Brock Letkeman, a 3rd year Midget player (Defensive Half Back) was named as one of Team Manitoba’s captains for their U18 team. Congratulations to Nick & Nikolai for making the team!

Eastman Raiders Atom Black 36 Charleswood Broncos 22 – SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

It was a windy day. The sun was trying to shine but the clouds were keeping us all cool. The assignment? Beating the #1 team in the league – team who had an electronic scoreboard for as long as we can remember – a team with a long standing tradition of winning – a team we needed to beat to be in first place ourselves. What stands out for our young Raiders is a fantastic outing on the offensive side and an unbelievably strong stand on defense to finish the game.

Here are the highlights: We started the game with a bang!! #81 TB quickly found his way into the end zone and #10 Mason kicked a 2 point convert – remember – against a VERY strong wind. (8-0 Raiders) Their #1 had the answer for that and scored the Bronco’s first touchdown – and also made the convert kick (8-8) The ball came back to us and immediately went to #81 TB and again and after some serious cut backs, dancing to get through and plain old shaking tackles it was another major score for the Raiders. (14-8 Raiders) Their #22 bobbled the football but managed to get ahold of it and scored. (14-15 Broncos) On their next possession #50 Daniel had a huge tackle for loss of yards. In spite of the spot, their #25 powered his way into our end zone for a TD. (14-22 Broncos) #10 Mason, with yet another clean hand off from #15 Tyson Koop scored. (20-22 Broncos) And a nice short toss from #15 Tyson to #10 Mason and we had the single point. (21-22 Broncos) A fantastic short kick by #18 Carson and a big tackle by #8 Parker for a loss of yards ended the first half.

Second half, the Raiders’ coaching staff made the switch, #53 Caleb F. to offence, #81 Tyson B. to defense and we were ready to go!! #10 Mason ran behind some key blocks for his 2^nd touchdown of the day and had to run about 50 extra yards to get the extra point. (28-22 Raiders) #10 Mason added a 70 yard run, getting out of tackles all over the place and multiple Raiders throwing out blocks to open lanes for him.  #40 Paxton Koop after a number of carries and first downs, let out a serious yell and planted their defender on his butt and #10 Mason saw the hole and ran right through into the end zone. (34-22 Raiders) The 2 point convert was good by #10 Mason, with an excellent snap from #6 Anthony to #15 Tyson for the hold. (36-22 Raiders) Our defense took to the field again and #4 contained the runner so that #6 Anthony could finish him off… and SO impressive, the entire defense held them off for a HUGE turnover on downs!! No points for the Broncos in the 2^nd half!!! #10 Mason’s “best run of the day” according to Coach Koop came next as he literally battled the defenders to get the 10 yards we needed for a first down to keep the ball moving in our direction! And just to put icing on the cake — #82 Taran Harder came up with a MASSIVE interception to stop their drive and put the ball back in our hands. And since we’re on the topic of great defense, this might be a good place to say, that this had to be #50 Daniel Galessiere’s best game of his career. He was making every tackle, staying on his feet and going low. I didn’t write down every tackle he got because it just got to be too many. Way to go.

Eastman Raiders 61 Nomads South 25 – AUGUST 18

So, the game started off just the way Coach Marlin said it would. An “on-side kick” by them and we needed to get it!! Well, we didn’t. Luckily, one play “does not a complete football game make”. 🙂 And the Raiders were motivated to make the rest of the game better. Here are some of the highlights: Defense gave offence a chance to get on the field when #6 Anthony recovered a Nomads fumble and the Raiders answered back with a 40 yard run by #10 Mason! Some strong blocking by #40 Paxton, a 9-yard run by #15 Tyson K, and a key block by #81 Tyson B to get us a first down – all led to us getting our first touchdown – #10 Mason running up the left side of the field. YEAH!! (6-0 Raiders) Their #4 proved to be VERY fast and before we knew it, they scored. (6-6 Raiders) The ball came back to our offence and #81 TB made a statement by running 50 yards – a great stiff arm along the way. #10 Mason added another touchdown. (12-6 Raiders) The snap by #6 Anthony was ‘on the money’, super hold by #15 Tyson K and #10 Mason kicked it through the uprights for the 2-point convert. (14-6 Raiders) Our defence joined forces and stopped their offence in the backfield and turned the ball over on downs – giving us GREAT field position. #15 Tyson K took one for the team and got flattened as he blocked for #10 Mason – another 1st down! #81 TB really stepped up his blocking game allowing #10 Mason to cross the goal line again. (20-6 Raiders) Serious work by our offensive line – #91 Jayden, #97 Joe, #71 Caleb, #40 Paxton — otherwise known as “THE WALL”!! Defence took their turn on the field again and #50 Daniel Galessiere, in his first game of the season with the Raiders, broke through the line like a pro! #82 Taran pitched in with a great tackle up the middle. Their offence found a small crack in the defence and crossed the goal line (20-12). They converted (20-13) and our offence took the field to get some points back. That’s exactly what they did, blocking #10 Mason to a touchdown. (26-13). The single point convert was successful putting the score at 27-13. #81 TB ran hard for his first touchdown of the game (33-13) and a beautiful #15 Koop to #40 Koop pass got us the single point conversation we were looking for. (34-13) Their offence was gaining a little speed, but #50 Daniel stopped their best running back, #4, with a fantastic tackle. #53 Caleb F had a couple GREAT tackles and our offence was back on the field. #2 Marianna chipped in with a FAST 40 yard run with her teammates blocking her all the way down the field. Awesome team work!!

