Sabres ‘rebuilding’ as they re-enter top tier of high school football

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This article was published 15/09/2022 (1052 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

by CASSIDY DANKOCHIK

The Steinbach Regional Secondary School (SRSS) Sabres learned some tough lessons in their return to the top tier of high school football in Manitoba.

The Sabres were soundly defeated by the Oak Park Raiders 49-14 at A.D. Penner Park Sept. 9. Steinbach hadn’t played a first division game since 2019, only beginning play in the top division in 2017.

“We’re working on rebuilding that pedigree,” Sabres Head Coach Stephen Fedus said after the game had finished.

“One of the things I was really proud of today is we competed all the way through hard in the second half. There’s a lot to build on.”

Oak Park took control of the football game early and didn’t look back, racking up three touchdowns on their first three drives to jump out to a commanding 21-0 lead.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” Fedus said.

“We played a good football team, that executed better. The result is what we deserve right now, but we’re going to get better, and the kids want to get better.”

In particular, the Oak Park receivers were easily able to find separation, outrunning angles of both the cornerbacks and any safety help on several plays, especially in the early going.

Oak Park’s Jerome Fouillard was a menace to the Sabres. The grade 12 athlete originally from Oakbank took snaps at quarterback near the goal line, lined up as a running back and receiver, and also played linebacker on defense and long snapper for the Raiders special teams.

Fouillard finished with eight tackles, two catches for 71 yards, and two touchdowns.

“I think by the end of the game we had adjusted to (their speed),” Fedus said.

“It’s adjusting to the speed of the play in this division. For our guys to struggle with their angles of pursuit, that’s normal… The guys were starting to fix that during the game.”

Nearly every offensive snap of the game for Steinbach was out of the pistol formation, where a quarterback lines up in shotgun with a running back right behind him. Fedus said he expects to run most of the year out of pistol due to which players he has available, but noted that wasn’t what the junior varsity team is running all of the time.

Austin Neufeld led the Sabres attack on the ground. The grade 12 player racked up over eight yards per carry and managed to score both Steinbach touchdowns. His first of the game was spectacular, as Neufeld broke six tackles en route to the end zone, including bouncing off two Oak Park players at the same time, and somehow keeping his balance.

Quarterback Bradey Dornez finished 12/36 for 166 yards through the air, with Zane Friesen catching five of those passes.

“It’s a giant step for the kids,” Fedus said on the leap to the first division.

“We’re asking them to compete, and they competed. They’re seeing what the best teams look like every week. It’s nothing to be scared of, we’re not going to hang our heads, we’re going to play.”

The Sabres varsity football team will continue their schedule Sept. 15 when they host the Dakota Lancers. Kickoff was scheduled at 5 p.m. inside A.D. Penner Park, but poor field conditions changed the location of the game to Winnipeg.