Eye to Eye

I think it would be great if every kid could give Football a try at least once, it’s a great way to get into shape, body and mind.. Practise everyday takes a huge commitment and determination. Lining up across from the other guy, staring him in the eye takes courage. I played the football in high school and college and know first hand; only the strong survive .

I think it’s safe to say, the Bengal’s are off to a banner year. They’re having a terrific start to the season, winning the first three games by huge scores. This past Saturday was no exception, when they won again 34 to 0 on the road against Lloydminster Mustangs. It’s a little too early to talk about winning the league championship; especially after seeing how the Edmonton Eskimos started the season 6 and 0 and then lost the last four. You know, anything can happen, but they are looking really strong and it’s partly because of the Elk Point talent that is part of the squad.

‘Danny Boy’ Cardinal getting an off side penalty then making up for it on the very next play with a huge tackle. Charlie ‘Chuckles’ Rogal with some big tackles too, including one that would have changed the game early on when he hauled down a receiver that was wide open and would have made the end zone if not for the speed of ‘Chuckles’. Team captain Odin ‘the Wall’ Smith will always in the middle of the pile. Lineman ‘Bazooka Joe’ Cardinal and Chayse ‘Big Papa’ Pankiw doing some really great blocking for the running backs.

This coming weekend they will play against the other Lloydminster team, the Chargers at home. Then have the Thanksgiving weekend off before playing against Bonnyville. The Bonnyville boys have the same 3 and 0 record as the Bengals , but they had beaten the Bengals in the preseason Jamboree. This may be the best team in the league and Bengals’ biggest test of the year.

Nothing to report for St Paul Lions, who also have some very talented players from Elk Point, ‘Hank the Tank’ Rogal, Ty Cobb’ Smereka and ‘Silent Sam’ Henderson to name a few. They have been having problems getting teams to play this year, some of the teams have moved to a different league and others have had to fold due to lack of players.

There was some really good news for St Paul football  last week, they received a cheque for $110,000, grant money to help  pay for lights on their field.  This will not only allow them to play Friday night under the lights games, it’s also good for later practices. The lights will benefit the track and field club as well. Still short about 40 to 50 thousand dollars to complete the job, the teams are pushing hard to get enough money so to have them up for next season. You can help by picking up their discount cards and watching out for other fundraisers; so give them a hand if you can.