The second half continued in the Raiders’ favour. The Harder boys, #82 Taran and #17 Kyler were like book ends on the D-line and #4 Matthew matched his number with theirs and wrapped up their #4 for a great stop. #8 Parker continued to put on GREAT pressure with a huge stop up the middle. #33 Zach was a snapping machine and #91 Jayden was having some fun pushing guys, bigger than him, down to the ground, “I just got my 3rd guy down – yeah!!”. (40-13) #22 Logan hunted their man down for a touchdown saving tackle and #17 Kyler took his turn at stopping their best. They did manage to find the end zone another time (40-19) but just couldn’t convert – so the score stayed. #17 Kyler got his try at running with the ball on the kick return and made the most of it – running 30 yards!! #10 Mason ran 40 yards off of a toss from #15 Tyson K for a touchdown. (46-19) The kick was good!! (48-19) #64 Kade directed the runner right into the hands of #6 Anthony and then, #64 Kade followed that up with a serious one-on-one solo tackle — at that moment he was our last line of defence and he came up with his best tackle of the season for sure. #6 Anthony BUSTED through the line for a QB sack and #8 Parker threw in a big tackle and showed GREAT pursuit! They managed to score on the next play. (48-25) Then, the Raiders offence took over again — #40 Paxton went on a bit of a blocking tear, taking down 3 guys as #10 Mason ran 50 yards down the field. #81 TB ran the last leg for a touchdown. (54-25) Back on went the defence — #82 Taran finished a big tackle, #17 Kyler won a foot race and took the next guy down and #6 Anthony recovered yet another forced fumble and the Raiders were ready for more points. #97 Joe was SO solid on the line, all game, and with protection like that #10 Mason was able to break free for a 60 yard touchdown run. (60-25) #2 Marianna raced into the end zone with fast feet (61-25) and #81 TB got a chance to tackle their #4 on the kick return.

And THAT was THAT!! A superb team effort and lots of fun to watch. Good job boys — we are proud of the result but even MORE proud of the effort and your never give up attitude!!! You are prepared and you are passionate — pretty tough to beat that combination — OBVIOUSLY!!! GO RAIDERS GO!!!

The Raiders Midget team went into Week 2 coming off a 34-22 victory in their season opener against Pembina Valley.  The Raiders were on the road in Transcona on Saturday, taking on the Nationals (0-1) in their home opener.  A series of mis-cues led to the Nationals taking over the ball inside the Raiders 10 yard line, with the defense coming a yard away from holding the Nationals to a 3 and out.  The Nationals would lead 7-0 until the Raiders QB Greg Plett (#4) would hook up deep with WR Patrick Bissonnette (#1) for the first TD of the game.  The Raiders went for 2 to try and take the lead but mishandled the snap.  The Nationals took a 7-6 lead into half-time.  In the 3rd quarter the Nationals took advantage of a mistake in coverage which led to their 2nd touchdown, and gave them a 14-6 lead in the 3rd.  The Raiders offense for the 2nd week in a row found themselves in a situation where they needed to find a response, and once again they responded.  Mid-way through the 3rd quarter Greg Plett once again found Patrick Bissonnette deep behind coverage and connected with another deep ball for the Raiders 2nd TD, the Raiders would miss the 2 point conversion to tie it up, and trailed 14-12 going into the 4th quarter.  The Raiders continued their comeback in the 4th, once again Greg Plett would find Patrick Bissonnette, this time only a 10 yard pass, but Bissonnette broke a tackle and out-ran several Transcona defenders turning a 10 yard pass into a 55 yard TD pass to take the lead 19-14.  The Raiders defense which had held strong all day forced their first turnover with a tipped pass being intercepted by Raiders Safety Austin Ridge (#24).  The Raiders would take advantage and Greg Plett continued his big day passing, this time finding WR Shante Murdock (#81) also deep behind coverage, connecting on a 50 yard TD strike to extend the lead to 26-14.  Down by two scores the Nationals were forced to go to the air and the Raiders capitalized as Raiders CB Brett Lussier (#38) would make back-to-back interceptions in the final minutes of the 4th quarter to eliminate any chance of a Nationals comeback.  The Raiders would hold the 26-14 lead for the win.  Raiders QB Greg Plett finished the game with 320 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, Patrick Bissonnette had 175 yards receiving and 3 TD catches, Shante Murdock had 120 yards receiving with one TD.  While the Raiders running backs were not involved in the scoring, they did contribute for over 100 yards along the ground.  Austin Cateller, the MFLM’s rushing leader after Week 1, added another 71 yards on 10 carries, FB Marc Kirouac added 36 yards on 7 carries, and Zack Hazlehurst added 31 yards on 3 carries.  Defensively Brett Lussier had 2 interceptions, Austin Ridge had 1 interception, and defensive lineman Ian O’Connor led the defense in tackles with 10 total tackles.

