Spartans break through for first touchdowns of season in loss to North Battleford

Carpenter entered the game expecting to rely on its passing attack. The plan created opportunities downfield, but the Spartans were unable to capitalize consistently.

“We tried to throw the ball and we had some wide receivers open down the field,” Ethier said. “We just dropped some balls.”

Wide receiver and safety Cameron Bell turned a catch into a long touchdown. Quarterback Kayl Solsten also earned praise from Ethier for continuing to throw and run hard despite taking repeated hits.

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/meadowlakeNOW)

JPII’s quarterback caused much of the damage against Carpenter’s defence and was credited by Ethier as the game’s difference-maker.

“Hats off to number five,” Ethier said. “He played a really good game and he’s single-handedly beat us.”

Ethier said poor pursuit angles sometimes allowed the quarterback to escape to the outside. The Spartans plan to address those mistakes when they review the game film.

“A couple times we took a couple bad angles and allowed him to break contain,” he said. “We really, really need to focus with our edge rushers that they are the contain guy and that nobody gets outside them no matter what.”

Defensive lineman Keadyn Floberg was a bright spot for Carpenter, disrupting several of JPII’s inside running plays.

Ethier said the Spartans understand they will face strong opponents throughout their Conference 4 schedule, which he considers the top nine-man football conference in Saskatchewan.

“They know every week that they’re going to be playing elite talent, which is good because like we talked about at the beginning of the year, you only get better by playing the best competition,” he said.

Carpenter will travel to face the Indian Head Broncos next Thursday in its final exhibition game. Ethier expects Indian Head to play aggressively up front and rely heavily on its running game.

The Spartans plan to focus on stopping the run defensively while establishing their own ground attack to create opportunities through the air.

The games will not count toward the league standings, allowing Carpenter to give playing time to players who do not normally see as much action. All of the Spartans’ remaining games after Indian Head will be league contests.

“So this week is totally just about growth for us,” Ethier said.

GAME 1: ‘Iron sharpens iron’: Spartans find progress despite 71-0 loss to start season

GAME 2: Spartans hold firm early before Humboldt pulls away for 62-0 win

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Spartans break through for first touchdowns of season in loss to North Battleford

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