The Hunting Hills Lightning were looking to score their first win of the season when they squared off against the Foothills Falcons in a rematch of last year’s playoffs.
“That is a very good team,” Lightning Coach Kyle Sedgwick said. “They only lost about four starters from a provincial winning team last year.”
Unfortunately for the Lightning, it would be the Falcons who would dig in their claws first and often throughout the game, leading to a 20-3 Foothills victory.
Runningback Payton Burbank would lead the way for Foothills with two touchdowns, including a highlight reel 60-yard score. Tyson Hartle would also add a score of his own late in the first half.
Hunting Hills only managed to put one between the goal posts, leading to a 20-3 score heading into the second half.
“For 22 out of 24 minutes in the first half, I thought we went blow for blow. Compare that to last week where we had a lot of new starters with wide eyes, I was very happy with this,” Sedgwick said.
The third quarter would see neither team finding a way to capitalize, meaning the Lightning would have to make up for a 17 point deficit all in the fourth quarter.
They would, however, be able to find the magic necessary to turn the game around.
Neither team would score in the second half, leading to the final score.
“If you want to be at the top, you have to compete 60 minutes against these teams rather than 48 minutes. We have had some close games with them over the years and we have had some not so close games and it is because of just a couple detail errors and a missed assignment here and there that you can get away with it in other games, you can’t in this one,” Sedgwick said.
The Lightning did themselves no favours in this one, going for it twice on 3rd down without finishing the play — one of them being when the score was only 7-3, dropping balls near the Falcons endzone and also being blacked on a field goal attempt.
“We have played them seven times in the last few years. That team, if you make mistakes — they capitalize,” Sedgwick said. “I’m going to go for it there. We have a capable kicker that will make those kicks, but in a 7-3 game I am going to show my guys that I have confidence.”
The Lightning will continue to look for their first win next week when they square off against a talented Notre Dame Cougar squad on Friday, Sept. 21st. That game will be preceded by a divisional matchup between the Lacombe Rams and the Lindsay Thurber Raiders.
“We are going to get the film of this. We are going to break it down and we will be ready for Notre Dame next week. We are going to be flying around and I am excited for this team right now,” Sedgwick said.
