It was snowy, it was cold and points were at a premium, it was playoff football between the Central Cyclones and Vanier Vikings on Saturday at Gutheridge Field.

The Cyclones picked up a safety on the opening drive of the second quarter and that was enough points for the win, as they held on for a narrow 2-0 victory over the Vikings to advance in the Moose Jaw High School Football League playoffs.

"It was a really close, we were fighting every play to make the stops," said Central linebacker Hunter Morgan. "Our defence played really good, our offence couldn't really perform today -- a lot of dropped balls and stuff -- but the pressure on us brought us closer together and we played really well."

Central had cruised through the competition on their way to a 5-1 record during the regular season, but they were met with a stiff test from a motivated Vikings team, who finished 1-5 during the regular season.

Cyclones head coach Colin Belsher said his team was tested, "We're blessed to have one more week of football left in us," he said. "Hats off to Vanier, they had a great game plan, obviously the elements affected us a little bit more, but Vanier came to play. Our team gutted it out, our defence played great today, they kept us in the game and getting those two points early on in the game and keeping that two-point lead the whole game is huge for us."

The Vikings didn't get much going offensively, but their defence played a spirited game against Central's high-powered offence, laying a big hit every chance they had.

"We knew it was a new season after the regular season, we just tried to put everything we had on the field, we wanted to show that we weren’t a 1-5 team, fought through a lot of things and the scoreboard showed that we fought hard," said Vanier receiver Cole Coroy, who finished with two catches for 11 yards and also put together a strong game on defence in the loss.

Central defensive back Barritt Sitavanc hauls in an interception late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's win over Vanier. (Photo: Marc Smith)

With snow falling and a stiff wind throughout the game, both offences had a tough time gaining any momentum. 

Central's record-setting offence was held in check throughout the day by Vanier's defence, finishing with just 176 yards, including only 79 yards for quarterback Ethan Johnson.

Cyclones running back Ryan Vincent had a strong afternoon, picking up 91 yards on 18 carries.

The lone points in the game came from Central defensive back Layne Johnson, who picked up a safety 1:37 into the second quarter.

"Some boys were nervous, some boys weren't ready, they thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was, Vanier really came out strong, so we've got to grind this week and perfect everything," said Morgan.

Vanier put together a strong final push during the second half, moving the ball into Central territory on a few occasions, but 94 yards in penalties and minus-11 total rushing yards kept them out of the end zone.

Vikings running back Xander Montgomery broke a run into the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but it was called back due to a penalty. Montgomery had a team-high 31 yards on five carries.

"It came down to the wire and when we need things, penalties and stuff killed us," said Coroy.

Vanier running back Xander Montgomery breaks into the open field during Saturday's quarterfinal loss to Central at Gutheridge Field. (Photo: Marc Smith)

Central defensive back Barritt Sitavanc helped seal the win with an interception late in the fourth quarter.

The Cyclones will now take on the Swift Current Colts in the semifinals next week after the Colts secured a 69-22 win over the Estevan Elecs in another of Saturday’s quarterfinals.

The other quarterfinal at Gutheridge Field saw the Peacock Tornadoes roll to a 27-15 win over the Weyburn Eagles. Check back for more from that game.