The Spartans beat the Moncton Panthers 18-0 before another big crowd at Eric Johnston Field on Sunday afternoon. The win gave the young Spartans a 2-0 (won-lost) record on the season as they head out on the road to visit Riverview on Sunday.
The Panthers received the opening kickoff, and drove 45 yards down to the Spartans’ 15-yard line, but the defence made a crucial play recovering a Moncton fumble on a failed handoff by the quarterback. Linebacker Landon Gallant recovered the fumble, and it provided a big momentum change in the game.
“Landon is a second-year player for us, and he had a very good game today (Sunday) making tackles and recovering that fumble as it looked like the Panthers were going to go in and score on their opening drive,” commented Spartans defensive co-ordinator Todd Williams. “We preach all week about winning the turnover battle, and we like our chances in games when we do.”
Pay for turnover
The Spartans made the Panthers pay for the turnover, driving the ball 90 yards capped off by a 30-yard touchdown run by quarterback Connor Keough, who added the all-important three-point kicking convert for a quick 9-0 lead.
Summerside’s scoring march included a couple of fourth-down conversions to keep the drive going.
“We might be young, but the offence is starting to execute better, and we have confidence in them to make a play regardless if it’s first down or fourth down,” added Spartans offensive co-ordinator Dave Chisholm. “It’s always nice scoring first, especially after that turnover, and playing with the lead.”
After another Moncton possession, the Spartans got the ball back with 34 seconds left in the half. Keough made a couple of nice throws, but both receivers dropped the passes that would have been a two-touchdown lead going into halftime.
“The boys missed a couple of sure touchdowns as they tried running with the football before it was in their hands,” added Chisholm. “It’s something we will continue working on in practice this week.”
The Spartans added to their lead midway through the second half with a time-consuming 10-minute drive that was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown run by Armaan Singh for a 15-0 lead.
Keough added the convert to give Summerside an 18-0 lead. Moncton needed a score to get back in the game and drove to the Spartans’ 40-yard line, but the defence came up big.
“We have only given up seven points in two games, so we are very pleased with how our defence is playing,” said Williams. “We really pursued well to the ball today and took great angles, but at times we didn’t break down and over ran a number of plays.
“However, our guys are aggressive to the ball and that’s all you can ask at this early stage of the season.”
Summerside ran the clock out with a couple of knees, and are set on taking their undefeated record on the road.
The Spartans beat the Moncton Panthers 18-0 before another big crowd at Eric Johnston Field on Sunday afternoon. The win gave the young Spartans a 2-0 (won-lost) record on the season as they head out on the road to visit Riverview on Sunday.
The Panthers received the opening kickoff, and drove 45 yards down to the Spartans’ 15-yard line, but the defence made a crucial play recovering a Moncton fumble on a failed handoff by the quarterback. Linebacker Landon Gallant recovered the fumble, and it provided a big momentum change in the game.
“Landon is a second-year player for us, and he had a very good game today (Sunday) making tackles and recovering that fumble as it looked like the Panthers were going to go in and score on their opening drive,” commented Spartans defensive co-ordinator Todd Williams. “We preach all week about winning the turnover battle, and we like our chances in games when we do.”
Pay for turnover
The Spartans made the Panthers pay for the turnover, driving the ball 90 yards capped off by a 30-yard touchdown run by quarterback Connor Keough, who added the all-important three-point kicking convert for a quick 9-0 lead.
Summerside’s scoring march included a couple of fourth-down conversions to keep the drive going.
“We might be young, but the offence is starting to execute better, and we have confidence in them to make a play regardless if it’s first down or fourth down,” added Spartans offensive co-ordinator Dave Chisholm. “It’s always nice scoring first, especially after that turnover, and playing with the lead.”
After another Moncton possession, the Spartans got the ball back with 34 seconds left in the half. Keough made a couple of nice throws, but both receivers dropped the passes that would have been a two-touchdown lead going into halftime.
“The boys missed a couple of sure touchdowns as they tried running with the football before it was in their hands,” added Chisholm. “It’s something we will continue working on in practice this week.”
The Spartans added to their lead midway through the second half with a time-consuming 10-minute drive that was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown run by Armaan Singh for a 15-0 lead.
Keough added the convert to give Summerside an 18-0 lead. Moncton needed a score to get back in the game and drove to the Spartans’ 40-yard line, but the defence came up big.
“We have only given up seven points in two games, so we are very pleased with how our defence is playing,” said Williams. “We really pursued well to the ball today and took great angles, but at times we didn’t break down and over ran a number of plays.
“However, our guys are aggressive to the ball and that’s all you can ask at this early stage of the season.”
Summerside ran the clock out with a couple of knees, and are set on taking their undefeated record on the road.
