Sylvan Lake Bears peewee football team provided the perfect response to their heavy loss against Stettler last week defeating Innisfail 14-12 on Saturday.
The Bears edged Innisfail in what head coach Garnet Rambaut described as a “back-and-forth game”. He was pleased with the way his players picked themselves up from last week’s game to go on and win their first game of the season.
Their positive attitude played a major role, he feels.
“It’s funny when you get into peewee football, change is always possible. Attitude controls altitude, I guess,” he said.
Rambaut said his players’ attitude against Stettler was good. As the first game of the season, however, they were unsure of what to expect. The win against Innisfail will give them the boost they need to achieve further wins this season, he said.
“A win is the most amazing medicine. It’s very easy for them to get up and get positive when they see a positive result.”
Rambaut was pleased with his players’ defensive performance on Saturday, and was glad they managed to hang on for a win in such a close game.
One extra player was added to the Bears’ roster, and Rambaut hopes more will be added as the season advances.
“Until we get our numbers up, the energy level is hard to manage,” he said.
Nonetheless, he is looking forward to the Bears’ game in Olds on Saturday, and feels there’s no reason why his team can’t earn another win like the one against Innisfail.
He has a “little bit of an idea” of what the Bears will be up against this weekend, and with the skill shown by his players recently, he is confident about their ability to compete, as long as they stay healthy.
“I’m very pleased with our skill level,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with the skills of my players. Just managing health and managing time on the field are the biggest challenges.”
The Bears have twice played Rocky Mountain House in a practice scrimmage, which Rambaut said has been beneficial for both teams. With each game played, his team will only become stronger.
“I think as the season goes on, you progress every game, because it’s just that much more time together and that much more time to practise plays.”
After facing Olds on Saturday, the Bears return to Sylvan Lake to take on Red Deer at 10 a.m. on Oct. 5 at H.J. Cody Field.