Although it wasn’t a second-place finish the Bonnyville Renegades were hustling for, the team still celebrated their final game of the season.
On Sunday, Nov. 3, the Renegades fell 46-8 to the hosting Lloydminster Colts at Holy Rosary Field in the Lloydminster Football Association League finals.
Bonnyville head coach Jason Morgan said the players were ready to hit the field.
“We were hoping we’d play a game like we did in Cold Lake the week before where we had a great outcome, but we were facing a little mightier of an opponent,” he noted.
The spirit on the Renegades’ bench shined through regardless of the chilly weather, and everyone cheered on their teammates throughout the game.
“They had great attitudes, they’re great kids with great personalities, and we had lots of fun. They just had a tough game, they were down early and they got deflated,” Morgan recalled.
The head coach described the loss as a tough one.
“Line plays are what wins championships, and the Colts have got great defensive and offensive lines, and they played really well.”
He continued, “The size of their lines are impressive, they’re huge players, and they’re coached very well.”
Since this was the first year many of the Renegades hit the field, Morgan focused on instilling the fundamentals of the game during their practices.
“We saw a huge improvement from probably 15 to 20 kids, and it’s going to look great next year because all the ones that improved immensely are back next year.”
Once the clock ran out, the graduating players realized it was their last game as a Renegade.
“There were some tears at the end of the game,” Morgan recalled. “But, that’s good because it means they left it on the field and they gave it everything that they had.”
With his first year as head coach behind him, Morgan couldn’t have been prouder of the players and all they accomplished.
“It was a very good team that came together well, they all learned lots, and they’re probably one of the best teams overall that we’ve had because there was a lot of contributions from a lot of the players.”
He added, “Thank you to all the junior coaches and all the assistant coaches that we had. We had a fantastic season.”
Morgan has high hopes for everyone next season.
“Some of them will have great football careers next year that are moving up to the Bonnyville Bandits, and the ones that get to return next year are going to get our trophy,” he exclaimed.
This was the second year in a row the Renegades took second in last season’s Lloydminster Football Association League. They also fell to the Colts in the finals last year.