WESTLOCK — The Westlock Thunderbirds are flying high after defeating the Caroline Cougars 57-6 in the Tier 2 league quarter-finals at home Nov. 3.
The T-Birds took the lead early in the game and never looked back, holding a 57-0 lead until the very last play of the game, when in the dying seconds the Cougars managed one touchdown before the final whistle.
It may have been a lopsided win, but T-Birds head coach Jared DeJong said they need to stay focused and ready for their next opponent, the Camrose OLMP Royal, who they will face this Friday, Nov. 10.
“Definitely this was a big deal to win. Having a home playoff game, you want to win … so that was really important and that was our focus,” said DeJong. “We didn’t want to look past anybody, we knew Caroline was going to come and play hard and they did.”
The T-Birds got down to work early and took care of business in the “win or go home” playoff quarter-final, with several players stepping up, noted DeJong, adding now is their chance to take their game to the next level.
“Part of it is, it’s a semi-final now with an opportunity to play in the league final and that’s what we’re playing for next week but it’s also a little bit of retribution,” he said. “We went (to Camrose in early October) and that was our biggest loss of the year, in the regular season. It would be extra sweet to go in and win there to move onto the finals.”
Mother Nature co-operated all season and the first playoff game was no different with great playing conditions, including milder temperatures and no snow to contend with, noted DeJong, adding the win was a full team effort that night.
Although the T-Birds jumped out to a big lead by halftime with a score of 37-0, they didn’t want players to get too comfortable.
“Things can change really fast. We did want to be up big at halftime and then be able to get some of our other kids (out on the field). We wanted to make sure that everybody got a chance to play,” he said. “We got a lot of kids that subbed in the second half and they played to their best. They played with great intensity and that’s what you look for as a coach.”
This week, the T-Birds are practicing three days — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, to prepare for the important semi-final match-up against the OLMP Royals in Camrose.
DeJong said they feel confident that if they play their best and limit mistakes, they have a great chance at a league championship title.
“It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be one of the toughest games that we’ve played all year … I think we feel like if we bring all of our effort, all of our intensity and we play as a team, the best that we know we can … anything is possible,” said DeJong. “I believe that we really do have a shot at a victory next week.”
