The Cold Lake Fighter Jets didn’t let the rain dampen their drive.
The team came out on top of the Central Alberta Buccaneers 34-17 on Saturday, July 27.
“The rain delay kind of slowed down momentum that we were having in warm-ups and pregame,” expressed Damen Schaub, team president and slotback receiver. “But, we managed to stick to our original game plan in the second half, keep the ball on the ground, put it into the hands of our rushers and it paid off for us in the end.”
The teams were neck-and-neck throughout the first half. While the Fighter Jets were first on the scoreboard, the Buccaneers would quickly follow and take the lead 14-7.
Before the halfway mark, the home team made a come back to tie it up 14-14.
Defensive back Dylan Neidermier noted the Fighter Jets faced some challenges at the beginning due to the weather.
“Our offence was struggling early on, and the whole game was a defensive showdown. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game with that many picks in my lifetime. It was just a defensive showdown, and our offence came through in the end.”
Although the Buccaneers tried to catch up with the Fighter Jets in the second half, they weren’t able to get ahead of the home team who solidified their sixth win of the season before the clock ran out.
With this victory, the Cold Lake men’s team secured home field advantage in the beginning of their playoffs in August. Schaub said their next game against the Calgary Wolfpack will determine where the rest of the championships are held.
Neidermier added, “That’s what we’ve been gunning for all year. We want to have that home field position throughout the whole playoffs, so this is another step towards that. We’ve got one more game against Calgary that we’ve got to go in and win to guarantee that.”
The team currently sits at number one in the Alberta Football League, however they could fall to second if they lose by more than 10 points in their next matchup.
Schaub never could have imagined the team’s first season would be so successful when he proposed bringing one to Cold Lake.
“I didn’t expect it to go this well. The team’s doing really well right now, but our job’s not done until Aug. 24 when we potentially hit the league finals.”
Neidermier believes the players’ talent and love for the game is why they’ve been so successful.
“This gives us an opportunity, and I think it’s good to have that in the first year as a team because if we were getting our butts kicked, no one would come and watch. We’re coming out flying, and our stands have been pretty much full for each game. For a men’s league, that’s not always the case in a lot of other places,” he detailed.
The Fighter Jets will take on the Wolfpack at Hellard Field in Calgary on Saturday, Aug. 10.
