The Creighton Kodiaks shone under Friday night lights in their home opener, defeating rivals Sandy Bay 60-13 in front of a packed hometown crowd.
Sandy Bay started the game with an onside kick, which the visitors recovered but wouldn't get to keep - an offside penalty led to the play being redone. A running theme throughout the game would be Sandy Bay making progress on the field, only to have it undone with a player going offside or committing a penalty.
Creighton would be stuffed on their first drive, punting after a three-and-out. Sandy Bay marched down the field and got the ball down to the Kodiaks' seven-yard line, but three penalty flags on an eight-play drive proved costly as the T-Wolves turned the ball over on downs.
On the first play from scrimmage, Creighton made the visitors pay, with Carson Straile taking the ball all the way down the field for the first touchdown of the game despite losing a shoe. The kick was successful, making it an 8-0 game.
Sandy Bay would get on the board on the next play, with Kippy Natewayes running the kickoff back for a touchdown - the first touchdown the Kodiaks have allowed so far this season. The TD was met with cheers from a strong Sandy Bay fan presence, including several loud honks from vehicles parked around the field belonging to Sandy Bay fans. An unsuccessful convert made it 8-6 Creighton.
The T-Wolves would get the ball right back after an onside kick and scramble for the ball, but solid defence by the Kodiaks and more penalties would end the momentum. On a third-down punt, Payton Pelletier made his presence known by catching the punt and running it back for a TD. The score was 16-6 Creighton after a successful kick.
Another Sandy Bay three-and-out led to Creighton gaining big yards through a pass to Aidan Joa-Hall, followed by a short run by Joa-Hall for a touchdown - 24-6 Kodiaks at the end of quarter one.
From there, the Kodiaks defence would mostly stand tall, stuffing Sandy Bay to start the second quarter. The offence would drive back down the field before a Marcus Kennedy QB sneak made it 30-6. An amazing one-handed interception by Creighton's Ethan Lavis got the Kodiaks the ball right back, with Straile running in a touchdown to make the score 38-6. Following mutual turnovers on downs, Creighton would get the ball back with 25 seconds left in the half and Straile would run in his third touchdown of the half, making it 46-6 at halftime.
The Kodiaks' starters would play the first couple sequences of the second half, but wouldn't be in for long. Creighton would allow one more touchdown to Sandy Bay, but would add two more of their own, sending Creighton fans home happy with a 60-13 final score.
The win puts the Kodiaks at a 3-0 record on the season, at a combined score of 174-13. The Kodiaks now stand alone atop the standings, with Sandy Bay now at 2-1 on the season. While it is not mathematically guaranteed yet, the Kodiaks are likely to qualify for a provincial playoff game as the top 2A school in the northern league, as the top 1A and 2A teams will qualify for a provincial game later this fall - Creighton has beaten two of the three remaining 2A teams in the league so far this season.
The Kodiaks will play again Wednesday on their home field against Pinehouse, the one remaining 2A team Creighton has not yet played. Following that game, the Kodiaks will head to Cumberland House to face the Charlebois Community School Islanders Oct. 5 before ending the regular season with an Oct. 12 home date with Ahtahkakoop.
The league finals will take place Oct. 19-20, with the top two teams in the league facing off and the top team in the league receiving home field advantage.
