Bantam Cougars defeat Hamilton Hurricanes in Week 1 Action
The Bantams officially opened their season on May 25th with a trip to Hamilton where they met up with the Hurricanes at McMaster University Stadium.
A beautiful sunny day, made perfectly for football, greeted the players as they walked into the impressive stadium to begin their game. The Hurricanes opened with the ball and managed to march down the field for the first score and convert of the game. A sweep right from 46-yards out, then allowed them to cross the goal line.
Early game jitters and first year experience may have contributed to the Cougars opening drive, as they were stopped and forced to punt the ball away. The rest of the first quarter was a defensive battle on both sides, as neither team was able to move the ball effectively.
The second quarter began with a 25-yard run by Chris Vercauteren, breaking tackles and finding his way into the end zone. Colin Hoorlebeck converted the point afterwards, which then tied the score at 7–7 early in the second. Both teams settled down on defence and didn’t allow any other scores in the first half.
The Cougars opened the second half by moving the ball down field, only to turn it over on a fumble. The defense held strong and pinned the Hurricanes deep into their zone allowing the Cougars great field position – first and goal. Wyatt Barnes ran a QB keeper to the right and beat the Hurricanes defence to the cone for the Cougar’s second score of the game. Colin Hoorlebeck converted the point after to give the Cougars a 14 – 7 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter play by the defence for the Cougars kept the Hurricanes off the score board for the rest of the game. David Nethersole had two interceptions, nine tackles and one blocked pass to lead the defence. Austin McCready, Abeeku Paintsil, Dylan Foster and Brad Wild all had fumble recoveries for the other four turnovers of the game. The Cougars showed the Hurricanes their ability to pass early in the 4th as Wyatt Barnes hit Clay Van Erd on two consecutive plays for a total of 78 yards.
Overall, a strong effort was played by all for the opening game win and the start of the 2013 Bantam Cougars season.
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
