Royals advance as football playoffs approach

By David McIver

Playoffs loom for senior football teams in the area, while the junior squads will complete their seasons this week.

With a win last week, the senior Rosetown Royals placed first in 2A Conference 1 and earned a bye this week. The second-place Unity Warriors will host the third-place Maple Creek Redmen.

The Royals will host the runner-up from Conference 4 on Oct. 25, or possibly Oct. 24. Conference 4 includes teams from St. Brieux, Viscount, Southey, Lemberg and Carrot River.

With third down and three yards to go in the first quarter, Cale Morris of the senior Rosetown Royals rushes on a quarterback sneak while a Unity Warrior closes in. Morris picked up the first down, helped by a Warrior penalty. The Royals won 49-40, clinching first place in the conference and a bye into provincial playoffs. Photo by David McIver

Cam Swan (7) of the North West Central Wildcats holds onto the football he just caught while being tackled by Phoenix Falcon (25) of the Biggar Blazers in the fourth quarter in Biggar on Thursday. Swan picked up the first down on the play, putting the Wildcats on the Biggar 23-yard line. Two plays later, a Blazer intercepted a pass to snuff out the Wildcat drive and end the game 54-30 for the home team. Photo by David McIver

The Rosetown Junior Royals won the other night game last week, a 92-48 slugfest over the Kindersley Lions on Wednesday. Photo by David McIver

The Royals defeated the Warriors 49-40 in a night game in Rosetown on Friday.

The Biggar Blazers beat the North West Central Wildcats 54-30 in Biggar on Thursday. The Wildcats finished 2-4 for third in 1A Conference 1 and will play the second-place Kerrobert Rebels in Kerrobert on Friday or Saturday for the conference runner-up berth in provincial playoffs. The Blazers, who beat the Rebels in both meetings, finished first.

The Rosetown Junior Royals won the other night game last week, a 92-48 slugfest over the Kindersley Lions on Wednesday. The junior Royals host Outlook this Wednesday to close out their season.

The Plenty Junior Wildcats lost to the Junior Warriors 48-22 in Unity on Wednesday. The Jr. Wildcats travel to Macklin on Friday for a night game.

The senior Royals and Warriors were tied in points. The tiebreaker was points against across the league, said Royals head coach Mitchell Wintonyk.

That included a forfeit by the Eaton Spartans, who were scheduled to play the Royals in Elrose on Sept. 18. The result was entered as a 7-0 win.

With the Royals ahead only 41-40, their defence held the Warriors to third down and four yards to go at the Unity 10-yard line. Joseph Bouclin blocked the Unity punt and recovered the ball in the end zone. With that touchdown and the convert, the Royals held on to win, helped by an interception from Ethan Longworth.

Quarterback Cale Morris rushed for three touchdowns. Boyd Anderson added two more, and Jordan Bouclin scored another on a 24-yard pass-and-run play.

Warriors offensive back and receiver Dawson Grant rushed for three majors and caught a 64-yard pass for another.

“It was a back-and-forth game. The boys played hard. I was really proud of our team,” said Warriors head coach Kyle Clark.

The Blazers had eight Grade 12 players and also “outsized” the Wildcats, said North West head coach Martin McGrath.

Will Summach caught two touchdown passes from Ray Roesch, who “has done well for being in Grade 10,” said McGrath. Roesch was pressed into quarterback service after an Oct. 2 injury to Chase Halter. Roesch rushed for a touchdown, and Cam Swan caught a pass for another.

Complete statistics weren’t available for the Wednesday junior game. Of what was seen, Henry Wiens rushed for one touchdown and returned a kick for another. Xavier Cadieux rushed for two majors. Jett Johnston, Owen St. John, Nixon Dyok, Kix Kampen and Kailer Fuentes each rushed for a touchdown, while Caleb Woudwijk caught a pass for another. Asher Purcell returned a kick for a major.

Emerson Summach scored all of the Junior Wildcats’ touchdowns, said head coach Morgan Rousseaux. The team has remained healthy all season. “Everyone’s been healthy this year,” Rousseaux said.