The Stettler Cougars and Stettler Panthers headed to Sylvan Lake this past Saturday, Oct. 17, to face a solid team and the league champions respectively.
The Cougars squared off against the Lions in the afternoon, with Sylvan Lake starting the game strong with a quick touchdown in the first quarter.
Catching on to their style of play, the Cougars shifted focus to their defence, shutting down the Sylvan Lake’s aggressive runners.
“They caught on to their tactics and made sure that didn’t happen again,” Laurie Myshaniuk, a team spokesperson, said.“Stettler kept control of the ball and were very successful in blocking (the Lions’) passes.”
The game ended in victory for the Cougars, and by a handsome margin of 56-8. At one point, it looked like the Lions would narrow the gap, but the Cougars defense dug in.
“The Cougars’ defense was able to shut down the Lions in the (Cougars’) own 10 yard line, robbing them of the chance at another touchdown,” Myshaniuk said. “The Lions were trying hard to break the wall of the Cougars but just could not do it.”
Panthers take a pounding in Sylvan Lake
It wasn’t a great Saturday for the Panthers in Sylvan Lake, where they faced the defending league champions, ending in a 36-0loss.
“They were bigger, stronger,” said coach Ernie Shirreff. “I don’t know about faster, but they played a very physical game.”
The Panthers were quickly handicapped by the loss of key players to injuries, including a concussion that will sideline half-back David Butterwick for the next game at least, if not more.
“That’s a real loss,” Shirreff said.
The game was 16-0 by half-time, with the Panthers’ defence keeping the Sylvan Lake line from making any gigantic inroads.But injuries and exhaustion from trying to shut down the physically dominant team wore the Panthers out and the game became a “blow-out” by the fourth quarter, Shirreff noted.
“It was a very physical contest,” he said. “(The Panthers) played hard and they played well. That score is uglier than the game was.”
The team is currently tied for third place with Lacombe, who they face this Saturday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. in Stettler.