NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
McCoy-Eagle Butte Colts back Koby Laychuk-May tries to shake off a tackle after catching a pass during a Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 exhibition high school football game against the Pincher Creek Mustangs at the Methanex Bowl.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The McCoy-Eagle Butte Colts have momentum back on their side.
After dropping a tough 51-6 loss to the Hat High Mohawks to open their Rangeland Football Conference season last week, the Colts bounced back to secure a commanding 42-7 win over the Pincher Creek Mustangs in Saturday’s exhibition contest at the Methanex Bowl.
“We want to try to keep momentum as much as we can, because if you have momentum on your side he’s a good player to have – but he jumps ship pretty quick,” said Colts head coach Darrell Grass, whose squad improved to 3-1 including exhibition games. “It’s great. The excitement in the dressing room is a long-time deserved for these boys. They’ve been working hard for years and they got it together. They’re working hard and they’re reaping the benefits, and they’re starting to get confident. That’s a good thing. The more confidence you have the better you play.”
Grade 12 slotback Haedyn Davies added last week’s loss hit the team pretty hard, but he’s proud of the way they regrouped and rallied to a stronger performance against Pincher Creek.
“We took that loss pretty hard, honestly. It sucked coming here and losing, it always does. But today we proved that we can play with anybody,” said Davies, who had two touchdowns in Saturday’s win. “We’ll be back to play (Hat High) in the Rangeland final.”
Fellow senior Koby Laychuk-May says he’s seen the Colts struggle through more than their share of adversity over the past few seasons, making this year’s group tight-knit and dedicated to turning the ship around.
“We’re a family. I’ve never seen the team come this close together and I’ve been here three years,” said Laychuk-May, adding Grass has been a driving factor in the team’s recent success. “I can honestly say that he’s the best coach I know. His knowledge of the sport of football is just unbelievable.”
Pincher Creek managed to keep things close through the first half, but the Colts broke the game wide open with four unanswered touchdowns in the second.
“Unfortunately, Pincher Creek has low numbers and I think they just got tired,” said Grass. “They’re a good team, they gave us a good run in the first half. Luckily we had a few extra players and had a little bit more gas.”
While they had the numbers, the Colts were still without running back Toras Brooks-Kirsch in Saturday’s win. Brooks-Kirsch has been a catalyst for the offence, however the running back suffered a mild ankle sprain against the Mohawks, prompting Grass to give him the week off.
“He’s a key player for us and I’d prefer having him at 100 per cent than him twisting his ankle again and being out for another week,” said Grass. “We have Brooks next Friday – that’s going to be tough, Brooks is always tough. After that we’re playing Crescent Heights so we need to be healthy. I always want to win, but I’d rather save the players and get them healthy.”
Despite being down a key contributor, the Colts thrived with the ball, striking for four touchdowns in the air and two on the ground – including two from back-up running back Laychuk-May.
“He had his chance and he really shined,” said Grass. “That was fantastic to see. He had a smile ear-to-ear and that’s what we’re here for, to make the boys feel good about themselves.”
Ian Heidinger and Eric Fedechko each found the end zone once to follow up Davies and Laychuk-May’s efforts, while quarterbacks Brady Ulmer and Thomas McCue each threw for a pair touchdowns.
