Week 3 of the Maritime Football League had two lopsided victories and under pretty harsh conditions.
In the first game of the weekend, the Moncton Mustangs responded from last week’s one-sided defeat to the Saint John Wanderers. The Privateers were coming off of a close victory over the Capital Area Gladiators.
The Mustangs defeated the PEI Privateers 48-12 during a day where the weather contributed to sloppy play from both teams. The Mustangs offense put the ball on the ground five times in the redzone in the first half alone but still managed to put up 48 points. Steve Cormier highlights a list of Mustangs that contributed to the victory, rushing for over 250 yards.
“Aside from the weather, we played well,” said Head Coach Brian Agnew. “Offensively we ran the ball very well and defensively, we took advantage of the weather and managed to force a lot of turnovers.”
The Privateers kept the game close early in the third quarter but ultimately, could not stop the powerful Mustang run game.
The Mustangs are getting set to play Halifax on Saturday at 4:00pm and the Privateers are hosting the Wanderers.
In the second game of the weekend, the Halifax Shockers defeated the Capital Area Gladiators to improve to 1-1. The team’s main focus during the bye week was getting better at what they do and they did just that.
Nick Lauder led the way for the Shockers with two rushing touchdowns. Wide Receiver Luke Williams caught a Matt Shannon pass on a receiver screen and turned it 70 yards for a touchdown. Greg Pelley scored the other offensive touchdown for the Shockers.
Andrew Oake scored for the Shockers defense, returning a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown.
“We greatly improved on offense, particularly in limiting our turnovers and running the ball effectively,” said Head Coach Dan Campbell. “We rotated our defensive line regularly and it kept the unit fresh.
“This was a full team win. Everyone took part in the victory and everyone was happy.”
The Shockers used two quarterbacks on the day, Danny Williams and Matt Shannon, who according to coach Campbell managed the game very well.
“Both our quarterbacks called their own plays,” said Campbell. “They managed the game very well and played to the strengths and opportunities that were making themselves apparent in the game.”
As for the Gladiators, they dropped to 0-3 and things need to turn around quickly if they are going to make the playoffs.
“We were able to move the ball in the first half on offense but we couldn’t generate any points,” said Edwards. “Our defense was not stopping the run and they weren’t able to give the offense the ball enough.”
Being held scoreless can raise questions regarding an offense but Edwards is convinced things will get better.
“Our offense runs best through the air and we have had a significant amount of rain in all of our first three games,” said Edwards.
The Gladiators have a smaller roster and Edwards believes having guys go both ways affects their endurance when the second half rolls around.
The team is heading into its bye week and the goal is to get healthy so that a few guys can return to the lineup.
“Defensively we need to get back to basics,” said Edwards. “The first three games we missed too many tackles.”
“On offense we need to get better on the ground to provide our offense with some balance,” commented Edwards. “We need to improve our timing.”
“Overall I see us turning things around and being competitive coming out of our bye week.”
The Gladiators are going to rest up this week and play the undefeated Saint John Wanderers June 21 at 8:00 pm in Saint John.
The Shockers will host the Mustangs this weekend in Halifax. Kick off is set for 4:00pm.
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