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Saturday, September 29^th

Could it have been nicer outside? No. Sunny. 27 degrees. And a win for the home team to boot – altogether that equals a pretty sweet Saturday! We’ve got some pretty sweet highlights to share with you too – so, here goes:

The game began with a superb offensive outing. After a successful butt crack run by Paxton, and a nice run by Nic, Mason finished off the drive with a touchdown. (6-0 Raiders) The kicked convert was good for 2. (8-0 Raiders) We were off to a great start. Carson had a perfect squib kick and Parker was all over it and the offense took over again. A 55 yard run by Mason got him into the end zone. (14-6 Raiders) Tyson K. had some fun blocking on the option to clear the way for Mason. (20-6 Raiders) There was a sweet completion Koop to Koop on the screen pass and with another block from Tyson K, Mason was off to another 6 points! (26-6 Raiders) Our passing game was working as a great completion from Tyson K to Mason ended in yet another touchdown, thanks to a timely block by Nic. (32-6 Raiders) Carson was called on for the convert kick and with great height, the ball made it’s way straight through the uprights! (34-6 Raiders) Their speedy #1 ran for a touchdown. (34-12) We got the ball back and Tyson K completed a pass to Paxton who kept right on running his route through the catch and on to positive yards. Mason got his hands on the ball again and it was a touchdown result. (40-12 Raiders) A speedy tackle by Tyson K and Mason stopped them in their tracks – deep in their zone. Defense took to the field and a few things happened: great low tackle by Parker, super contain by Matthew which allowed Carson to finish the runner off, Anthony powered through the line for a big tackle in the backfield to turn over the ball on downs. The very next play, “in our books”, was a power run, straight arm and tip toe down the sideline touchdown for Paxton – but an “inadvertent whistle” by the ref called it back. We’ll still count it over here. J But, as a reward, a great fake by Paxton resulted in a great run by Mason for a Raiders’ touchdown.  CTuff was on target again for the 2 point convert.  We had a little trouble with #1’s speed and they scored.  But a big block kept them right there at 18.

Our defense got the 2^nd half off and running in style with a HUGE turn over on downs. Marianna turned on her jets and had a couple 1^st down runs in a row, which led to a great fake by Marianna and Tyson K holding on to the ball himself  and finding the end zone.  CTuff could not be stopped and with a perfect snap from Anthony and a great hold by Tyson K , it was 2 more points for us.  We learned what “great angles” means as Daniel stopped them for a loss of yards and then, Parker ran right THROUGH their best running back to stop him right where he was!! An 80 yard run by Mason followed for our last touchdown of the game . #1 came up with a great catch and run for a touchdown.  Their kick was good but that was it. The final whistle blew.

Boys, what a solid game on both sides of the ball, a truly great team effort and with this being our final regular season game, we are officially in 1^ST PLACE in the Saturday Atom League!!! Congratulations!!

NOW, having said that… we know that the playoffs begin next weekend and it’s a new season!! We will have to play as hard as we’ve ever played to continue to be successful. We will NOT rest on the wins of the past. It’s 0-0 from right now and we will work harder than ever and take one play at a time to ensure that we do our job. Be confident boys but always respect your opponents to come… expect that your toughest football is yet to come and be prepared to try harder than you even thought possible – THEN, we will be fine.

September 22, 2012

To say this game didn’t quite turn out the way we expected would be accurate. Obviously, the players, coaching staff and parents were confident that we would play a great game, but beating the St. Vital Mustangs by such a huge margin was not in the game plan. We LOVED it but we did not expect it. Having said that, we’re certainly not complaining. In some conversations I’ve had since that game, we have wondered what happened to the Mustangs that day. Who was missing? Were they sick?? NOPE!! They just met up with the Eastman Raiders Atom Black team – that’s what happened and I think, if we meet them again, they just might approach the game a little differently (but we won’t). Well done boys – you played a solid game and we’re proud of you.