The Raiders (2-0) continue their string of road games next week as the team travels to Stonewall, MB to take on the Interlake Thunder (1-1), kickoff is at 12:30 pm.

Eastman Raiders Bantam vs Charleswood Broncos Bantam

The previously powerful run game of the Raiders was stymied by a tough Broncos defensive front as Eastman dropped to 1-1 on the season following a 48-16 loss to Charleswood.

In their week one start against the Nomads, the Raiders were able to rack up 432 yards on the ground. Against a much stiffer Broncos defence, the early dominant running of Tyler Neufeld, Patrick Maendel and TJ Will was held to a very quiet 89 yards.

The bright spots in the losing effort for Eastman were some well executed pass plays and some forced fumbles in a fairly solid defensive outing by the Raiders. The majority of the Charleswood points would come from big plays. An 80 yard  touchdown romp with 6:27 left in the first half by Broncos number 20 and an interception returned for a touchdown deep into the third quarter put the game out of reach for the Teal and Black.

The Broncos opened the scoring with a long run down the sideline for a touchdown. The Raiders answered back in the next couple drives after Tyler Wiebe energized the crowd with a 20 yard punt return setting up a 40 yard touchdown pass to Roch Tetrault. The score would remain 8-6 in favour of the Raiders for much of the first half as the defensive units for both teams tightened up. A couple fumble recoveries by Eastman would give the team hope as the game progressed but the Charleswood defence would prove to be too much for the Raiders offence to break through.

GAME STATS • Eastman Raiders Broncos 48 Raiders 16 18 August, 2012

OFFENSE

Passing Comp Att Pct Int Yds Avg Long Rate TD XP 1/2 4 7 .571 2 74 10.6 40 135.9 1 0/0

Rushing Receiving Att Yds Avg Long TD XP 1/2 Rec Yds Avg Long TD XP 1/2 28 89 3.2 44 1 0/0 4 74 18.5 40 1 0/0

Fumble Scoring Fum Lost Pts TD XP 1 XP 2 FG Sfty 1 0 14 2 2 0 0 0

DEFENSE

Tackle Tackle For Loss Sack Misc. Defense Solo Ast Solo Ast Yds Sfty Solo Ast Yds Sfty PBk QbH 12 16 2 1 16 0 0 1 7 0 2 3

Interception Fumble Int Yds Long TD XP 1/2 Fcd Rec Yds Long TD XP 1/2 0 0 0 0 0/0 0 2 7 5 0 0/0

Blocked Kick BlkPnt BlkFG BlkXP RcvPnt RcvFG RcvXP Yds Long TD XP 1/2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punt Punt Return Att Yds Avg Long In20 Blk Att Yds Avg Long TD FC 7 182 26.0 34 0 0 4 30 7.5 19 0 0

Kickoff Kickoff Return Att Yds Avg Long TB OB OSK Att Yds Avg Long TD 3 91 30.3 31 0 0 0 7 75 10.7 19 0

Field Goal FGM FGA Pct Long Blk 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Extra Point XPM XPA Pct Blk 2 2 1.000 0

Eastman Raiders Bantam 30 – Nomads 14

An 83 yard touchdown run by TJ Will cemented a 30-14 victory for the Eastman Raiders as the 2012 football season began on a beautiful summer Saturday morning at AD Penner park.

