Raiders offense too much for Falcons in U16 final

The Eastman Raiders nearly pushed the scoreboard at Princess Auto Stadium to its limits, scoring 94 points in the provincial final against the Falcons Football Club.

The 12-touchdown outburst was more than enough to claim the U16 Manitoba Minor Football Association (MMFA) championship, winning 94-70. The U16 teams in the MMFA play a seven-player format.

The victory marks the first time an Eastman Raiders team has claimed a MMFA championship.

“I’m so happy for the kids,” Head coach Steve Baxter said.

“We were confident from day one we would have a good football team, and we turned into a great football team.”

The Raiders took control in the first quarter, taking advantage of a Falcons fumble to nab a two touchdown lead after the teams went score for score to start the game. Eastman led at the half 54-32.

After the early fumble, the Falcons never had the ball with a chance to tie the game, even as they pulled to within eight, successfully executing an onside kick to nab an extra possession.

The Raiders offense didn’t falter, converting on third down multiple times during an extended drive to re-gain the lead and put the game all but out of reach.

Baxter said the team is so potent offensively they never needed to punt, and were always able to pick up 10 yards on any given play.

“You might stop us on the first or the second (down) from getting that 10 yards, but you’re not stopping us three in a row,” he said.

Many of those conversions came from the legs or arm of quarterback Elias Kaethler, who started the season as a running back/defensive line player. Kaethler was named the finals most valuable player.

“We found a kid with a cannon for an arm as well as tree trunks for legs and he’s been an unstoppable force,” Baxter said.

“He’s a leader. All the other players follow his lead, they have trust and faith in him, so do all the coaches and coordinators… When it’s on the line, you can trust him to come up with something magical.”

Kaethler’s best pass of the game may have come on the final play of the first half, as he found a receiver for a 40-plus yard touchdown to give the Raiders a solid margin heading into the break.

The team discovered his throwing talent in pre-season, and quickly made him the starting quarterback.

Baxter noted Eastman is usually an “underdog program.”

“We don’t have as many kids in our catchment as most of the Winnipeg (clubs),” Baxter said.

“We have a lot of kids who go to smaller schools, so they can’t play for the (Steinbach Regional Seconary School) Sabres… As the season went on it was obvious we weren’t the underdog.”

Baxter said he hopes the success of the U16 team on the field will have the Raiders start a U18 team in the coming years.