Clarke Park – Whipping the winless Millwoods Grizzlies by 42 points was exactly what the doctor ordered for the ailing St. Albert Storm.
“We needed this. It gets us into the win column,” said quarterback Tayler White after the Storm’s first victory of the season in the midget spring league. “We’ve got to get this roll going into the playoffs.”
The injury-ravaged Storm were blown away in their last two games 44-18 by the Battle River Shock (3-1) in a penalty marred affair and 44-13 by the Edmonton Chargers (2-1) despite a gutsy effort by third-string quarterback Dallas Moroz, with starter Mike Spagnolo and White, the backup, unable to play.
“Those losses were pretty hard, especially against the Shock. Those guys are cheap,” said Garrett Meek, a strapping six-foot-two and 230-lb., two-way lineman. “It was discouraging but we come back today with flying colours. It was awesome. We started hammering them and got 55 points.”
Last place in the tier I standings and relegation into the lower tiered playoff bracket was at stake between the Storm, who gave away a 14-14 tie in the season opener against the first-place Edmonton Mustangs (3-0-1), and the Grizzlies.
“This will give us some momentum as we try and get two more wins going into the playoffs. Hopefully we’ll win the tier I championship. If not we’ll go for tier II. We just want to get a championship,” said Meek, a Storm rookie who performed like a veteran at offensive tackle and defensive tackle.
Last year the team of Grade 9, 10 and 11 players finished last in tier I at 1-4 and in the playoffs won their tier III semifinal and final.
“We have to keep fighting. We need two more wins. We want to make the higher tier in the playoffs,” said White, 16.
In the 55-13 drubbing the Bellerose Bulldogs’ standout was 3-for-5 passing for touchdowns of 64 yards to Spencer Duff, a brilliant reception at the 31 en route to the end zone in the first quarter and 16 yards to Josh Wilkie in the second quarter.
“My passes wouldn’t be good if my receivers weren’t good. They ran hard and got open so I just chucked it to them and they got it,” White said.
With the offence firing on all cylinders, the Storm led 14-7 after the first quarter, 34-7 at halftime and 41-7 after three quarters.
“We worked together. We got our plays functioning properly,” said White.
He called his own number from the one-yard line to make it 27-7 with 6:07 left in the first half. The Grade 11 Sturgeon Composite High School student also fumbled a touchdown away on third and goal from the three with 1:49 remaining before halftime on a drive that started at the Storm 30.
It was White’s first game back after his bell was rung against the Shock on a late hit after the whistle and far away from the play. The penalized player was ejected. Head coach Chad Hill said a suspension was warranted for the deliberate attempt to injure. The incident happened late in the game and the score 38-13.
“It happens. I should’ve had my head up but I’m fine,” said White, who also lined up at safety and did some kicking against the Chargers.
An overpowering ground game was spearheaded by Grayson Baker’s 125 yards. His first TD was set up by a fumble recovery by Kieran Fraser at the Edmonton 41 during the Grizzlies’ first offensive series. Three pitch plays to Baker — 22 yards right, 13 yards left and six yards right — opened the scoring.
Baker’s second TD from 11 yards out with 54 seconds to go in the first half resulted from a fake punt on third down and one by the Grizzlies that was snuffed out by Nathan Anderson at the Edmonton 11.
In the third quarter, Anderson picked off two passes in a row with the first interception called back because of double offsides.
Duff and Nathan Pytel also scored TDs in the second half. Pytel rushed for 105 yards while Duff rattled off several long gains.
“Getting all those points feels petty good for us offensive linemen because you’re always getting pounded on, getting hit hard and taking punishment,” said Meek, 15, a Grade 9 Lorne Akins student.
The trio of Baker, Pytel and Duff picked up the slack after Devin Kondro, a wrecking ball operating out of the backfield, was pulled from the game with a bruised leg. Pytel, a bantam product of the St. Albert Fury, last year’s tier II provincial finalists, generated the longest run from scrimmage with a 62-yard dash up the middle to the Edmonton 10 in the second quarter.
“Their defensive line was pretty spread out so it was pretty easy for our offensive line to pop their down linemen and get out at the linebackers. It helped the running backs get a whole bunch of yards,” said Meek, another Fury graduate excelling with the Storm. “Our linemen were really working as one solid unit. We really had no holes whatsoever. We kept pounding them. It worked awesome.”
On the injury front, the Storm lost the services of Adam Anderson, a Grade 11 defensive back, kicker and returner, near the end of the game with a sprained ankle. He is expected to be out for three weeks.
The Storm close out the regular season with games Sunday against the Parkland Outlaws (1-2) at 3 p.m. at Clarke Park and May 12 against the Sherwood Park Wolverines (1-2) at 8 p.m. at Foote Field. Admission is $5.
THIRD DOWN: The Battle of St. Albert is back on again between the Bulldogs and St. Albert High Skyhawks. The Bulldogs and Archbishop Jordan Scots have opted to play in the Carr conference instead of the Miles conference after the metro Edmonton league considered re-establishing the two pool format, with the top teams in league play advancing to the Carr playoffs and the rest of the teams competing for the Miles crown. Last year the Skyhawks finished 1-2 for third place in the four-team Carr standings. There were nine Miles’ teams, including the second-place 6-1-1 Bulldogs. In the playoffs the Bulldogs and Skyhawks were eliminated in the semifinals.
The last showdown between St. Albert’s senior teams was a 38-0 win for the Skyhawks in 2007.
