The bench looked pretty bare for Team West Grade 7s; the team came into the game with significantly less players than Team East Grade 7s, but they held their own, losing only by a single point as the East took the game 7-6 at Millennium Park.
“Our roster was a little short,” Jeff Ferrell, the head coach of Team West, said. “Thankfully they (Team East) gave us four players to make it somewhat competitive enough. For the small roster, they did really good considering most of the kids played both ways. I think they got a lot out of it.”
Scott Boxall, the head coach of Team East, was proud that his team helped out their competitors. “The kids had fun. They showed a little comradery by giving them some players and some of our players played on their team so it was a great experience for both teams,” he said.
It took until the 1:58 minute mark of the second quarter before there was a score in this defensive match-up. Team West struck first when running back Ashton Metcalfe found the end zone on a touchdown run. The team was unable to snag the point after.
In a grade 7 game, Team East lines up against Team West in the fourth quarter in a close game on Sunday, May 7 at Millennium Park.
It looked like West’s only major would hold up as the only score until there was 6:30 left in the fourth quarter. Running back Tyler Baigent tied the game with his touchdown run. East would secure the point after, giving them a fragile 7-6 lead. They would hold on to win the nail-biting contest.
“It was hard fought. It was a little harder than we thought,” Boxall said. “They only came in with kind of three-quarters of a squad. We thought it was going to be a little bit easier, but they have some really good players over there.”
Although the game didn’t end in his team’s favour, Ferrell was grateful for the opportunity the Challenge presents. “I think this is great. I think this is great for the kids. You know, as a coach and an ex-player, I wish they had this when I was younger. These kids are lucky to have this with great coaches and a great organization,” he said.
“Thank God to Larry (Jusdanis) and Lee (Barette) for the hard work that they put into this,” he added. “It’s a great event and I’ve been doing this for a couple years and I will keep on doing it.”
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