Crisp white lines on lush new grass and a brand new scoreboard welcomed fans to the Raiders home opener. The Eastman team looked ready and eager and the defense was able to come up big on the Nomads first drive, forcing a fumble recovered by defensive standout, Graham Cruise. Cruise would go on to intercept an errant Nomads throw with 32 seconds left in the second quarter. The Raiders were unable to convert though on the turnover on the last play of the half.

The Nomads scored first with a long run outside with Eastman answering back within minutes as Patrick Maendel exploded through the defense on a 50 yard touchdown run. Then, with 7:21 left in the half, quarterback Tyler Neufeld called his own number for a 3 yard TD.

The Nomads came back at the Raiders but were shut down by the massive form of Cyrus O’Connor as he wrapped up the ball carrier for a loss on third and one.

Despite a blocked punt by the Nomads, the Eastman Raiders would remain up 18-6 at the half.

Sloppy offensive play, turnovers and penalties defined both teams play to start the second half. The Raiders defense were able to hold as the Nomads were pushing into Eastman territory at the start of the fourth quarter. Then with 7:53 left in the game, the Teal and Black came up big recovering a Nomads fumble.

The 83 yard TJ Will romp and a last minute 17 yard touchdown by Patrick Maendal would seal the win for a very amped up Eastman Raiders team.

First Half

The very first play of the game resulted in a touchdown for Raiders as #86 Tyson received the kickoff and ran 60 yards. Raiders were unsuccessful at the convert.  Mustangs #30 got the touchdown on the next play, and were unsuccessful as well at the convert.

Raiders with possession of  the ball saw #12 Dylan run 20 yards before being tackled. #80 Gavin received the handoff and carried the ball another 20 yards. Next play saw #7 Kazden with some pretty sweet moves that brought him just shy of the end zone.  Raiders Touchdown scored by #80 Gavin. Successful convert received by #7 Kazden.

Kick off by #86 received by Mustangs, Mustangs lose yards as Raiders #12 Dylan with a great tackle.  First down by Mustangs resulted in a great tackle from Raiders #7 Kazden. Great defensive play by the Raiders, gave Mustangs their 3rd down at the 20 yard line.  Mustangs #40 ran 60 yards for the touchdown. Unsuccessful at the convert.

#80 Gavin received the kickoff from the Mustangs and ran 10 yards before being tackled.

Half Time

Second Half

Touchdown Mustangs #40 who ran 40 yards. Failed convert.

Kickoff received by Raiders #7 Kazden who was tackled at the 30yard line.

Hand off to #23 Bauer intercepted by Mustangs player #83.  Tough defence by Mustangs. 3rd down for Raiders.

TOUCHDOWN Raiders #86 Tyson who ran 60 yards. Failed convert as MUstangs #86 tackled #99 Jonah of the Raiders just short of the end zone.

#40 ran length of the field for Mustang Touchdown. Unsuccessful pass resulted in a failed convert for Mustangs.

Kickoff Mustangs received by #29 Khanya who was tackled at the 30yard line.  #10 Caleb of the Raiders fumbled the ball, Mustangs intercepted, possession Mustangs. #40 scores another Touchdown for Mustangs.

#99 Jonah recovers fumble by the mustangs. Kickoff from Mustangs received by #51 Christian, who gets immediately tackled by ALL of the mustang defensive line.

#23 Bauer takes the hand off from #80 Gavin and runs 40 yards before being tackled. Unsuccessful handoff to #29 Khanya for the final play of the game.

EASTMAN RAIDERS 52 CRESCENTWOOD GRIZZLIES 12

It was a pretty breezy day and young #81 Tyson B. came up to me before the game and said that his goal was to get a touchdown in his first game playing offence in Atom football. Well, he did that and more. In fact, his first run was a 40 yarder for a touchdown. (6-0 Raiders) That got the ball rolling in the right direction and here we go. #8 Parker had a big tackle on their kick return and #82 Taran stopped them solid on the line of scrimmage. #22 Logan had a solid catch on the kick and returned it well. #2 Marianna pitched in with a fast 1st down run. #81 TB recovered a fumble and gave us the ball back. #40 Paxton got some serious speed going and fired the butt crack play right up the middle and followed that with some great blocking to get #10 Mason over the 1st down marker. The ball went back to the Grizzlies until #8 Parker forced another fumble and recovered it – to which you could hear Coach Lepp with a resounding, “See how he was HUNGRY FOR THE BALL?!?!?!?!?” We were hungry for more touchdowns — and #81 TB got his second touchdown on the day with some key blocks by #10 Mason. On the convert kick, the snap went a little low, #15 Tyson K. had a great pick up and pin to help #10 Mason kick it through the uprights for a big 2 point conversion (14-6 Raiders)