And now, the game highlights: The game started out with Logan getting a big tackle and then, Kade creating a fumble. The recovered and their found the end zone. (0-6 Mustangs) Great pressure by our defense on the convert and they missed their kick. After a great drive with many positive yards, Mason found the end zone and just hit the post on the convert kick. (6-6) Their got a touchdown on a tricky reverse play. (6-12 Mustangs) They ran in the extra point. (6-13 Mustangs) Our offence answered back with some big blocks by Paxton and a TD run by Mason. (12-13 Mustangs) Convert kick – GOOD! (14-13 Raiders) Our defense did a great job and Carson recovered a fumble to get us the ball back. A completed screen pass from Tyson to Paxton got us positive yards… but the ball went back to the Mustangs. Austin chipped in with a great tackle up the middle. But on the next play their broke a few tackles and ran 80 yards for a TD. (14-19 Mustangs) Superb pressure by Parker caused a missed convert kick. The short kicked and recovered but a great stand by our defense turned the ball back over to us!! Paxton had a huge block which opened up just enough of a lane for Mason to take off for 90 yards and a touchdown! Wow! (20-19 Raiders)

The second half started strong as we had multiple outstanding blocks to get Mason a path to another touchdown (26-19 Raiders and then 28-19) TB had some unbelievable tackles to get the offence back out there. Mason scored. (34-19 Raiders) The 2 point convert was good again (36-19 Raiders) and defense got us the ball back when Parker was all over another Mustangs fumble. A great cut back got Mason into the end zone for the 5^th time. (42-19 Raiders/44-19 Raiders) It was at this point that TB turned on the jets and was like lightning through their offensive line – huge tackle. But on the next play, found an opening and they scored. (42-25 Raiders) Their convert was good. (42-27 Raiders) The boys never let up and Nic did some super blocking for some big yards as Mason scored again (50-27 Raiders) The Mustangs fumbled on the kick off and 10 Mason was in the right place at the right time and ran it in. (56-27 Raiders) Parker was like a rocket through the line next and with a huge defensive stand the offence was back on the field. The “Wildcat” was working like a dream and Mason got 6 more points for us with Tyson blocking for him all the way down the field. (62-27 Raiders) The Mustangs managed to get away from our defense one last time. (62-33 Raiders) but that was it. We weren’t quite done yet, as #10 Mason added one more 40 yard run for another big score.  A highlight to end the game — TB caused a fumble and #50 Daniel recovered to completely close the door on this one.

Boys… this was truly a team effort. Defense, your improvement from the 1^st half to the 2^nd half continues to be impressive. Coaches, your work and your teaching is paying off – they’re getting it and we are winning well. Let’s stay humble and let’s know that there are many games to come. One play at a time and we’ll be fine. Go Raiders Go!!

Highlight we MUST mention: Season high (I’m sure) Mason Kraus – 10 TOUCHDOWNS!! What?!? Way to go buddy!!

September 23^rd Eastman Raiders Sunday Atom Game vs. Charleswood Broncos

Our game started off to quick start!  First touchdown of the game within the first few minutes by Avery Penner with big thanks to Jayden Martens and his amazing block to give Avery a clear path down the side of the field. The convert attempt ran in by Avery Penner.

Broncos’ first series of the game met our defence and were held up in the neutral zone.  Some good tackles in the first series by Corbin Azure, Isaac Dokken and Payton Esau for a three and out series for turnover on downs. Raiders get the ball back with Sawyer Thiessen grabbing the opportunity for another touchdown, again due to huge block by Jayden Martens, who then ran the ball in for the convert attempt.  Defence came back on the field with more fire than ever!  Anthony Flaming went in for the tackle, huge solid hit. The defence again held the Broncos and switched lines so Riley Karlenzig could show off his skills with a 50 yard touchdown! His biggest break away of the season.

