‘Iron sharpens iron’: Spartans find progress despite 71-0 loss to start season

Carpenter moved the ball at times afterward, but Ethier said Bonnyville controlled much of the rest of the game.

The Spartans struggled to contain Bonnyville’s passing attack, giving up several long completions, while the Voyageurs’ defensive line controlled the matchup against Carpenter’s offensive line.

Carpenter also lost a couple of key players to injuries between roughly the middle of the first quarter and halfway through the second, which Ethier said took away some of the team’s momentum.

Still, he saw tangible improvements from last season.

“We tackled better than we did last year,” Ethier said. “So that was good to see that improvement.”

He said the Spartans defended the run well despite their struggles in pass coverage, while several players also provided bright spots on both sides of the ball.

Quarterback Kayl Solsten completed a couple of passes of more than 20 yards to tight end Kohl Gladue, while Grant Fillion stood out with his tackling throughout the game.

Those signs of progress matter as Carpenter continues to develop.

“We understand that we’re a new team and that success on the scoreboard is not going to happen overnight,” he said.

“We were a better team on Saturday than we were at the end of last season. So it was still a successful day.”

Ethier said the players remain motivated and understand that building the program will take time.

“They all understand that when you are a brand new program, there’s going to be growing pains for multiple years,” he said. “They’re excited to be the kids that really pave the future for the rest of the school.”

The calibre of Saturday’s opponent also put the result into perspective.

With Bonnyville coming off an Alberta provincial runner-up finish last season, Ethier said facing that level of competition can help the Spartans develop.

“So that’s encouraging, even though the scoreboard doesn’t show it,” he said. “It’s great to play the best competition because that’s how you become the best.”

Carpenter will get another difficult test Friday, Sept. 4, when it faces the Humboldt Mohawks, a Saskatchewan provincial runner-up last season.

This time, however, the Spartans will have more information to work with.

Ethier said Carpenter went into the Bonnyville game “blind,” but the coaching staff is familiar with Humboldt’s system. The Spartans plan to review film from Saturday’s loss along with Humboldt game film from last season to help shape their game plan.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Ethier said.

“So if you want to be the best, you got to be able to play the best.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘Iron sharpens iron’: Spartans find progress despite 71-0 loss to start season

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