They got the ball back but were stopped with a huge solo tackle up the left side by #64 Kade Lepp. #6 Anthony stopped the quarterback in his tracks and #8 Parker followed that right up with a hug tackle to turnover the ball on downs. Our offence was on again. #10 Mason took the ball 65 yards for a touchdown (20-6 Raiders) — thanks to some HUGE blocking by our offensive line — protecting our quarterback and our handoffs all game long! #10 nailed the kick through the uprights for 2 more points. (22-6 Raiders). On the kick off, #15 Tyson K. had an amazing shoe string tackle to stop their return, and if I remember correctly the Grizzly was slow to get up. Next #82 Taran took a turn at a fantastic low tackle and then, #8 Parker hunted another Grizzly down for a tackle. Great defence boys – so much fun to watch!! But wait, the defence wasn’t finished yet — #31 Caleb pursued the quarterback and #64 Kade finished off the tackle for a huge turnover on downs.

Offence came in ready to go. #22 Logan had a super block to help his brother, #10 Mason a 35 yard run a big first down. The work of #71 Caleb, #91 Jayden and #33 Zach did not go unnoticed as our quarterbacks remained untouched the entire game!! #3 Nyk, great run on the reverse play and then, TB and TK put on an acting display as they sold both teams on the fake and #15 Tyson K. just waltzed into the end zone for 6 more points. (28-6 Raiders) TB added a nother touch down run, slid out of a few tackles and it was 34-6, just like that! #17 Kyler got his best hit of the game in just before the 1^st half ended and #4 Matthew saved the score with a solid tackle to stop what could have been a huge run!!

The 2^nd half continued much like the 1^st – especially after Coach Marlin reminded us all that the first half means nothing if you don’t play just as hard in the second!! The boys listened and went out there like it was 0-0. Tackles by #64 Kade and #17 Kyler and then a fumble recovery by #8 Parker got the 2^nd half rolling in our direction!! A MASSIVE stand on defense to turn the ball over on downs and we were headed to their end zone again. #15 Tyson K. completed a 10 yard pass to #40 Paxton and after that first down, #10 Mason was “gone” as he ran 90 yards for the touchdown. (40-6 Raiders). A big tackle by #3 Nyk came next, and with great pressure, #8 Parker got himself ANOTHER fumble recovery. Offence came back on the field and #81 TB had a great 60 yard run for a touchdown and not too long after that #10 had an amazing run – with changes of direction, twists and turns, slipping out of tackles – all for a 45 yard gain when we really needed it! (46-12 Raiders). A great snap by #33 Zach – right to #81 TB to add another 6 to the score (52-12) and the game was just about over… but not until #6 Anthony had a strong tackle up the middle to force a third down for them, #31 Caleb tackled to deflect their player in #6 Anthony’s path and #71 Caleb P. had a great push at the end to clear the way for a run up the butt crack by #40 Paxton.

Congratulations boys!!

Let’s keep working hard every day so that we can see results like that more and more often!! Well done!!

Eastman Raiders Teal Defeat the Lions  36-6

The game started off well with an early sac from Isaac Dokken #87. Riley Karlenzig #54 pushed hard for a first down and the drive was completed by Avery Penner #5, creating an early lead for the Raiders.

Later in the same quarter, Tristan Neiman #58 stopped a potential touchdown just before the end zone. #98 Payton Esau sacked the Fort Garry quarter back, while Corbin Azure #48 stopped the next touchdown attempt. Fort Garry’s drive was cut short by number #87 Isaac Dokken sacking the quarter back and the offense retook the field. Shortly after, Isaac Dokken #87 made a spectacular 70 yard run for a touchdown. The conversion failed.

Finishing off the quarter were sacks from both #87 Issac Dokken and #27 Kelbyn Doerksen , and a 30 yard run by Avery Penner #5 before he was brought down.

In the beginning of the second quarter, #98 Payton Esau dove deep into enemy territory and found a hole to score a quick touchdown. The convert failed.

The defense then put up a noble effort, but was out manoeuvred by Fort Garry who managed to score. Raiders intercepted the convert attempt robbing them of the extra point.

The offense fumbled the ball in the second quarter and Fort Garry grabbed it and ran, but the ball was called back because of a horse collar penalty.

Zachary Howe #21 made an excellent tackle takedown after a Fort Garry toss, and Kelbyn Doerksen #27 was not faked by a double reverse, making the tackle while almost everyone else was on the other side of the field. A sack by Isaac Dokken ended yet another drive short for the Fort Garry.

