There’s nothing like a comeback win on the road to instill confidence in a young football team.
That’s exactly what the John Paul II Crusaders did Friday afternoon as they roared back from a 15-point deficit to earn a 28-21 victory over the Martensville Royals, and bump up their record to 1-1 in the process.
“Even though the guys were behind, they knew it was just two deep passes that Martensville was able to connect on that cost us,” Crusaders head coach Bruce Yockey said. “It was still a fairly even game at halftime and we felt like we were in control of things.
“The way that we came back to get win like this was a good step for our team, and we let them enjoy this one that’s for sure.”
One of the adjustments was moving into a shotgun formation offensively, which proved to pay big dividends for quarterback Brady Holhoyi and running back Decklan Wychopen.
“It gave Brady a little bit more time to make decisions and see the field a little bit better, which allowed him to make some really great throws,” Yockey said.
“Our offensive line did a really great job in the second half as well. They really started to dominate the line of scrimmage and they opened up some more holes for Decklan, who’s the type of running back that can turn a three yard play to six or seven yards with his speed.”
The Crusaders defence also turned in a strong showing in the second half as they shutout the Royals offence over the final two quarters.
“We got some really good pressure from our defensive line on their offence, especially late in the fourth quarter when John Panapasa came up with a quarterback sack,” Yockey said.
“Our linebackers were making some excellent tackles as well throughout the game. Andrew Pyle, Latrell Foulston and Brandon Holhoyi were some of the guys that were flying around all over the field.”
The Crusaders will look to keep their winning ways Friday night as they’ll take a trip to Unity to play the Warriors.
“They are coming off a pair of wins against Meadow Lake and they put up a ton of points in both games,” Yockey said.
“Unity a well coached team and they are always a tough team to play again, so it should be a entertaining game.”
