South continues Senior Bowl domination in Saskatoon


SOUTH 56, NORTH 21

Fireworks flew early at the Ed Henick Senior Bowl, but in the end it proved to be a one-team show.

Both the North and South teams scored touchdowns within the opening two minutes of the game, but only the South could maintain the offensive flourish, cruising to a 56-21 victory over the North at Griffiths Stadium Monday.

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“I think coming in here we didn’t think we would shut them out,” said South head coach Jaret Ross. “(The early scores) didn’t change our game plan a whole deal, it just meant we were starting the game 7-7 instead of 0-0.”

This is the fourth consecutive victory for the South in the annual all-star game of graduating high school players from around Saskatchewan.

After the North punted on its opening drive, the South wasted little time getting on the board. Regina Winston Knoll quarterback Landon Bessel connected with Landon Buch of Regina LeBoldus for a 50-yard score on the South’s first offensive play.

“We didn’t know what they would come out with in the first,” said Ross. “We just decided that we were going to throw something at them that they weren’t going to expect right off the bat.”

Not to be outdone, on the North’s very next offensive play Dylan Hart of Marion Graham hooked up with Evan Hardy’s Graham Unruh on a 92-yard catch and run to tie the game 7-7.

Unruh finished the game with 187 yards receiving, a Senior Bowl record. He had two touchdowns and, being the lone offensive spark for the North, was named the team’s most valuable player. Running back Michael King of LeBoldus was named the most valuable player for the South, running for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

The South led 17-14 at halftime, thanks to a touchdown reception and field goal by Lumsden’s Adam Gibson. John Fast of Aden Bowman gave the North hope after his interception return to the two-yard line set up a touchdown pass from Hart to Jackson Schau of Marion Graham.

But things changed drastically in the second half, especially in the trenches. The South threw more players at the North’s offensive line, making offensive execution a chore.

“Going into the half we were pretty confident but we really had trouble blocking after that,” said North head coach Mark Anderson. “They came really hard, and we didn’t seem to match that intensity or what they were doing.”

Added Unruh: “Our offensive line did the best they could, but in the end they were outnumbered.”

Gibson opened the half with a field goal to make it 20-14. That was followed by a 47-yard heave by LeBoldus’ Jake McGeough to high school teammate Ty Buhler to make it 27-14 for the South. King capped off a 17-0 South run with a major after he beat every North player to the outside en route to the touchdown.

At 34-14 the game was effectively over.

“In a game like this where you don’t have a lot of time to work together, once the field tips it’s hard to tip it back,” said Anderson.

Said Ross: “We didn’t change much in the second half; we were doing the same things. In the second half we just didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot with bad turnovers, bad decisions or bad penalties.

“We just played more disciplined.”

Adam Bachiu of Moose Jaw Peacock, Justin Palmier of Regina Campbell and King completed the scoring for the South with fourth-quarter touchdowns. Unruh’s second major for the North squad came midway through the fourth.

“You’re dealing with young minds — this happens in the pros let alone in amateur football,” said Anderson. “With young guys it’s tough to get their minds turned. You battle, you try to encourage them, but when you feel that drop it’s tough.”

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Team North player Cody Schlosser (left) of Humboldt knocks away a sure touchdown catch in the end zone by Team South receiver Landon Buch of Regina Monday in the Senior Bowl
Photograph by: Gord Waldner, The StarPhoenix, The Star Phoenix


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