before successfully marching the ball across the goal line once they got possession — Chase Boyson ran in the first touchdown to put the T-Birds on the board, and a successful conversion made the score 7-0.
In the second part of the quarter, Westlock put a single point on the board with a punt into the end zone, then an interception put the T-Birds on the offence again, with quarterback Brett Snell dodging several tackles to bring the score up to 14-0.
The second quarter saw Snell again running into the end zone, bringing the score to 21-0 with another successful kick. At this point the Vortex began to push, earning a single point for a punt into the end zone and a two-point safety before the T-Birds shut down the fledgling offensive and end the half ahead 21-3.
The second half began on a positive note, with the T-Birds recovering a short kick to go on the offensive, but they struggled to find the goal line. A recovered fumble near the end of the quarter put them back in control, and Snell was able to again run in to score.
The third quarter ended 27-3, and both team appeared to slow down a bit in the fourth.
Nonetheless Snell was able to again run the ball into the end zone, and with a successful conversion the T-Birds ended with a formidable 34-3 victory.
Kramer said while credit should go to Snell for his hard work and keeping his composure, it all boils down to a strong team effort.
“Every given play, it’s 12 people doing their job,” he said. “Like on those pass plays where he ran for those touchdowns, if the front five hadn’t have been there he wouldn’t have had a pocket to sneak out of.”
He also gave a lot of credit to the hundreds of fans who came out, as well as the T-Birds club for putting on such a big event.
“It’s such a wonderful environment here,” Kramer said. “The way the whole game-day experience is done up here, it’s kind of like high-school football in the states to a small degree. It’s a fantastic thing.”
There is, however, a lot of work to do going into the Sept. 21 game against the undefeated Marauders in Vermilion, namely conditioning and endurance. “You can tell we weren’t in good game shape,” Kramer said. “There’s a long way to go to be able to play your fourth quarter just like your first quarter.”
After the away game against Vermilion, the T-Birds will return to Westlock Sept. 28, lighting up the field for a night game at 7 p.m. against the Pacers.
