Buccaneers 38 Stallions 5
LACOMBE — Call it a lesson learned.
One month after gassing a two-touchdown lead and falling 31-28 to the visiting Lloydminster Vandals, the Central Alberta Buccaneers were determined to keep their foot on the gas during the second half of Saturday’s Alberta Football League meeting with the Edmonton Stallions at MEGlobal Athletic Park.
“We were in the same situation against Lloydminster, up by 14 at halftime and we crumbled,” remembered Buccaneers head coach Duane Brown. “This time the guys stepped up and did exactly what they had to do. They dominated the second half and took the game.”
Indeed, the outcome was never in doubt down the stretch, with the Bucs pulling away en route to a 38-5 victory, their second of the season against three defeats.
Buccaneers quarterback Byron Stearns completed 18 of 31 passes for five touchdowns. He also threw one pick.
Matt Merkley had six receptions for the Bucs for 120 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown, while Marc Bartolf scored majors on catches of 25 and 21 yards and gained 91 yards in total with five receptions. Jamie Blinkhorn hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass and Jordan White scored on an 88-yard pass-and-run play and had four catches in total for 123 yards.
The Buccaneers defence shone in the ill-tempered, flag-filled affair which ran close to three hours.
“These two teams were expansion teams the same year, they both came into the league at the same time,” said Brown. “The teams don’t like each other. There was no love lost on this field.
“It was a rivalry game and it was nice to see our emotions stay in check. The guys did exactly what they had to do.”
Bucs kicker/defensive back Tylor Johnson contributed five converts, a 25-yard field goal, averaged 47.4 yards on kickoffs and also had four tackles, one knockdown and one interception.
Also coming up big defensively were linebacker Jeremy Makila with four tackles and one interception for 15 yards, and lineman Bob Poley with three quarterback sacks. In total, the Central Alberta defence racked up six sacks, four tackles for lost yards, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
The 2-3 Bucs close out their AFL regular-season schedule this Saturday against the undefeated Drillers at Grande Prairie and the following weekend in Edmonton versus the winless Renegades.
“Our next game at Grande Prairie is a monster game,” said Brown.
“If we take that game we’ll likely host a playoff game here. Two road games is a tough way to end the season but we’re looking forward to it.”
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com