CARSTAIRS - The Carstairs-Crossfield Tigers lost their third game in a row on Saturday in a home game against undefeated Innisfail.
The final score ended up being 1-0 as the Tigers were charged with a forfeit due to not having enough available qualified referees.
Head coach Wade Grimm said the team made the best of it and the two Mountain View 9-man Football League teams scrimmaged for fun.
“We ended up just playing an exhibition game just to give the boys some playing time,” said Grimm. “We did field some younger players. I put out some Grade 8s and 9s players and I believe Innisfail put out some of their Grade 10s.”
Grimm said the season has gone well for the Tigers despite the lack of wins. In September it looked as if the team would fold due to lack of numbers but a late push on social media managed to bring in enough bodies.
“We have a lot of players – 95 per cent — who are brand new to football,” he said. “This year is really just a building year. We're hoping next year most of them come back. We should jell more and have more team cohesion. We're hoping next year we'll be on a path to win some games.”
The team consists of players from the two towns as well as the surrounding area. The players range in age from grade 8-12.
“This year we've struggled with numbers,” he said. “I had probably four eligible players along with five or six ineligible Grade 8 players. I wasn't even able to field a practice team at that point (beginning of September). We put a last call on Facebook and the next thing you know we had around 18 kids sign up in the next couple of days. It was amazing.”
Grimm said the boys have done very well and have really improved since the start of the season.
“We focus on the whole respect aspect of the game and life,” he said. “Our motto is respect all and fear none. We say don't be afraid to take that challenge but you need to respect your adversary, your teammates, your coaches.”
Things don't get any easier for the Tigers this weekend as they face another undefeated team, Strathmore, Saturday on the road. “It'll be a good challenge,” he said. “I'm designing some new plays that'll hopefully give us an edge. We'll see.”
Grimm said the team is head and shoulders above how they were at the outset. “The boys have more stamina,” he said. “They're seeing their positions and knowing what they have to do. They're getting better at doing those assignments. They're jelling as a team. You can tell in the locker room. They're developing, for sure.”
