Steinbach Sabres varsity football program back in the win column

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This article was published 21/09/2023 (635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach Regional Secondary School football head coach Stephen Fedus said players were walking tall around the school Sept. 15, and for good reason.

The Sabres finally found the win column, defeating Murdoch McKay 42-3. It was the program’s first varsity win in over a year, after going winless throughout 2022. The Sabres hadn’t won a game in the top tier of Manitoba high school football since 2019. With the victory, Steinbach moved to 1-1 on the season.

“Overall, it was a really good experience for the kids that were playing, even for some of the parents watching,” Fedus said.

“They were quite happy to see their kids have success.”

Any doubts the Sabres came to remove the goose egg from their record were put to bed on their first defensive snap of the game. Grade 10 defensive back Juddah Wholgemuth stepped in front of a pass and took it all the way back to the house, setting off celebrations in the stands at A.D. Penner and on the Steinbach sidelines.

“(Wholgemuth) has been just a sponge, soaking up the coaching he’s getting,” Fedus said.

“He’s going to be a fun one to watch these next couple years, we’re pretty happy that he’s with us.”

University of Manitoba commit Mason Funk was dominant on both sides of the ball for Steinbach, racking up 105 yards on only six carries, while scoring four total touchdowns. On defense, he picked up six tackles, including three tackles for a loss.

Funk had his snaps drastically reduced in the second half, as the Sabres had the game well in hand.

“It’s a delicate balance,” Fedus said.

“(Funk) is a kid that’s worked really, really hard, he’s one of the better players in the province, one of the better players in the league… he deserves to get his reps as well.”

While Funk’s numbers on the ground are eye popping, he may have been even more effective in the passing game, as any time he went out to run a route, the Steinbach quarterback looked his way.

“If you’ve got a guy that can play running back and be a receiver, that creates problems,” Fedus said.

“You even see it in the CFL and NFL.”

Fedus added nearly every player in a Sabres jersey was able to see action against Murdoc MacKay. With no SRSS junior varsity team this season, many of the players are only getting experience in practice.

“It’s a good program builder,” Fedus said on so many players seeing the field.

“Hopefully we get a few more opportunities to do that this year.”

Through the air, three Sabres quarterbacks lined up behind centre. Starter Bradey Dornez may have only went 5/10, but he made the most of those completions, with nearly 100 yards and two passing touchdowns.

“He had a very good warm up, he had a very good practice the night before,” Fedus said, noting SRSS quarterback coach Andrew George predicted Dornez would have a big game.

“He had a really good day at QB while he was playing. That was good for him and I’m sure he’ll tell you he had a couple decisions that he’d want to do a little better on.”

The result against Murdoc MacKay is in complete opposite to their week one game against the Dakota Lancers, a 54-6 loss.

“The kids saw what the bar is in that game against Dakota,” Fedus said.

“They know where they need to get to they have to be willing to put in the work to get there.”

The Sabres will be facing the Crocus Plains Plainsmen Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. inside A.D. Penner Park.