The boys continued this momentum for the entire game which switched to running time before the end of the first quarter!  Numerous tackles throughout the game from Isaac Dokken, Nathan Edwards-Schure, Anthony Flaming,  Kelbyn Doerksen, with the help from entire defensive line. The offense showed their hunger as well with Wes Blask running the ball for good yardage complimented with more touchdowns from Avery Penner, Mason Esau, Sawyer Thiessen (x2), Jayden Martens (x2) and Payton Esau wrapping up for a 57 yard touchdown.  Special teams were also all over the opposing team. Issac Dokken recovered his own kick. Nathan Edwards-Schure delivered a nice bomb, sailing over all the players on the Bronco’s.  Now we cannot forget to mention those two fierce QB sacks we saw from Isaac Dokken!

A big applause to our Sunday Atom team!!!  Each and every single player did an amazing job, they moved flawlessly down the field, showing great team cohesion and spirit! Unofficial final score, 36-0, is securing the team one of the top positions for the Sunday division. Playoffs here we come! It is going to be a great end to this amazing year.

FINAL SCORE

GRIZZLIES 62- RAIDERS 40

Midget Raiders Week 6:
In Week 4 the Raiders clashed with the St.Vital Mustangs in their home opener, then met with the North Winnipeg Nomads in a showdown for 1st place in the league, both games were defensive struggles, with the Raiders winning 14-9 over the Mustangs, and then losing a close one to the Nomads 21-10 in Week 5.  Coming into Week 6 the Raiders were looking to respond after a frustrating loss in their 2nd meeting of the regular season with the Interlake Thunder, their 3rd meeting since pre-season.
The Raiders first two drives ran into some trouble but they finally got onto the scoreboard on a 15 yard TD pass from Greg Plett to Patrick Bissonnette.  However, just like their first meeting it was the 2nd quarter where the Raiders offense really opened up.  Marc Kirouac ran for two touchdowns and Greg Plett connected on another passing TD, this time to rookie receiver Javon Chomini, the Raiders took a 28-0 lead into the locker room at half-time.  The Raiders would pick up right where they left off, 4 plays into the 3rd quarter, Raiders rookie RB Zack Hazlehurst broke off a 25 yard TD run to give the Raiders a 35-0 lead.  Marc Kirouac would add a third rushing TD late in the 3rd to give the Raiders a 42-0 lead and Raiders kicker Leo Sawatzky would connect on a 33 yard field goal to give the Raiders a 45-0 lead and eventual win.  On the opposite side of the ball, Raiders DE Justin Krause racked up two sacks, along with Raiders DL Jonathan Wichers and LB Cole Watts.  DB Matt Delaurier made the only interception in the game, while Jonathan Wichers and TJ Nicol had fumble recoveries.  Brock Letkeman and TJ Nicol led the team in tackles with 5 each.  Defensively the Raiders dominated, allowing negative yards, as the Thunder rushed for -19 yards on the ground, 48 yards passing, for a total of 29 yards of offense allowed.
Following the game, Raiders RB Marc Kirouac leads the league in rushing, Raiders QB Greg Plett is 1st in passing yards in the league, and Raiders receivers Shante Murdock and Patrick Bissonnette are tied for 1st in receiving yards.

Raiders vs Fort Garry Lions It was immediately apparent that a strong North wind was going to be a factor on an autumnal Saturday morning in south Winnipeg. Eastman had the wind at their back to start the game but couldn’t take advantage of it in their opening driving, handing the ball over to Fort Garry with a lost fumble. The Raiders would later attempt a 35 yard field goal that fell just short. The kicking game would play prominently as the Lions took a short Raiders punt, that hung up in the wind, and converted it into 7 points. With the score 16-0 in favour of Fort Garry, another Eastman punt was pushed back by that strong north wind, back through the Raiders own endzone for a safety. A field goal with no time left on the clock put the Lions up 27-0 at the half. The Raiders defense showed some life in the third quarter forcing fumbles and giving their offense a chance to get back in the game.  Unfortunately, Eastman would not be able to convert turnovers into points.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

2:00 PM

EASTMAN ATOM RAIDERS BLACK 42  LaSALLE LIGHTNING  12

A sunny, windy day was the backdrop for a great game for the Eastman Atom Raiders Black. Not just because we won, but because we played with heart, we played with respect and we got better before the game was done. As always here were the highlights along the way:

