Vikings Haunted By Devils In 9-Aside Debut
Friday night wasn’t a sweet ride for the Vanier Vikings as they came up against a wall called the Lumsden Devils in their inaugural game of 9-aside football.
The Vikings struggled in the first half up against the powerhouse Devils losing 41 - 21 in a Friday Night Lights matchup.
“It was a little disappointing with the start we had. We had a couple of mistakes or breakdowns that cost us scores on their side,” Vikings head coach Ryan Gottselig said in the post game media scrum.
The Vikings lined up on the field during the pre-game warmups - MJ Independent photo
The Vikings improved after the half.
“We challenged the kids at half time to play a better brand of football and they stepped up and they did very well,” Gottselig said.
On the Vikings bench - MJ Independent photo
About the confusion the Vikings had - something the Devils had as well - about having enough players on the field at times he said the team could not rely on anymore but they would have to work on it.
“I thought we executed cleaner last week in our exhibition game than we did this week. That’s on us we have to be a little better making sure guys know when they’re in or out.”
Vanier Vikings linebacker Braden craig tries to tackle a Lumsden Devils player - MJ Independent photo
The Vikings were up against a much larger Lumsden team and it showed Gottselig said.
“That’s what dawned on us during the warmups. They’re big up front. And they are big and they can move.”
“They’ve got some kids (that can move). They’ve got tight ends moving down the field catching deep balls. They’re big athletic kids. Certainly they’re strong,” Gottselig said.
Vanier Vikings receiver Gabe Yasinski tries to go outside past the Lumsden Devils defenders - Mj Independent photo
The Devils ability to make some big passing plays took advantage at times of the Vikings adapting from 12-aside to 9-aside football.
“That’s one thing as we move to 9 man we’re struggling just trying to figure out some coverages here and figure some stuff out here,” he said.
Kazoos and cheers were the weapons the Vikings fans brought to the game - MJ Independent photo
It should be noted that although the field of play in 9-aside football is smaller than 12-aside football the reduction in three players makes 9-aside a faster game.
The reduced number of players on the field opens up the field allowing the potential for bigger plays as per player there is more field to cover.
Vikings receiver Colby Clark tries to stay inbounds as he is pursued close to the sideline by the Devils defenders - Mj independent photo
Some have called 9-aside closer to flag football where the game is a variety of passes and then open field with no blocking allowed. It is a catch and run style of football.
“We’ve got to work on that and we have got to get our linebackers picking those up. Even our DBs (defensive backs) let a couple of calls over the top that normally we don’t when we get those pickups,” Gottselig said.
Vikings running back Hudson Tallon attempts to break a tackle by the devils Jo Lamotagne - mj independent photo
“We had breakdowns. Yeah we have got to fix it.”
Despite the loss to Lumsden - a conference powerhouse - the Vikings can still do well in their inaugural season of 9-aside football.
“It’s kind of our message to our kids. Let’s see how we fall against these guys and go from there,” Gottselig said.
VANIER VIKINGS RECEIVER GABE YASINSKI Takes a handoff and is on the run - mj independent photo
Due to the fact the 9-aside conference the Vikings are playing in has little information about league play it’s tough to determine the strengths and weaknesses of teams the Vikings have never seen before.
“I think each week is going to be challenging and we’ll kind of see where we fall. I think if we put the work in we can definitely compete,” Gottselig said.
The Vikings defence attempts to tackle a devils offensive player along the sidelines - mj independent photo
The Vikings now have two females with no previous football experience as part of the team.
Grade 10 student Zoey Chesney joined the Vikings two days ago.
Lumsden Devils Kaiden Lindsay (center) tries to outrun the Vikings defence - MJ independent photo
Although she dressed for the game Chesney did not see any game time as she is still learning the game.
Expect her to play sooner rather than later.
VANIER VIKINGS RECEIVER GABE YASINSKI tries to allude a Devils defe- Mj independent photo
Gottselig said playing football for the Vikings is open to both male and females who want to come out and give it a try and become part of the team.
“Yeah we just want to grow the program. If you have got some interest and some heart we’d love to see you out there.”
Vanier Vikings quarterback Grayson Hrenyk gets ready to call for a snap - MJ independent photo
About the Vikings next game - Friday September 22nd in Gull Lake - Gottselig said the re-match will have the Vikings looking at the game tape with the Devils first.
“Yeah we‘ll look at the game tape here and clean it all up and the mistakes we made because there are going to be some glaring ones. So for us it’s cleaning up our execution.”
A Devils player jumps against a Vikings counterpart as he attempts to intercept a pass - MJ Independent photo
A bright spot in the game was when second line quarterback Carter Beliveau came in and threw a strong long pass to Gabe Yasinski for a touchdown.
Beliveau is a Grade 9 student which bodes well for the Vikings future if his development remains strong.
“He’s had a good (training) camp and he has been throwing some pretty good balls.”
