DHS Footballers end season in Winnipeg

The Dryden Eagles football season ended Thursday Oct 27th against the 3rd seeded Daniel Mac Maroons in Winnipeg. The host team jumped to a 7-0 first quarter lead on their first drive before the game settled into a more defensive contest. The Eagles missed a couple of early chances to strike deep and even the contest and gradually the Maroons began to win the field position battle.

The second period saw the wheels come off the Dryden bus after both teams traded touchdowns. With the 14-7 Maroon lead and Dryden at midfield trying to move even the Daniel Mac pass rush sacked quarterback Ryan Martel and returned the ensuing fumble the distance to jump ahead 20-7, the conversion was missed. The Maroons would add 2 more scores and seize complete control before the half.

Jesse Gerula, who had scored Dryden’s first touchdown, took the first handoff in the 3rd quarter 82 yards before being dragged down at the Mac 3. Jeremy Euler plunged in 2 plays later but it would be the last scoring for the Eagles while the Maroons would  add 3 second half TD’s to finish with a 54-13 win and a trip to the semi finals.

The game marked the end of  Eagle football careers and the coaching staff would like to thank defensive stalwarts Caine Benham, Patrick Wall, rushing leader Jeremy Euler and DB’s Josh Leutschaft and Dylan Cuuyler , DB/K Ben Arsenault, DL Brenden Sawanas, OG Thomas Cooper, DL’s Rob LeCot and Ray Durand for their contributions to the long tradition of Eagles football.

With the many returning players and the first graduates of the Falcons minor football program  coming in, the team should see improvement in the win/loss column in 2012. In almost every statistical category the 2011 squad did gain from the previous year, learning to physically dominate and out point the opposition proved a harder lesson to master. The group is willing to work and the coaches look forward to taking steps forward together with the players.

Thanks to all who supported the team this past season, especially those who helped make Dryden’s first night game a great spectacle for football in our area.