AFL: Winning week on and off the field for Buccaneers

Source: Todd Lewis

On May 28^th, the Bucs faced their longtime rivals, the Grande Prairie Drillers, in the first week of AFL football for the 2016 season. Last year, the Bucs were the victors with a 37-14 victory; the Drillers undoubtedly wanted to avenge that 2015 loss.

A notable difference between the 2016 Bucs and the Bucs of old was the offense. Traditionally, the pirates were a defense-reliant team first; on the 28^th, the offense stole the show. QB Brandon Leyh completed 16 out of 22 passes for a whopping 335 yards and 6 TDs. He managed to scamper in for one of his own as well. “Brandon had excellent pocket presence, which allowed him to extend plays,” said offensive coach and coordinator, Dave George. “Our perimeter blocking was a standout as well; the offensive line was physical and nasty.”

Coach “Aussie” Dave is coaching in Alberta for the first time; he played and coached high-level “gridiron” football in Australia for years. When asked about the transition to Alberta football, Dave replied: “Alberta football seems to mimic its people: hard-working, tough, and physical. The transition to the Canadian game has been more of a challenge, though I’m slowly getting there. I’m looking forward to being a part of a rouge, as well as finding out what a rouge is.”

While the Buccaneer offense was dominant for much of the game, the defense laxed going into the second half. After holding the Drillers to zero points at half time, they allowed two passing touchdowns (and two 2-point conversions to follow). The D was firing on all cylinders to start the game – they need to find consistency through all four quarter moving forward. Additionally, there were several miscues and penalties that plagued the pirate crew. “Cutting down on mental errors will help our execution. It’s early in the season so these ehese errors can be explained. But if we’re going to be a championship team, we need to have a championship mentality.”

Regardless, the Bucs had a strong showing in their first action of the 2016 season, trouncing the Drillers 51-16. They hope to continue their offensive momentum and tighten the bolts on a few of the miscues for week two. They travel to Edmonton on June 4^th in order to face the Fort McMurray Monarchs (the team who knocked the Bucs out of playoffs in the 2015 semi-finals).

In addition to on-field success, the Bucs fans and players were able to raise over two truck boxes worth of clothing and toiletries for the Line of Hope charity in Red Deer.

June 11^th marks the Bucs next homegame when they take on the St. Albert Stars. The two teams clash at 6pm on Lacombe’s MEGlobal Athletic Park. The night’s theme is dedicated to the Big Brothers and Sisters – kids and mentors from Lacombe, Ponoka, and Red Deer will be in attendance and repping the BBBS banner.

For more information on the Central Alberta Buccaneers, check out the team’s facebook page, follow @CABucs on Instagram/twitter, and visit www.cabucs.com.