#10 Mason had a huge recovery on the very first kick of the game, which was a super kick by #18 Carson Tufford by the way. So, offence was on sooner than expected and after some huge blocks by #81 TB and #10 Mason, #15 Tyson K.  sped into the end zone. (6-0 Raiders) #10 Mason kicked the ball through the uprights on a very windy day after a perfect snap by #6 Anthony. (8-0 Raiders) #15 Tyson decided to keep the ball again after another march down the field and another major score was ours. (14-0 Raiders) The kick was good!! (16-0) The Lightning received the kick and before the runner knew it #10 Mason had stripped the ball from his hands and helped himself to another touchdown. (22-0 Raiders) (Their #37 was a speedy one and they got their first score) (22-6 Raiders) After a good offensive series, #10 Mason got the hand off and after some spectacular cut backs, found the end zone. (28-6 Raiders) #2 Mareanna sped into the end zone for the extra point. (29-6 Raiders) #18 CTuff along with #22 Logan had some big tackles in the backfield. #7 Austin chipped in with great pursuit and teamwork as he and #8 Parker downed their running back. #50 Daniel added a strong shoestring tackle to turn over the ball on downs. #10 Mason added his 3^rd touchdown of the day thanks to a massive block by #40 Paxton. (37-6 Raiders) Then #40 Paxton took his turn with the ball and shook a tackle to run in for the single point. (38-6 Raiders) Touchdown number 4 came next for #10 Mason but it took a 50-yard run to get it. (44-6 Raiders) Defense was back on and #31 Caleb B. wrapped up their runner, #50 Daniel got ‘em again, #82 Taran showed some super pressure off a loss of yards for them, strong contain by #4 Matthew and the offence was back on the field. #2 Mareanna was handed the ball and as most of the defenders followed #40 Paxton’s fake – Mareanna turned on the jets for a gain of 45 yards!! We were close to the end zone and #40 Paxton powered his way through them all to get another major score for us.(Their #37 scored and the 1^st half ended.)

The 2^nd half continued as well as the 1^st one ended — #2 Mareanna took the ball 40 yards up the field and #15 Tyson K. followed that up with a touchdown run. The offence had some room to try a few more passing plays and a great 20 yard pass from #15 Tyson K. to #81 TB was completed and the Y.A.C. yards were awesome. When the defense returned #22 Logan flew through the O-line for a convincing quarterback sack. That got the offence back into action and #40 Paxton took the ball 30 yards on an outside run and found the end zone – even though a defender was on top of him when he landed for 6 points.   #18 CTuff took his first kick for a convert and it was high and straight through the uprights !! YEAH!!  That would be our last scoring drive but #82 Tara had a highlight tackle to stop their run. #17 Kyler and #6 Anthony did their job on defense which allowed our offence one more set of plays. #91 Jayden caught a pass from QB #15 Tyson K and a completed screen pass to #40 Paxton resulted in a tough 40 yard run to end the game.

Congratulations boys on playing tough even when you could have thought you didn’t have to. Congratulations on being good sports. Congratulations for taking the opportunity to work on some things that will make you better in the future. Congratulations on knowing that you can never look past a team and have to make the most of the moment to ensure there are more great moments to come. Your discipline was impressive and your neverending effort was a testament to the quality young men you all are. We are proud that you are our Raiders!! GO RAIDERS GO!!

Raiders verses Grizzlies

Grizzlies 37 – RAIDERS 7

This was a much anticipated game as we were tied for first place with the Grizzlies. The weather was great for a football watching day! Our boys were pumped and ready to go.

1^st Quarter

Grizzlies kicked and ended up getting control of the ball.

Touch down for the Grizzlies.

#9 (Sawyer Thiessen) caught the ball.

Raiders offside 5 yard penalty.

#5 (Avery Penner) runs quickly to get us 1^st down.

#9 (Sawyer Theissen) makes a couple yards.

#54 (Riley Karlenzig) makes a touch down!!!!

