NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Hawk Chase Lefler runs with the ball after receiving a punt in the Hawks 45-0 loss Thursday night at the Methanex Bowl against the Raymond Comets.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Hat High Hawks had a game to learn from Thursday night.
The Hawks lost 45-0 at the Methanex Bowl against the Raymond Comets. Hawks head coach Quinn Skelton said his team uses exhibition games like that to get better.
“We know the calibre and quality of a program like Raymond, it’s not a big surprise to us for them to come in here and do exactly what they did tonight,” Skelton said. “We will learn and get better from it, we will learn how they play at a different speed, more aggression, just better calibre football. We’re not going to get better playing soft teams.”
The Hawks and Comets traded chances in the first half as both teams committed turnovers. But it was all Raymond on the scoreboard throughout as they led 26-0 at the half on the back of three touchdowns, two with two-point conversions and a field goal.
Skelton said in spite of the score he was proud of the defence and how they held their own.
“We left our defence hanging in a lot of ways, we put them in tough positions on the field by not sustaining any drives and special teams didn’t take care of business like we could have the whole game,” Skelton said.
The Hawks have the week to practice before they host their final game of the season on Oct. 14 against the Crescent Heights Vikings. The winner of that game will take first place in the Rangeland football conference heading into the playoffs.
“Exhibition is over now, every game from here on in means something and matters,” Skelton said. “Our game next week will be for first place in our regular league play and then it goes right into Rangeline playoffs, then into zones.
“It’s all real ball now, no more exhibition, we’re playing for keeps.”
The Hawks and Vikings game gets underway at 7 p.m.
