Colts sweep Edmonton scrimmages
- August 06, 2012
Jeff MacKinnon Media coordinator
The Calgary Colts’ one-day exhibition schedule has concluded without a blemish.
Calgary’s junior football team posted a pair of scrimmage victories in Edmonton on Sunday, 21-14 over the Wildcats and 9-4 over the Huskies. The two scrimmages were each of 30-minute duration.
Now comes the real stuff. The Colts turn their attention to two-time defending Canadian champion Saskatoon Hilltops to open the Prairie Football Conference schedule. The Hilltops will be waiting at Gordie Howe Bowl for the Aug. 12 regular season opener.
Colts head coach John Stevens gave the exhibition a positive review.
“We saw a lot of good things,” he said.
“We made a lot of good plays and we made some mistakes. But it did give us an opportunity to evaluate our players.”
Stevens and his coaching staff now have some hard decisions to make. They played 80 players on Sunday but will take 40 on the road to Saskatoon for the first game.
Chris Huband and Cam Fox had rushing touchdowns and Rod Joseph scored on a passing play on a toss from quarterback Derek Cooper in the first scrimmage.
Runningback Chucks Okafor and Jeremy Long, who like Cooper is a returning QB, each had productive half-hours on the ground in the first tilt.
The Colts scored on two of their first three drives. The third was stopped by a fumble.
Marshal Broom kicked a pair of field goals for the Colts against the Huskies, who also conceded a safety when they were pinned back near their goal line and decided against trying to get out of trouble. The other Calgary point came off a missed field goal by Kyle Dubell.
“The offence was dominant in the first game but didn’t have the same dominance in the second game,” Stevens said.
“It will be interesting to go into the film and see what the story was there. But I think for (offensive coordinator Adam) Blasetti and the rest of the offensive coaches there is definitely something to build from for sure.”
Long agreed with the assessment of the offence, saying their first half was better than the second.
“Obviously we’re shaking the rust off and we haven’t played against anyone and we’re getting a bit antsy to play against other teams,” said Long. “We had some mental breakdowns, including myself. But overall I think we played well.”
As far as Saskatoon goes the Colts return to a place where they were beaten 32-3 in the 2011 PFC final on Oct. 23.
Different year, different program, though. The Colts are now under the guidance of Stevens, who St. Francis Xavier X-Men to a Vanier Cup appearance in 1996 and earning CIS coach-of-the-year honours in 1997.
The Colts return home to McMahon Stadium for their home opener Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate.
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