Varsity Sabres fall in WHSFL playoffs

The Steinbach Regional Sabres varsity football team just couldn’t pull off the upset in the Winnipeg High School Football League playoffs.

The Sabres matched up against the top seed from the Potter Division, the Vincent Massey Trojans in the league quarterfinals, falling 34-22. Steinbach fell behind early 21-0 but battled back to cut the lead down to just six points, before a late Trojans touchdown put the game out of reach.

“Ultimately, we made too many mistakes to take down one of the top teams in the province,” program coordinator Jamie Peters said.

“Turnovers and costly penalties made an already difficult challenge even tougher. Against quality opposition, those mistakes are often the difference. “

The Sabres finished the regular season at 3-4 and fourth in the Virduk division. The top division in high school football in the province is now 12 teams, with Steinbach finishing once again as a top-eight program.

“Our ultimate goal of reaching the provincial Final Four remains just out of reach, but we will continue to learn, grow, and work toward that standard,” Peters said.

The Springfield Sabres came up short by just a single point in their Tier 2 quarterfinal, falling 21-20 to the Windsor Park Royals. Both teams finished the regular season at 4-3.

The football season isn’t quite over yet, as SRSS’s junior varsity team put their undefeated record on the line in the JV9 division semi-finals after press time in the city Nov. 4.

They advanced to the semi-finals in the junior varsity division thanks to a 30-7 win in the quarterfinals Oct. 28. It’s the first time a junior varsity SRSS football team has won a playoff game. Jayden Toews scored four touchdowns on the ground to lead the Sabres, as they pulled away in the second half.