It may be taking place on a different site then previous years, but the rivalry between Carlton and St. Mary will renew on the football field on Friday afternoon in the Car Guys Classic in Birch Hills.
Last season, the Carlton Crusaders defeated the St. Mary Marauders in the rivalry game 51-14, which was called the Canadian Tire Classic at the time.
So far in the North Saskatchewan Football League (NSFL) season, the Crusaders sit atop the standings with a 2-0 record, scoring 52 points while allowing only 23. Carlton is coming off a shutout 24-0 win over Martensville last week.
Crusaders head coach Lindsay Strachan says that Carlton learned some lessons in their exhibition schedule, but have surpassed every test they have faced in league play so far.
“It’s been a solid start for us. We went down to Saskatoon early in the year and found out what it takes to play good football. We learned some lessons from Holy Cross there. Won a tight game in NB (North Battleford), we had a good game in Martensville, so I’m looking forward to another test on Friday.”
With a rivalry matchup, emotions are always high during the game. Strachan says the fact that the Crusaders are facing St. Mary at the end of the week doesn’t affect their preparation and they will need to play to their strengths.
“It’s a big deal in the community and it’s a nice celebration but when it comes to a football standpoint, it’s just another business week. We need to look after the details and execute and be physical and have some fun and fly around and that’s what we talk about week in and week out regardless of (opponent).”
So far in the young season, Strachan says he has been proud of the bend, but not break attitude that the Crusaders have shown so far.
“I thought there was maybe some potential at times in that North Battleford game that we were up and gave up a little bit of a run to them and hung with it. We stuck it out and battled and found a way to come through. We’ve been resilient at times, it’s a big momentum game and the momentum swings can get you. We’ve been pretty solid there.”
Carlton has won the last two regular season meetings between the two teams and one player who has played a major role in both wins for Carlton is quarterback Sully Smith-Windsor.
Smith-Windsor is in his Grade 12 season with the Crusaders and his older brother Taz plays for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
Smith-Windsor says there is anticipation amongst the team heading into the big game.
“It’s always exciting going against the rivalry team. It’s a big high pressure game. Lots of fans. Atmosphere is good. We’re just going to play our best football.”
Last season, St. Mary knocked Carlton out of the playoffs with a 32-28 victory in the first round of the playoffs. St. Mary erased a 14 point deficit and the game came down to the final snap.
Smith-Windsor says the Crusaders are looking to avenge last year’s playoff defeat.
“We’re using it as motivation, making sure we’re not going into that second game when it comes, not going in complacent. Play our best football, that’s what we’re talking about.”
St. Mary
The St. Mary Marauders enter the Car Guys Classic with only one game under their belt in the NSFL this season, falling 35-7 to North Battleford Comprehensive on the road last week.
Head coach Curt Hundeby says the Marauders have been improving every week and is looking to do the same against Carlton.
“Every week we’re making progress. Every week we’re getting better. We’re a very young team and so we’ve got a lot to learn. The hill that we’re climbing is pretty steep, but every week we’re taking strides and we’re getting better. Kids are figuring out how to play and hopefully this is going to be no different. We just want to improve.”
Even with having the game against Carlton circled on their calendar since the start of the season, Hundeby says St. Mary is taking things one day at a time on the practice field, not getting too far ahead of themselves.
“We keep things business as usual by just focusing on getting better each rep. If we think about the big picture and what the score is going to look like at six o’clock on Friday night, then you lose focus about getting better each rep. If we can focus on improving each drill and for each rep that guys are in, and even if you’re not in to take that mental rep then I think that’s going to get us to be as good as we can be for the game on Friday.”
With Carlton returning several players in skill positions, Hundeby says St. Mary is placing a premium on making contact and placing effective blocks to slow down Carlton.
“We’ve got to play physical. They fly around on defense, they’ve got a very polished offense, they’ve got a bunch of athletes on both sides of the ball. We need to be able to play a physical football game. We need to be able to fly around and do a job physically. If we can do that, then I think we can do a good job of bridging the gap. Ultimately, it’s going to be can we get out of the gates and fly around at the speed that we need to?”
“Last week, we didn’t. We were down 21-0 before we could blink. We can’t let that happen this week, we’ve got to be able to come out swinging and match energy so that we can battle these guys for four quarters.”
Although the Marauders are a young team, one key returning player is running back Kenneth Gonzalez.
Gonzalez says St. Mary will need to limit the amount of time that Carlton has possession of the football in order to come out victorious.
“We need to keep our O on the field. Carlton, their offense definitely has very strong skilled players that our defense would definitely struggle with. We got to keep our O on the field just to keep them from scoring. Our team’s really young, so no one really expects much from us. The pressure isn’t really on us. It’s on them, they have the veteran team. Everyone expects them to win, but you never know what could happen.”
Kickoff is at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon in Birch Hills.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
