By Nathan Kanter

Crusaders loss to Warman not as bad as score shows

Oct 12, 2016 | 6:27 AM

The John Paul II Crusaders lost their third straight game on Tuesday afternoon, losing 54-12 to the powerful Warman Wolverines and falling to 2-3 on the season.

That being said, the score was not indicative of how close the game could have been.

“I would take the loss we got this week anytime over the last two weeks,” Crusaders head coach Bruce Yockey said. “The O-line did a good job and we were actually moving the ball on the ground for four to six yards a carry.”

Star running back Jacob Stynsky has been hampered by an ankle injury the last couple of games but was ready to go this week. Unfortunately, he was hurt on his first run of the game and the severity is currently unknown.

“He went to cut back and the turf just gave out under his foot, and he fell and hurt his ankle,” Yockey said. “We started having to shift people into positions they’re not used to. That’s the biggest difference. We’re just really thin in a couple of spots right now and that’s what hurting.”

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Turnovers also played a role, as the Crusaders could have cut the lead at the end of the first half to a two possession game, but they ended up fumbling the ball.

The Wolverines went back the other way and scored before the half, pushing their lead to 34-6.

“That’s a big shift in momentum. Our defence was just on the field too long,” Yockey said. “We’re using three or four guys who are playing both directions and it’s just too much. We’ve got to keep our defence off the field a little more and chew up the clock more with the offence.”

Yockey said he didn’t sense any fatigue from his players, even the ones playing both sides of the ball this late in the season, instead saying the weather may have played a factor because it was cold and wet for the entire game.

“Some of our players – Andrew Pyle, Adam Fransoo… they were just soaked from the light snow and the wet field and once the cold sets in some of them couldn’t even feel their hands anymore,” he said.

But Yockey pointed out it’s not an excuse because both teams had to deal with the weather.

“Same thing for Warman, so no excuses at all,” he said.

The situation for the final game of the season is interesting, as technically the Crusaders will make the playoffs, but if they win they get a home playoff game instead of a road one.

“We’d love to host a playoff game so we need to win Friday,” Yockey said. “Hopefully some guys can heal up a few bumps and bruises, and then we’ll have a walk through Thursday with our game plan and hope to be ready to go Friday.

“We’ll do what we do well. We have to establish a run game.”

Friday’s final regular season game is on the road again, this time against the Meadow Lake Spartans.

Last year, JP II beat Meadow Lake twice in the regular season, once at home 52-7 and once on the road, 32-0.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11