The Glacier defense played an outstanding home game, Oct. 17, scoring two touchdowns, to help the Glaciers defeat the Hinton Wolfpak 75–6.
The defense was consistently in the Hinton backfield holding the Wolfpak off the score sheet until late in the game.
After forcing Hinton to punt early, the first Glacier offensive play was an interception by the Wolfpak. Again the defense held the Wolfpak to two first downs and took over the ball on the Glacier 35-yard line. Strong runs by Dylan Mooney and Jake Melanson, combined with a quick pass to Martin Kreiner, got the Glacier offense rolling. Melanson eventually scored on an 11-yard sweep.
Emerson Ostrander hustled down field on the ensuing kickoff and managed to knock the ball out of bounds, giving the Glaciers the ball in Wolfpak territory. It took two plays to bring the ball down to the 1-yard line and Melanson dove in for his second major.
Another short kick was recovered by the Glaciers on the Hinton 48-yard line. A quick pitch to Mooney and a sharp cut back allowed him to go the distance and build a three score lead for the Glaciers.
Strong tackling by Hayden Clark and Jake Delorme provided a quick two and out, allowing the Glacier offense another crack.
After a 15-yard Jack Hilworth run, a 30-yard reverse to Martin Kreiner fooled the Hinton defense and put another touchdown on the board for Jasper.
Ryan Pickle provided two consecutive quarterback sacks to finish the quarter with a score of 38–0 for the home team.
The Glaciers fumbled the ball on their first second-quarter possession and the Wolfpak marched down the field aided by some Glacier penalties. Near the goal line, Delorme stripped the ball to return the Glacier offense to the field. They marched the ball into Hinton territory with a nice pass to Morgan Poirier and then turned it over on a Hinton interception.
The possession turned sour for the Wolfpak when Kreiner stripped the ball free and Delorme picked it up with nothing but green in front of him for a 30-yard touchdown run. The Hinton offense was forced to punt on its next possession, but Delorme got a hand up to deflect the ball. Ostrander caught the ball on the first bounce in full stride and was not to be denied, as he ripped 90 yards up the field for a touchdown and a 54–0 halftime lead.
With Melanson as quarterback, the Glaciers marched down the field at the beginning of the third quarter. Melanson’s run and pass to Ostrander brought the ball to the Hinton 10-yard line, where an Ostrander field goal attempt went just wide, providing a rouge for the home team.
The next play saw Hinton running back Jacob Fafard get into open field, only to have Delorme dive for his ankle and haul him down at the Glacier 10-yard line.
The second half saw the Grade 10 players step up, with Hilworth running the ball effectively before Melanson passed to Erik Paukstat, who hooked up with Ostrander for a 39-yard touchdown pass.
The next Hinton drive was snuffed out when Lochlan Beauchamp intercepted a Wolfpak pass. With the ball on offense, Melanson was forced to scramble for two first downs as the Hinton coverage was solid. From the 18-yard line, Melanson pitched the ball out to Kreiner on the option and he followed the blocking to the end zone. The Glacier defense provided another two and out, forcing Hinton to punt the ball. Hilworth took the punt at centre field, faked left and then ran right, behind solid blocking for the second special teams touchdown.
The last play of the game saw Hinton complete a pass and run play for a touchdown to break the goose egg and finish the game 75-6.
The Glacier defense is becoming as well rounded as the offense, as two young players, Ryan Pickle and Hayden Clark, both stepped up with strong games on the defensive line. Each made several tackles for losses through hard work and perseverance and Pickle provided a fumble recovery.
The Glaciers smallest player, Lochlan Beauchamp, also provided excellent defense and an interception. The 4–1 Glaciers remain in first place in the West Division and have a week off. The team travels to Sunchild for its final regular season game Oct. 28.
Fred Kreiner
Special to the 51°µÍø
