Douglas runs over Vikings in JV clash

Dustin Douglas dominated on both sides of the ball as the Crocus Plains JV football team ran over the Vincent Massey Vikings, winning 42-24 in the “Brandon Bowl” on Tuesday.

“If you know anything about Brandon football in the last 20 years, (Vincent Massey) has definitely had our number,” said Crocus Plains head coach Mason Kaluzniak. “We’ve worked really hard in the last five years to try to shift things our way, and it’s really starting to come … I believe in what we are doing. I believe in the development of our players, and I really feel we are going to be dangerous moving forward.”

The Plainsmen dominated the first half of the game and seemingly could do no wrong. The defence got things going with an early fumble recovery on the opening drive that set the tone. Though the offence ended up punting, the energy on the Plainsmen’s side of the field was high.

After going back and forth for the majority of the opening frame, Crocus Plains quarterback Jackson Penner found Reyes Monge for a 69-yard catch-and-run with 2:31 remaining in the quarter to open the scoring. After the successful extra-point attempt, the Plainsmen led 7-0.

Penner’s performance was impressive considering he was a last-minute start at quarterback before the game against the Kildonan East Reivers on Sept. 23.

“We made the switch 10 minutes before kickoff … and I got so much credit for him,” said Kaluzniak. “He’s learning the position, but he’s such a leader, and he’s handing the ball off well; he’s calling the offence well, but when he has to throw it, he’s done a real good job too.”

From there, Crocus Plains leaned on the dynamic running back tandem of Dustin Douglas and Cruze Dourado, who ran rampant over the Vikings for the rest of the half. The pair of Grade 9s play both sides of the ball, working together as linebackers on defence.

“It’s nice being able to play offence and defence,” said Douglas. “When I’m playing linebacker, I’m learning from the running back what I could do better. When I run, I’m learning from the linebacker what I could do better.”

Dourado took off on a 29-yard run to the end zone just over a minute into the second quarter to extend the lead to 14-0.

The Plainsmen were humming on both sides of the ball as just over a minute later, with 9:15 remaining in quarter two, Douglas scored a pick-six on a pass over the middle by Vikings quarterback Nelson Green.

Up 21-0 early in the game, the Plainsmen continued their relentless pursuit of Green, who was consistently under pressure throughout the first half. Though Green did a good job extending plays, he was rarely able to find an option downfield.

Douglas then ripped off a blistering 65-yard run down the sideline to score the Plainsmen’s fourth touchdown of the half. It was his second touchdown of the afternoon, and first on the offensive side of the ball.

Flynn Credo capped off Crocus’ perfect first half by picking off Green for the second time on a play where the young quarterback once again found himself under an immense amount of pressure and threw the ball away in a panic.

After 30 minutes of play, it was 28-0, and Crocus found themselves in the driver’s seat.

“There were just a couple plays where we were able to get the blocks, and we were able to hit the holes hard and we executed,” said Kaluzniak about the impressive first half.

The Vikings pushed back in the second half, showing impressive character despite being down by a lot.

Vikings head coach Gavin Young queued up an onside kick to start the second half that Massey recovered.

Green found Asher Glover on a short pass that the wide receiver ran down the field before being hauled down short of the touchdown. A few plays later, Lota Okaekwu ran the ball inside at 10:42 to put the Vikings on the board.

They decided to go for the two-point conversion, but were stopped short, making the score 28-6.

After a quick three-and-out by Crocus Plains, it looked like the Vikings were generating some momentum to start the half.

Douglas then scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 75-yard run to make the score 35-6 with 6:53 remaining in the third quarter.

“I just want to thank my O-linemen,” said Douglas of the two touchdowns he scored on offence. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have scored those touchdowns.”

Seeing the 75-yard touchdown by Douglas, Okaekwu decided to up the ante, running 90 yards to scored is second touchdown of the match. The Vikings once again came up short on the two-point attempt, making the score 35-12.

The Vikings’ offence, which had come back from the dead in the second half, scored the next two touchdowns, making the score 35-24. They were within shouting distance despite failing to convert on an extra-point attempt on any of their scores.

Young mentioned that the turnaround in the second half came from the players getting a bit of belief in themselves and some solid coaching.

“(There was) a bit of teaking, a little bit of adjustment and coming out and actually playing the way we know we can,” said Young. “We didn’t have our best week of practice, and it shows.”

Penner dashed the hopes of the Viking faithful with a minute remaining in the contest by scampering into the end zone to put the game out of reach for the surging Vikings.

The Plainsmen improved to 3-0 with the win, though more importantly, they get bragging rights over the only Brandon-based opponent they will face all year.

Postgame, the two teams milled about, and players took pictures with one another, something unexpected when it comes to a rivalry.

“It’s awesome to have a cross-town rivalry,” said Young. “Back when I played, it was a bit more rah rah and we don’t like you, where now you see them, and they are friends. They’ve grown up together, they respect each other, and it’s awesome to see where football is going.”

Kaluzniak was equally respectful about his opponent.

“I don’t want to call my shot and shoot myself in the foot, but I got a feeling two of the best teams in the province are in Brandon at the JV level,” said Kaluzniak. “There’s a good chance we see them again.”

Next week, the undefeated Plainsmen will host the John Taylor Pipers while the Vikings will hit the road for an away match against the Kildonan East Reivers.

The Plainsmen and Vikings varsity teams meet next week for a repeat of the “Brandon Bowl” at the higher level. Kaluzniak hopes the JV win will galvanize the varsity team for the contest on Oct. 8.

“I hope it’s a shot for those guys,” said Kaluzniak. “Our guys are going to be hungry for it; they are going to be ready.”

» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com