Mohawks boot the Knights
By Ryan McCracken on September 15, 2018.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken The boot came through for the Hat High Mohawks on Friday at the Methanex Bowl. Grade 11 kicker Lachlan Hardiker connected for a pair of pivotal field goals while adding two extra points and a few key stops on defence in his team’s 24-0 exhibition victory over Okotoks’ Holy Trinity Knights. “We came into it thinking it was going to be a hard game. We knew they were ranked higher than us (provincially) but we watched film, we knew everything that was going to come at us, we just executed well,” said Hardiker, adding kicking seemed to come naturally to him as a multi-sport athlete.”I played Team Alberta (this summer) for rugby and I was the kicker there É and I played soccer when I was super young, so ever since then it just came natural.” Mohawks head coach Quinn Skelton says having confidence in a kicker at the high school level can be a game-changing asset, especially in a defensively wrought battle like Friday’s victory. “We’ll take those three points any time we can get them,” Skelton said of his kicker, who also plays defensive back and slotback. “He just gets stronger as an athlete each year. He plays rugby for us in the spring, he plays for the provincial team in rugby and that just transfers over. “We’re just really gifted to have him.” The reigning Rangeland Football Conference champion Mohawks took over a 10-0 lead through the first half on an Elic Ayomanor touchdown and a Hardiker field goal. Holy Trinity took an intentional safety in the third, then Hardiker added another field goal and Tanner Winter punched in a short touchdown run after a blocked kick deep in the Knights zone to push the game out of reach. Holt Trinity took another safety in the final minutes of the fourth to round out the scoring. Skelton added he was thrilled by his team’s defensive performance. One week after holding the McCoy Colts offence at bay in a 54-6 blowout win to open their RFC campaign, the defence responded with a goose egg against an even tougher opponent. “The defence was great. We’ve got a lot of kids with a lot of speed and ability, and a lot of experience out there. I think 10 or 11 of those kids started for us on defence last year too,” said Skelton. “We’re better than we were a year ago on D.” The Mohawks return to the Methanex Bowl Friday to take on the Crescent Heights Vikings at 7:30 p.m. 13
-12
