Head coach Bob Swing promised the Muskie ‘A’ football squad would be better this season. Other than on the scoreboard, consider it a promise kept.
“I know the score doesn’t show it but if you were there, you would have known that we should have won that game,” Swing said about his team’s 40-14 road defeat at the hands of the Grant Park Pirates in their Winnipeg High School Football League opener Friday afternoon.
“Offensively and defensively, we were better. It was special teams where we got into trouble,” he added.
The Pirates were carried by running back Andrew Harris, who unofficially racked up a mindnumbing 470 yards in total offence just by himself.
Included in that was a 55-yard pass-and-run play just before halftime to make it 24-14 for Grant Park, and a back-breaking 125- yard return for a touchdown after an unsuccessful Muskie field goal attempt in the third quarter to make it 33-14.
“It was the Andrew Harris show,” said Swing. “But the mistakes we’re making are coachable, correctable things. The kids are working hard and took some huge steps on Friday.”^Kevin Gemmell, last year’s MVP for the black-and-gold, picked up right where he left off in 2002— accounting for the Muskies’ scoring with second-quarter touchdown runs of 13 and five yards.
Fort Frances (0-1) will play the second of four-straight road games this Friday against the River East Kodiaks.
The Muskies won’t see action here until their Oct. 3 match-up with the Churchill Bulldogs in the annual Homecoming game.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
