Three Games Saturday in MJ High School Football

There’s a big Saturday ahead in the Moose Jaw High School Football League with three games on tap, including two at Gutheridge Field.

The Central Cyclones will play host to the Yorkton Raiders in the early game and then the Vanier Vikings welcome in the Swift Current Colts in the back-half of the doubleheader.

The Peacock Tornadoes will hit the road to Estevan where they’ll put their 3-0 record on the line against the 0-3 Elecs.

Tornadoes Pleased with Start

The five-time defending league champion Tornadoes have started the season with three straight wins, including knocking off both of the other Moose Jaw teams.

Quarterback Garrick Ward said he likes how the team has progressed through the first three games.

“We always have expectations to come into the year and go out there and win it all, and that’s what we’ve been doing so far, getting wins and making plays,” said Ward, who has helped Peacock put up 96 points in three games.

The Tornadoes have allowed just 35 points this season and have looked strong on both sides of the ball so far.

“There’s definitely things that we can clean up, but we’re doing a lot of good things on both sides of the ball and that’s really helping us get some wins,” said Ward.

The Elecs haven’t been able to get off to the start that they’d have hoped with three straight lopsided losses, but despite Estevan’s struggles, Peacock isn’t looking past the game.

“We’re not going to take them lightly, so we’ve got to go out there and do our jobs, put up some points and let our defence do the work,” said Ward.

Peacock kicks off in Estevan at 1 p.m.

Central Ready for Yorkton Test

The season hasn’t gone quite as planned for the Central Cyclones, who have a 2-2 record after losing 35-22 to the Vanier Vikings last Saturday.

Central has been in every game so far this season, but just haven’t been able to find that extra play to put them over the top.

“We’ve been inconsistent,” said Central linebacker Hunter Morgan. “We’ve had a slow start or the defence is playing well and the offence isn’t doing the best or vice-versa. We’ve just got to come together and be ready to go for the whole game.”

The Cyclones will get a chance to make a big statement as they prepare to host the 3-0 Yorkton Raiders on Saturday.

Yorkton has steamrolled the competition in their first three games, beating Weyburn, 56-0; Estevan, 73-0; and Swift Current, 65-13.

Morgan said they’re ready for the challenge, “It’s a big game, but they haven’t faced very tough competition yet, so hopefully we can be the first team to go out there and put up some big points and take the W, turn our season around and push them back a bit.”

It’s easier said than done against the Raiders. Morgan said if they play a solid game, they should have a chance.

“I wouldn’t say we’re intimidated, if anything we’re more hyped up for the game and hopefully it’s a good one,” said Morgan.

The Cyclones will host host the Raiders at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Vikings Aiming to Continue Roll

The roster numbers might be small for the Vanier Vikings, but that hasn’t stopped them from putting together a stellar first three games this season.

Vanier sits at 2-1 heading into their match-up with the Swift Current Colts at Gutheridge Field on Saturday.

Receiver/Defensive lineman Jayden Miller said the team’s confidence is building with each game.

“We believe that we can do a lot with the team we have even though we don’t have much numbers, just alignment, assignment and execution,” said Miller.

“We feed off everyone having to make plays. Our numbers are an advantage not a disadvantage.”

The Vikings rolled to a big 48-8 win over Estevan in their season opener; gave Peacock a good fight in a 22-7 loss in Week 2; and knocked off Central, 35-22, last weekend.

Miller said they just need to keep the momentum going from last week to have success against the Colts this weekend.

“It’s pretty simple, just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” he said.

Vanier and Swift Current kick-off at 3:15 p.m. Saturday.