Baker Thompson of the Monsignor McCoy Colts Sr. football team runs down the sideline for a fourth-quarter kick-return touchdown in a 17-15 playoff loss Friday at the Methanex Bowl to the Chinook Coyotes.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Monsignor McCoy Colts Sr. football team fell just short of a miracle win Friday night.
The Colts’ had a 15-14 lead with 55.4 seconds left in the playoff contest Friday but left just enough time for the Chinook Coyotes to kick a short field goal for the 17-14 win.
Baker Thompson scored on a long kick return touchdown and the Colts made good on a two-point conversion for the 15-14 lead. But the Coyotes chipped away down the field until they reached near the end zone to kick the final tally.
McCoy head coach Jole Krassman tipped his hat to both sidelines.
“We got about 20 yards away from scoring at the end,” Krassman said. “That’s a good football team over there, we had a good team. We’re telling the boys to keep the heads up, we played a heck of a game. You lose a playoff game by two points, it’s tough. But we’ve come a long way, and I’m proud of our kids.”
The two teams traded scores in the first half, with McCoy first on the board with a rushing touchdown from QB Carlin Messmer.
Chinook reached pay dirt twice in the second quarter for the 14-7 lead.
Neither team scored in the third and time was ticking down on the Colts’ South Zone chances. They forced a late punt from Chinook, setting Thompson up for his miracle dash down the sideline for the score and two-point conversion.
It’s a resiliency Krassman has asked of his team all season long, and one he was proud to see in their first playoff chance.
“The key to our team has been resiliency. Man, we’ve been resilient,” Krassman said. “We’ve been fighting and we fought right till the end. I’m proud of the boys. You can ask for a better finish, but that’s about as good as it gets for football in Medicine Hat.”
The Colts will play a consolation game next week with the opponent to be determined. Krassman says they’ll look to end the year on a high note.
“It’ll be like every other game, we elevate, we just keep going,” Krassman said. “We’ll try to end it on a positive note and hope to send our seniors off on a good game, with a good finish and hopefully get the outcome we want.”
