By: Mike Still
Feature photo: Oak Park running back Rhyland Kelly makes a move against Sisler in the WHSFL Division 1 varsity game of the week.
Week two of varsity action in the WHSFL saw plenty of tight contests and thrilling performances. Below is a breakdown of the three games of the week.
Division 1 (Gustafson conference): Oak Park Raiders 25 – Sisler Spartans 13
The Oak Park Raiders (1-1) successfully defended their field at homecoming this past Friday night, defeating the Sister Spartans (1-1) 25-13 in a defensive slugfest. Defensive back Ben Hilton was the player of the game, pacing the home squad with an interception in the second, third and fourth quarter. His second pick was the most critical, occurring while the Spartans were driving into Oak Park territory down 18-7 late in third.
“We were watching the game film all the time, so we were just reading their plays and practicing our coverages,” Hilton said postgame. “Every time, we knew what they were doing.”
The contest’s first touchdown was rather unique. Raiders kicker Niall Reid’s intended field goal went off the crossbar, however Sisler was unable to field the ball. Oak Park defensive back Tyson Wood promptly recovered the pigskin in the end zone to give the home side a 7-0 lead.
The Spartans levelled the score early in the second quarter, courtesy of a 25-yard Steven Koniuck touchdown reception in double coverage. This was the dynamic receiver’s only grab of the game however, as the Raiders secondary held him in check for the rest of the contest. Koniuck also made his presence felt in the return game though, as he was named the Division 1 Special Teams Player of the Week with 95 yards in kick returns.
But the home side would re-take the lead for good on a 30-yard Reid field goal with six minutes to play in the first half. The kick was set up by a 50-yard punt return.
Pandemonium would ensue in the final few minutes of the first half. First, Hilton would record his first interception of the game, taking the ball all the way into Sisler territory. Then, on the ensuing drive, senior Austin Balan would give the ball right back to his squad, picking off a pass from junior Thomas Hubbard. Just when it looked like the Spartans were pulling the momentum back in their favour, they fumbled the ball and Oak Park defensive lineman Grayson Wright recovered. The Raiders would score on the following drive, courtesy of a quarterback keeper from Hubbard to take a 17-7 lead into the break.
The third quarter featured a little bit of deja vu. First, with Oak Park now up 18-7, Hilton would grab his second interception of the game on a third down gamble from the Spartans. But on the next Raiders drive, Balan was able to haul in his second pick courtesy of an impressive diving grab. Unfortunately for the visitors, Oak Park’s defence would once again capitalize on a fumble, with Wright ending up with the pigskin for the second time on the ensuing drive. Sophomore running Rhyland Kelly would put the game to bed shortly afterwards, running the ball right down the Spartans throat while capping off the following Oak Park drive with a major of his own to make the score 25-7.
The 14-year-old had a tremendous showing for the hosts, pacing the offence all game long. He was humble with his assessment of his performance after the contest.
“Honestly, it was just like straight forward football. Just hit the hole and go,” Kelly said. “It was nothing special, no madden plays or anything.”
The Spartans would add a late touchdown courtesy of Balan, but it was too little too late. Despite the score, the CFC 100 athlete was tremendous. Along with his two picks, he recorded 217 yards on the ground on 22 carries and had six tackles.
“I thought we played better than the scoreboard showed,” Balan said postgame. “We were able to move the ball on offence, we just couldn’t capitalize. Defensively we played well. Overall the bounces just didn’t go our way, and we weren’t disciplined enough today.”
Next up for the Raiders is a home clash with the 1-1 Dakota Lancers on Thursday evening. Sisler’s next matchup will be under the lights at Nomads stadium this Thursday, as they take on the 1-1 Garden City Fighting Gophers at 7 p.m. in the McPhillips Bowl.
Division 2 (Bramwell conference): River East 54 – Neelin 6
The River East Kodiaks (2-0) continued to prove that they’re a top contender in division 2 with a commanding 48-point victory over the Neelin Spartans (0-2).
The storyline of this contest was the Spartans strong passing game going up against a stout River East secondary. After throwing for 366 yards and two touchdowns a week ago, the Kodiaks were able to hold Neelin pivot Evan Nachtigal to just 192 yards and a score on Thursday night. His one touchdown occurred on a Hail Mary toss on the final play of the first half, which receiver Kaleb Johnston hauled in from 40 yards out. Despite their 0-2 record, Nachtigal and Johnston have developed quite the connection, with the latter hauling in 307 of the former’s 558 passing yards this season.
River East’s offence was clearly no slouch in this contest either. They went off for 435 yards on the ground, 187 of which came from Kildonan East transfer Deion Nelson. Next week, Nelson will get a chance to face his old team, as the undefeated Kodiaks do battle with a tough Reivers squad that are still looking for their first win of the season. That game will take place this Friday at 4:30 p.m. at River East in the division 2 game of the week. Neelin’s next game is Friday as well, as they take on the 2-0 St. Norbert Celtics at home at 5 p.m.
Division 3 (Currie): Elmwood Giants 45 – St. John’s Tigers 28
It was an offensive showcase on Thursday night at Elmwood, as the Giants (2-0) held off a surge from the Tigers (1-1) to stay undefeated.
Both pivots had a solid day, with Elmwood’s Logan Claeys and St. John’s Myles Kakewash throwing for two touchdowns and close to 200 yards each. The difference in this one came down to the ground game, where Giants running back Evyn Melville continued his stellar start to the 2018 season with 168 yards and four touchdowns. His rushing yardage was more than five of the Tigers ball carriers combined. In two games, Meville has now ran for 382 yards and six majors,
Next up for the Giants is a road tilt with the 1-1 Fort Frances Muskies on Friday afternoon, while the Tigers next game is this Thursday against the 2-0 Churchill Bulldogs in the division 3 game of the week.