OLDS — The École Olds High School Spartans went from a humbling 62-0 defeat by Holy Rosary High School in Lloydminster a couple of weeks ago to routing High River’s Highwood High School Mustangs 50-0 on in Olds on Sept. 19.
The Spartans scored their first major with 9:32 left in the first quarter, via a two-yard sneak by Aidan Knobben after a lengthy drive.
Kicker Riley Watkins’ convert was successful, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead.
With 8:02 left in that quarter, the Spartans defence pinned the Mustangs deep in their own end zone for a safety, making the score 9-0.
The first quarter ended with a 16-0 lead for the Spartans, thanks to a 12-yard touchdown pass by Knobben to receiver Carson Christensen and a Watkins convert.
In the second quarter, constant pressure from the Spartan defence resulted in a sack of the Highwood quarterback.
With 9:23 left in the first half, the Spartans increased their lead to 22-0, thanks to a 15-yard pass by Knobben to Nate Reist and a Watkins convert.
With just 0:21 left in the half, Knobben again hit Christensen with a 45-yard strike. With a point-after-touchdown (PAT) by Watkins, the first half ended 29-0 for the Spartans.
In the third quarter, running back Radek Heppner ran 28 yards for a major. With another Watkins PAT, the score became 36-0.
At the end of the third quarter, Knobben hit Ethan Pedersen on a 38-yard hitch for a touchdown. A PAT by Watkins increased that lead to 43-0.
Knobben and Pedersen again combined on a 32-yard TD. With another Watkins convert, the score ended 50-0 for the Spartans.
Pedersen, who made several clutch catches, was named the Spartan offensive player of the game. Linebacker Sam Andrew was named the defensive player of the game for his strong play.
Head coach analysis
“The win against the Mustangs is a result of lessons learned from our loss to Holy Rosary the previous week, along with a great week of focused practice,” Spartans head coach Kent Lorenz wrote in an email afterward.
“The Spartan's coaching staff were pleased to see growth in our new players.
“With a young team, the learning curve is steep. As we continue to improve from week to week, we will see the execution and focus from play to play get better.”
However, Lorenz was not happy with the many penalties the Spartans took during that game – in some cases, several in a row.
“The amount of penalties against the team were quite one-sided. This is something we will work with the team to clean up,” he wrote.
Overall though, Lorenz had some good things to say about the Spartans’ play on both sides of the ball.
“Offensively, the ball was distributed well between our passing and running attack,” he wrote. “With the nice weather conditions, we passed the ball a little more than normal.”
Much of Knobben’s success was due to a strong offensive line that gave him the time to make his throws, Lorenz noted.
The ground game was also strong.
“The running backs ran the ball with authority and protected the ball from any turnovers,” he wrote.
Lorenz also liked what he saw from the defence, but added, “we still have some work to do on communications and basic skills like tackling.”
The Spartans’ next game is Sept. 28 on the road in Canmore versus the Wolverines. At press time, kick-off time was still to be determined.
As they get ready for a that game, Lorenz said the Spartans will continue to work on basic skills and conditioning.
Extra points
Before the game got underway, a ceremony was held to pay tribute to former Spartan quarterback Josh Crawford, who passed away in July 2023.
Crawford did so well that he played university football for the Acadia Axemen.
His parents Jim and Debby Crawford were presented with a mini Spartan football helmet in remembrance of and tribute to him.
“A kid from Olds Alberta going across the country,” former Spartan head coach George Grant said. “He made the most of every opportunity that he ever had.
“He had a great love for the sport and for all of those who participated within it. He always considered every teammate a family member and a brother.
“Once a Spartan, always a Spartan,” Grant said.
“Thanks so very much for this and remembering our son Josh,” Debby said.
“Josh loved the game of football and I commend each of you to play with full hearts and appreciate your coaches that are behind you throughout this season.”
