The Olds High School (OHS) Spartans football team lost its first game of the year 16-3 to the Bishop Carroll High School Cardinals at Normie Kwong Park on Sept. 18.
“They came to play. They've got lots of bodies, which helped them. We had a couple of injuries that created issues for us,” said Spartans head coach George Grant. “I don't want to take anything away from them. They played well. We just need to get ourselves better for the next game.”
The Spartans' record drops to 3-1.
After a 47-0 blowout against Lord Beaverbrook High School the week before, points were hard to come by against the Cardinals.
Spartans quarterback Connor Jorgensen said the Cardinals' pressure at the line of scrimmage made it difficult for him to make passes.
“They're shooting gaps. Hard to pick up blitzes on that team. It's a team from the city,” Jorgensen said. “They bring blitz packages we don't really see often. It's hard for the linemen to pick it up. It's kind of tough to get the ball out of there quick.”
Olds High School's best chance to score a major came in the third quarter.
With the ball at the 55-yard line, Jorgensen connected with receiver Zach Neustaeter on a pass that put the Spartans at the Cardinals' one-yard line.
“Zach's a fast player; he beat them over the top. You just wait until Zach gets his break and you let it go,” Jorgensen said about the pass. “It was a nice catch by Zach, for sure. Protection by the linemen was also very good on that play.”
On first and goal, a Spartans running play was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
An offensive pass interference penalty on the next play pushed the team back to the Bishop Carroll 15-yard line.
On second and goal, Jorgensen was sacked. He was slow to get up, limped off the field but later returned.
Jorgensen said he was only winded after falling on top of the ball.
OHS then attempted a field goal from the Cardinals' 20-yard line but another penalty moved them back five yards.
Finally, on third down, the Spartans' Tylen Smith kicked a field goal that inched over the crossbar, through the uprights, putting OHS on the board.
Bishop Carroll scored its second touchdown of the game on a run by Evan Woods, capping off a drive that started from the team's 30-yard line.
With the score 14-3 late in the game, the Cardinals added a safety after a pair of high snaps pushed the Spartans deep into their own zone.
“We came across an opponent we couldn't just move around at will like we have in the previous three games but it's going to provide us with … a little bit of motivation going forward and getting ourselves ready for Rundle College next Thursday,” Grant said.
“It's a learning experience and I'm sure all the players are aware we need to improve upon a number of things.”
Pull Quote 1
"They're shooting gaps. Hard to pick up blitzes on that team. It's a team from the city," - Spartans QB Connor Jorgensen
Pull Quote 2
You just wait until Zach gets his break and you let it go," - Spartans QB Connor Jorgensen