The half ended with an excellent long distance run by Sawyer Thiessen #9.

The third quarter saw an early Raider fumble with Fort Garry returning the ball all the way to the end zone. It was called back, however, due to a Holding call.

Later, Sawyer Thiessen #9 found a huge hole after a deceptive fake by Raider offense, allowing him to run in for a touchdown. This time the ball was run in for the extra point.

With one second left in the quarter, Isaac Dokken #87 ran the ball in yet again. The point after attempt failed.

In the fourth quarter, Kelbyn Doerksen #27 broke through Fort Garry’s front line and made a huge knock down of the ball carrier, epitomizing the excellent defense shown on the field by the Raiders.
The winning touchdown of the game first saw Avery Penner #5 running the ball near the end zone. With the addition of extra yards from a Fort Garry Horse collar penalty, Sawyer Thiessen #9 was able to run the ball in. There was no extra point.

Defense managed to hold off the Fort Garry offense after a small breakaway, forcing a turnover.

RAIDERS THEN RAN OUT THE CLOCK TO CONTINUE THEIR PERFECT SEASON !!

Eastman Atom Raiders Teal 33 vs. St. James Rods 0

Sunday proved to be a great day for football; definitely not too hot, a slight drizzle to make it a true football experience, but a comfortable day for fans to enjoy the season home opener.  Although our boys were nervous for their first game….they came out ready and willing to play hard.

The game began with a bang!!!  Isaac Dokken had a fantastic fumble recovery on the opening kick-off, putting us in great field position for our first drive of the game.  On 3^rd down, Sawyer Thiessen ran for 14 yards to gain a first down, setting the team up for the next play – a 30 yard touchdown run by Avery Penner.  And we were on the scoreboard.  (And a beautiful scoreboard that is!!!)

The first quarter saw our powerhouse defense shut down the Rods.  Isaac Dokken  and Payton Esau led the defense and were forces to be reckoned with…continually forcing 3 and outs and providing our offense with great field position.  Riley Karlenzig had an amazing 40 yard run to score our second touchdown, with Sawyer Thiessen providing the convert.  Payton Esau recovered the kickoff, setting up our offense to score our third touchdown of the quarter.  Avery Penner fought off many defenders and “pinballed” to gain 33 yards.  Jayden Martens then ran the ball into the end zone.  Payton Esau stiff armed his way to make the convert, making the score 20 – 0 after the first quarter.

Our defense continued to smother the Rods during the second quarter, with Kelbyn Doerksen, Nathan Edwards-Schure and Tristan Neiman all making great tackles to keep the Rods out of their red zone.  Our offensive line continued to provide a great “wall” of blocking, with Zachary Howe snapping the ball consistently.  This enabled our offense to score yet another touchdown – Anthony Flaming had a great 15 yard run on second down to set up Sawyer Thiessen for an 8 yard quarter sneak into the end zone.  Sawyer Thiessen completed the convert pass to Jayden Martens, making the score 27 to 0 at half time.

The Rods regrouped after the half, and their defense made it more difficult for our offense to score in the third quarter.  Our defense continued their great tackling to keep the Rods off the scoreboard.  One last touchdown was scored in the 4^th quarter by Isaac Dokken’s 28 yard run.

What a great start to the season, boys!  A pleasure to watch you all working so hard!

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Eastman Raiders                        34
Pembina Valley Cornhuskers   22

The Raiders Midget team travelled south to Winkler, MB to open their 2012 season on the road against the Pembina Valley Cornhuskers.  With high expectations the Raiders were looking to start the season off with a solid win, while the Cornhuskers kicked off their 3rd season in the MFLM still in search of their first win in club history.  The Raiders stumbled out of the gate early which eventually gave way to an early 8-0 Cornhuskers lead in the first quarter.  The Raiders were able to get things back on track going into the 2nd quarter and a 48 yard TD strike from Raiders QB Greg Plett (#4) to WR Patrick Bissonnette (#1) helped spark the offense as the Raiders stormed back with 22 un-answered points in the 2nd quarter with TD’s from RB Austin Catellier (#30) and FB Marc Kirouac (#29).  The Cornhuskers were able to put up a last second TD with only seconds left in the 2nd, making the score 22-13 at half time.  Miscues again victimized the Raiders to start the 3rd quarter, and an early turnover eventually gave way to a third Cornhuskers TD as they pulled within 2 points making the score 22-20.  A conceeded safety and a 30 yard field goal from Raiders kicker Leo Sawatzky (#3) gave the Raiders a 27-20 lead going into the 4th and final quarter.  The Raiders ground game was able to grind away at the Cornhuskers defense, and eventually Raiders FB Marc Kirouac (#29) would score his second TD of the game on a 14 yard run to give the Raiders a two score lead, 34-20.  With time running out and the Cornhuskers options on offense narrowing, the Raiders turned up the heat with their pass rush, resulting in a handful of sacks that would keep the Cornhuskers offense from mounting any comeback.  The Raiders would conceed a safety late in the 4th but that was the only scoring the Cornhuskers would get as the Raiders took their first victory on the road 34-22.  Next weekend the Raiders (1-0) travel to Winnipeg to take on the Transcona Nationals (0-1), the game kicks off at 12:30 pm.

