The Westlock Thunderbirds are 1-0 in the Wheatland Football League after a bittersweet 48-22 road victory over the Athabasca Pacers Sept. 8.
But the win came at a high price as the team lost three players to season-ending injuries in the process — Devon Lemke is out with a torn rotator cuff, Deano Allcock is out with a broken ankle and Patrick Skuban broke his leg.
“Patrick is going to be my right-hand man the rest of the way. I’m not letting him take a day off or nothing,” said assistant head coach Shayne Frith-Smith.
“Everyone did their job. To be successful in football, everyone’s got to do their job and the kids did that.
“It was a nice victory, but it came at a steep price.”
Injuries aside, Frith-Smith said he was happy with how the team played offensively, noting only a few tweaks were needed before their next battle.
Both Shayne Gervais and Curtis Vesely marched into the end zone three times, while Robert Bokenfohr had 21 carries for 297 yards, in addition to putting another touchdown on the board.
One area Frith-Smith said he would be working on is on the defensive end of the ball, noting they let a few points through they should have stopped.
“They kind of bent and broke a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t mind if we bend, but we’re not suppose to break. Also, we gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown, so we need to tweak out special teams a bit.”
Westlock hosts the St. Paul Lions Sept. 15 in their next bout. With Vegreville and Vermilion throwing in the towel already in a league that is shifting week by week, Frith-Smith noted that the Thunderbirds may not meet the Pacers again if the team votes to fold as well.
“I have to tip my hat to Athabasca. They only had 16 kids and they hung tough with us,” he said.
“They’re a gritty bunch. It’s pretty hard to play 12-man football with only 16 kids.”
Kickoff is at 5 p.m. at Westlock Elementary School Field. The club’s opponent for Friday Night Lights has also changed as they will now host the Wainwright Commandos Sept. 22.
