Following a 42-24 loss to the Aden Bowman Bears in last Friday’s season opener at Max Clunie Field, St. Mary Marauders head coach Curt Hundeby was looking for a solid bounce-back performance in his squad’s first road contest of the 2019 season.
Although they were able to put points on the scoreboard once again, the Marauders now find themselves with an 0-2 record in the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate standings following a 47-27 loss to the Bethlehem Stars at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field Thursday evening.
“I thought we battled pretty well once again and we kept the score close, but it was a different type of game this week,” Hundeby said.
“In the Aden Bowman game, it was just three plays where we messed up and they took advantage of our mistakes. In the game against Bethlehem, our defence really struggled in stopping the run. They did a good job of blocking us thanks to their strong offensive line and we weren’t in the right spots to take of their rushing attack.”
Ethan Sommerfeldt led the way on the ground for the 1-1 Stars, as he rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.
Quarterback Anthony Lukan completed five of nine passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
The Marauders were led on offence by Grade 10 student Ethan Gee, who rushed into the end zone from five yards out, caught a 91-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Witkowski and returned a kickoff for 100 yards to start the third quarter.
“He’s a heck of a talent already and he’s got a lot of potential,” Hundeby said.
“We just need to make sure that we are utilizing our other players on offence so that we can create opportunities for Ethan and prevent other defences from trying to stop him.”
Carter McDougall had the other touchdown for the Marauders on a five-yard run.
Witkowski completed 12 of 30 passes for 181 yards and also threw an interception in addition to his touchdown pass to Gee.
The Marauders will look to earn their first win of the season next Friday at Max Clunie Field as they’ll take on the Evan Hardy Souls.
“From what we’ve seen of them, they look like a typical Evan Hardy team with a balanced offensive attack,” Hundeby said. “If we can clean up our mistakes, I think we can match up well against them.”
The Souls had an 0-1 record heading into a game with the Bishop James Mahoney Saints in Saskatoon Friday night.
Meanwhile, the 0-1 Carlton Crusaders are on the road tonight to take on the 1-0 North Battleford Vikings.