Score 8-7 Grizzlies

2^nd Quarter

Offense tries to make a couple pass but they are incomplete. (Good try!)

#9 (Sawyer Thiessen) is down with a hurt foot, but recovers and is good to go!

Score 20-07 Grizzlies

3rd Quarter

All of our defense boys are putting up a good fight! Lots of great tackles by #87 (Isaac Dokken), #26 (Alex Roch), #16 (Anthony Flaming), #98 (Payton Esau), #27 (Kelbyn Doerksen).

#54 (Riley Karlenzig) gets gang tackled!

Score 37-07

4^th Quarter

More great plays by our offensive line #14 (Jayden Martens), #9 (Sawyer Thiessen), #5 (Avery Penner).

They played hard and gave it 100% percent but in the end they were defeated with the final score 37-07. Looking at the bright side of things, we are still in 2^nd which is great!! Game well played boys!!

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!!!

EASTMAN RAIDERS VS TRANSCONA NATIONALS  FINAL SCORE RAIDERS 28-NATIONALS 26 

A 45 yard Eastman punt to pin the Nationals on their one yard line set up a first quarter safety that would be the difference in a tightly contested match-up.

An early start on a cool Saturday morning clearly favoured the defences with both teams offences making multiple trips to the redzone, only to be stopped by their counterparts. The two defensive Eastman points would be the only scoring in the first half until the Raiders split the uprights from 26 yards. The three pointer from the right hash mark put the Raiders up 5-0 with 9 seconds left in half.

It looked like Eastman would go into the half with the lead but the Nationals only needed two throwing plays from their 35 yard line to go up 6-5.

Transcona opened the second half scoring with a touchdown run but Eastman answered right back on the ensuing kickoff with a Patrick Maendal 75 yard return for a TD. A 36 yard pass to Maendel put the Teal and Black on top in third. With the score 20-19 favoring the Nationals in the fourth, the Raiders were only able to march the ball down to the 36 yard line. A blocked third down punt found its way back into punter Tyler Neufeld hands and he ran for first down, keeping the drive alive. Shaken up on the play, Neufeld left the game and back-up Reegan Penner took his spot under centre. Penner wasted no time in getting his team a score, pitching it to Maendal for the touchdown run.

Transcona was able to come back to lead 26-25 with 3:03 left in the game. An Eastman 11 yard field goal with just over a minute left and a pass knockdwn from the defensive line would seal the win for the Raiders.

GAME STATS SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2012 VS TRANSCONA NATIONALS

Eastman Raiders VS St Vital Mustangs   FINAL SCORE   St Vital 24 – Raiders 14 

For three quarters, the Eastman Raiders went toe to toe with the unbeaten St Vital Mustangs but were unable to find a solution to a powerful run game. A couple of impressive connections in the air for touchdowns would not be enough to match St Vitals three scores on the ground.

The Broncos opened the scoring after a sustained drive that took most of the first quarter. The Raiders defence played tough, keeping contain for most of the game, forcing St Vital to run between the hashmarks. Despite losing possession on a short kick-off and a pass interference penalty on third and long, the Raiders were able to hold the Broncos to just one score in the first half.

The Eastman ground game, so powerful in their first outing of the season against the Nomads (432 yards), was held in check again this week (79 yards). With 3.3 seconds left in the first half, the Raiders were able to get some tracktion in the air. The 26 yard Neufeld-Maendal connection tied the game going into the break.

In the second half, the Raiders struck first with Maendal hauling in a Neufeld thrown ball in traffic and then running it 56 yards for the touchdown. With the score 14-8, Eastman looked to their defence to stop the St Vital run. The biggest hit of the game came in the third with Raiders linebacker James Sonnichson meeting the Mustang ball carrier in the hole at the line of scrimmage.  But, after being on the field for much of the game, the Mustangs almost exclusively run offence would prove to be too much for the Raiders defence.

The Raiders will reset and prepare for next Saturday’s match against the Transcona Nationals Maroon.

Tied East Side Eagles 68-68!!!!
Tough game boys!

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!!