Likely the hottest game that we will have to play this year, but the boys kept going!  #7, Cazden Harder, started off the game with a fantastic tackle.  What a strong start!  Then 4 guys joined forces to bring down Fort Garry’s #3. What great team work!  Still int he first half, #12, Dylan Witty took a big hit and had to get help off of the field.  Just a bit of time, and he was back in the game though.  #51, Christian Laur threw a super block inthe end of the first half; that’s what I’ m taking about!

#51, Christian, was now on his game, so he started out the second half with some great cover at kick off.  The team was really starting to mesh now, having figured out both some offense as well as some defense, adn now putting it all together.  The last play of the game was afantastic way to end, on a very positive note, with #7, Cazden Harder making a great run through a bunch of Lions, gaining us 10 yards, and a feeling of victory and excitement as we enter the season.

Our second go at this game looked a little different, as offense stepped up this time.  #12, Dylan Witty powered through a block and had a great first run!  Then again, he gained 25 yards as he rant he ball once more!  #29, Khanya Magonya joined in fun, as he broke through a block to get a first down!  And then…..our team’s first touch down of the season was run in by # 12, Dylan Witty!!  What excitement!  Our first half finfished off with #25 – Damon Gillings wrapping up a Nationals player and taking him down!

Second half started off with a couple of boys, #7Cazden Harder and Bauer Kasdorf, jumping into their defensive postions and each getting in a great tackle.  Then it turned around and #7, Cazden Harder had a great run.  #86, Tyson Anderson, got ahold of that ball in ran it over the line for the second touch down of the season!

Every boy on this team is a first year player this year, so we didn’t know what to expect.  All in all, this game was about defense for the Raiders Terminator’s first game ever!

The game began with #12, Dylan Witty, and #1, Mikka Lambert, each throwing a few great tackles.  #86, Tyson Anderson, was on fire as he took down Nationals’ #47.

#25, Damon Gillings, started off the second half as he pounced on the ball off of the Nationals’ kick.  #29, Khanya Magonya stepped in to push them back and gain an extra yard.

A great performance on defense, for sure!  A great first game by the Eastman Raiders terminator blak team!

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First Week of League Games August 11 & August 12 See schedules

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Who would have thought? Only a few practices and so little time and still, a group of young boys could come together and be such a great team? I’m not sure ANY of us knew how hard you would work or how well you would do!! What a display of defense, only allowing 1 touchdown in an ENTIRE tournament and the offense – making it work and working HARD!! So proud of you guys and SOOOO excited about the season to come. So, we started the season that well? There HAD to be a write-up to accompany this performance. Here are the game highlights: (please excuse me if the scores are slightly off – being trainer AND post-games “note taker” may have caused me to miss a few things)

GAME #1: EASTMAN BEATS NOMADS WEST: 33-6.

The first game started out with the younger of the two Kraus boys getting things done from the quarterback position. Logan Kraus (#22) flew over the line for a touchdown and Mason Kraus (#10) finished that up with a run in for the convert. Tyson Koop (#15) took over as quarterback and had a massive run for a touchdown.  Defense was up next and Anthony (#6) stopped them with a huge tackle up the middle. First year player, Kade Lepp (#64) didn’t look like a rookie at all as he contained their next runner like a PRO, pushed right into the devastating path of Parker Rempel (#8) who had a crunching tackle to finish their drive.

Back to offense and Mason Kraus (#10) took off for another touchdown, thanks to a key block by Paxton Koop (#40) to clear his path. Mareanna Magonya (#2) took the ball up the left side in a tough run for us which set up another 50 + yard run for Mason Kraus (#10) for another 6 points!! Anthony (#6) took his turn on offence for the convert, and received our FIRST pass of the season to add 1 to the score! Great job. All game long, a couple of key offensive linemen protected our quarterback – Joe (#97) and Caleb Pammett (#85) had SERIOUS presence and put a wall that couldn’t be broken. Zach (#33) started most of the plays with precision snapping as well.

