Clarke Park – The St. Albert Storm escaped Saturday's season opener with a 14-14 draw in midget spring league football.
"A tie doesn't solve anything," quarterback Mike Spagnolo said after the error-filled affair with the Edmonton Mustangs. "A lot of mental mistakes cost us the game. We just need some more practice to get our plays down pat."
Spagnolo was shaking his head in disbelief after punching a 31-yard field goal attempt wide right with 59 seconds to play and the score deadlocked at 14 apiece. The wind also played tricks with the ball as the Mustangs were able to run it out of the end zone.
"It just came off my foot the wrong way. I was trying to get a lot of leg on it to kick it out of the end zone but it didn't get that far," said the Grade 11 St. Albert High Skyhawk.
The game ended with an interception by safety Tayler White. Ironically, a wide-open White dropped a touchdown pass from Spagnolo on first down and 10 from the Mustangs' 32 leading up to the field goal attempt.
"I thought he had it, but I guess it got away from him," said Spagnolo, who was picked off twice as the Storm turned the ball over three times. "Our running game was pretty well, we just need to catch some more balls."
Head coach Chad Hill blamed himself for the rash of offside and illegal procedure flags by his team of Grade 9, 10 and 11 players.
"It was my fault we looked sloppy," he said. "I don't think we got in enough quality practice time in the week. We weren't as prepared for game situations as we should've been."
The first quarter was scoreless despite two field goal tries by the Storm. The first kick from the 38 split the uprights but was nullified by a procedure penalty. The second attempt was blocked.
Before the quarter ended, Devin Kondro reeled in a pass coming out of the backfield and rumbled 15 yards to the Mustangs' 29. But on the last play before quarter time, Spagnolo was picked off in the end zone.
In the second quarter Spagnolo and Kondro hooked up from the Mustangs' 40 and the Bellerose Bulldogs' senior MVP in 2008 and 2009 bullied his way past several defenders en route to the end zone with 8:54 left in the first half. The point-after attempt was derailed by a Storm snafu.
Kondro stands out
Kondro was a beast, gaining close to 100 yards receiving to go along with his work on the ground. The Grade 11 Sturgeon Composite High School student also lined up all over the defensive front seven.
"Kondro was great. He was one of our main players," Spagnolo said.
Before the first half ended, the teams traded turnovers. With the Mustangs threatening offensively, Adam Anderson's interception with less than two minutes remaining kept the 6-0 lead intact.
After fielding the kick off to start the second half, the Mustangs busted loose on their second play from scrimmage for a 52-yard TD. The convert was good.
Late in the third quarter, White was on receiving end of a generous bounce as Spagnolo's pass was deflected by a defender into the slotback's hands behind the coverage and the Grade 11 Sturgeon student was tackled in Mustangs' territory.
The drive ended with a pick by the Mustangs at their 19-yard line 52 seconds into the fourth quarter. After they went two-and-out, Cam Joseph spearheaded a furious Storm rush at the punter, who was unable to get the kick away. The Storm took possession at the 10. On third and goal from the two, Spagnolo cracked the goal line to make it 12-7. Instead of kicking, the Storm went for two points and Spagnolo hit Spencer Duff with a pass to put the Storm up by seven with 8:26 remaining.
The Mustangs replied with the game-tying converted TD with 5:02 to go. A couple of big plays against the vaunted Storm defence plus an offside flag against St. Albert culminated in a one-yard plunge.
With under three minutes to play, the second sack of the game by Joseph at the Mustangs' 43 forced the opposition to punt. They were flagged for no yards, which put the ball on their 32 for the Storm to try to break the tie.
"When they got that first touchdown it brought our spirits down but then in fourth quarter we turned it around a bit," Spagnolo said. "The first quarter and the fourth quarter were our best. The second and third were kind of our down time."
Tough defence
Joseph was a defensive nightmare for the Mustangs as the Storm's leading tackler. Most of his stops came at key points in the game. Middle linebacker Cody Andresen also gave the Mustangs' offence fits.
"Defence played really well. They kept us in," said Spagnolo, 17.
"Playing Storm football will help me more with my technique and it will keep me thinking positive too," said the 2009 co-rookie of the year with Tanner Doll on the senior Skyhawks.
The Storm huddle up Thursday against the Battle River Shock at 8 p.m. at Clarke Park. Admission is $5. The Shock are coming off a 26-12 win over the Edmonton Chargers.
"We should look a lot better this week," Hill predicted.
