OLDS — After losing to the Drumheller Titans for years, the École Olds High School Spartan football team has now beaten them twice – in Drumheller in September and in Olds on Oct. 10.
The score in Olds was 27-13. Spartans head coach Kent Lorenz believes that brings the team’s record to 5-2.
Back in early September, the Spartans downed the Titans 35-25 in Drumheller.
Thursday’s game was a tight one, especially in the first half, played in relatively warm, sunny conditions for this time of the year.
The Spartans opened the scoring with 10:52 left in the second quarter thanks to a 55-yard pass and run play by Gabe Drent. The convert was good, making the score 7-0.
But that lead was short-lived.
With 6:37 left in that quarter, the Titans responded with a 70-yard pass and run TD of their own and convert to knot the score at 7-7.
The score remained 7-7 at half time.
With 6:57 left in the third quarter the Spartans attempted a field goal, but the Titans blocked it.
But that didn’t matter.
The Spartans regrouped and with 2:24 left on the clock in that quarter, Drent hauled in a pass for a 47-yard pass and run touchdown. However, the convert attempt failed, making the score 13-7 for Olds.
With 2:14 left in the third quarter, the Spartans got a timely sack.
However, the Titans came back from that with a 70-yard run for a TD. Their convert attempt was no good either, tying the score at 13-13.
In the fourth quarter, Drent got his third touchdown of the game, a 20-yard pass and run play with 5:59 left. The convert was good, cranking the Spartans’ lead up to 27-13.
When the Titans got the ball back, they got down to the Spartans’ 25 yardline, but could go no further. The Spartan D stuffed them three straight times, with just 42 seconds left in the game.
From there, the Spartans simply let the clock wind down for the 27-13 victory.
“We had a really good second half and we worked together so we could accomplish a win. It was a big win for us,” Lorenz said after the game.
Lorenz was asked if the Spartans did something different in the second half, because the game seemed to change at that point – the Spartans gained the upper hand.
“We worked on what their coverages were on defence, so we adjusted in the second half to throw the ball a bit more – and it worked,” Lorenz said.
In addition to a stellar, stingy defence, two standouts in the game were Drent and Radek Heppner, who was very effective on both sides of the ball.
“Gabe scored all four touchdowns today, so he had a really good game,” Lorenz said. “He was playing a new position today too. Usually he’s a wide receiver and he was playing slotback/tight end today.”
He had high praise for Heppner too.
“Radek played a lot today,” Lorenz said. “He’s one of the veterans and we rely on him quite a bit.”
There were several fumbles and penalties on both sides.
The Spartans’ next game will be played Oct. 18 in High River.
After that, it’s not clear if there will be playoffs or not.
“We don’t know how playoffs are going to pan out yet. We’re just trying to figure out the zones for provincials and then we’re going to work from there,” Lorenz said.
“I don’t even know if there’ll be playoffs, to be honest, because our last game against Canmore is here on the 26th and then provincials is the next week, so there’s probably no playoffs.
“(That’s) something we have to work on as a league, for sure.”
