Stettler Cougars head coach Ernie Shirreff wants to move onward and upward after the team’s second loss of the season.
The Bantam Cougars hosted the Lacombe Raiders on Saturday, Sept. 13, losing 60-22.
Shirreff said it was a difficult loss for the Cougars, observing that the team’s offense was strong while the defense struggled.
“We weren’t consistent in our efforts,” he said. “That’s what we’re missing right now.”
He noted that Lacombe is one of the league’s top teams and the Cougars are by contrast a young team, “though I don’t like to use that as an excuse.”
While ultimately disappointing, Saturday’s game did showcase the Cougars’ offensive prowess. Noah McKay scored three touchdowns, while Steele Nichols was successful in two out of three converts.
“There were not a lot of good things about Saturday’s game defensively,” Shirreff said. “This was a hard one to take.”
The Cougars will host the Hunting Hills Junior Lightning on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m.
Shirreff was hopeful that the team could pull off an upset against the Junior Lightning, another leading team in the league.
The Cougars have three regular season games remaining. They are sitting at a 1-2 record this season after losing 20-12 to the Notre Dame Junior Cougars and defeating the Ponoka Junior Broncs 37-0.