Now, defense, back on he field, Tyson Koop (#15), wrapped up their first attempt at a first down, Parker Rempel (#8) got through the line and had a big tackle up the middle for us – he “held on and didn’t let go”. Offense took their turn and Mason (#10) found the end zone with a few twists, turns and broken tackles – impressive! Dominyck Loewen (#3) was having the time of his life and we learned he’s got some WHEELS as he sped up the side lines for multiple yards. Matthew (#4) then had the quote of the game as he came off the field, “I just realized… football’s funner than I thought”

“Funner” indeed – especially when you play like THAT!! CONGRATULATIONS BOYS!!

GAME #2: EASTMAN BEATS NORMAN NORTH 21-0.

It seems Logan Kraus (#22) likes to get the Raiders rolling. Just like the first game, his name shows up first on the highlights “reel”. A big kick return, with a huge block by Mason (#10) got us off to a great start. Mason Kraus (#10) decided to get a run going of his own and scored a touchdown. Mareanna Magonya (#2) ran like lightning for the extra point. Jayden (#91) was called on to kick the ball and it flew about 25 yards putting the opposition in a tough position. Tyson Koop (#15) took over in the quarterback position and took the ball into the end zone for yet, another Raider touchdown!! It’s almost like her specialty, so, the ball was handed to Mareanna (#2) once again and her speed into the end zone once again got us the single point conversion. Parker Rempel (#8) was huge on defense all game and shone with a massive quarterback sack to stall the offence. Matthew (#4) took down one of their best runners with a big tackle to force the 3^rd down. Dominyck (#3) turned on the rockets and took his turn racing down the field for a super run. Jayden (#91) started off the second half with another great kick and tackle “combo”. Anthony (#6) was fierce and stopped them time and time again up the middle. Parker chipped in on defense with a flying tackle – to which Tyson Koop (#15) said, “It’s the power of the orange chin strap – yeah!” An outstanding block by Dominyck (#3) opened the path for another Mason (#10) touchdown. The defense continued to stymie the defense including a superb team effort when a shoestring tackle by Kade Lepp (#64) put their player right in Mason Kraus’s (#10) path which ended in one of the hardest Atom hits we’ve seen – and Tyson Koop (#15) jumped on the fumble to get the Raiders the ball back. Anthony (#6) continued to be a tackle monster and Parker (#8) wrapped up another opponent. Our offensive line protected our quarterbacks all game long and we couldn’t have scored our points without you!! Perhaps a highlight of the game was Mareanna’s (#2) 70 yard run to put an exclamation point on another GREAT game!! Quote of the game: After he sacked the quarterback (#31) came off the field, looked at me and said, “I love my football team!!” That says it all!!

GAME #3: EASTMAN BEATS NATIONALS GREY 38-0.

OK, so, this game might go down in the record books as the hottest game we’ll play this season. I’m not sure – but it was H-O-T = HOT!!!! So hot in fact, that I was busier putting cold cloths on all of you than writing down what happened. So, I’ll do my best with this one. Here goes: Mareanna (#2) started the game off with a huge block to free up some running room for Mason (#10). Paxton (#40), Joe (#97) and Caleb Pammett (#85) did a great job taking care of the quarterback while Zach (#33) was snapping the ball. Dominyck (#3) has some fun on a big run and Mason (#10) finished it off with a Raider TD!! Tyson Koop (#15) added another touchdown for the team with his brother, from the same mother, Paxton (#40) blocking for him all the way into the end zone. Kade Lepp (#64) showed some great pursuit and made a big tackle for a loss of yards to which Parker (#8) added another smashing tackle of his own. Mason (#10) added a couple more touchdowns after that, Tyson Koop (#15) added another and a pass from Tyson (#15) to Paxton (#40) topped off that touchdown with a catch for the extra point.  And just because he could, Dominyck (#3) put it in high gear and found himself enjoying the feel of the end zone – yeeeeeeehaww!!!!

Congratulations boys!! Congratulations Marlin and the coaches!! Thank you parents for your support and the awesome snacks. (Quick note: Frozen Yogurt Tubes is a great idea for a snack) We couldn’t be more proud to be part of the Atom Raiders’ team. You guys played well, played hard, played fair and gave it your all!! You played as a team and EVERYONE contributed!! You can’t play football well, without playing like a unit!!! And just think – THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!! GO RAIDERS GO!!!

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