Swing guarantees end to losing streak

Maybe it didn’t rank up there with Joe Namath before Super Bowl III, or Mark Messier on the eve of Game Six of the Eastern Conference finals, but it was a bona fide guarantee, nonetheless.
“We will beat River East [Kodiaks] this week—you can put that in the paper,” Muskie ‘A’ head coach Bob Swing vowed after his team fell 40-14 in its Winnipeg High School Football League regular-season opener to the host Grant Park Pirates last Friday afternoon.
This is no faint-hearted claim, considering the Muskies (0-1) are on a 10-game losing streak dating back to their playoff loss that ended their inaugural 2001 season.
But with what he saw his team accomplish against the Pirates, Swing believes the time for the streak to end has arrived.
“The increased resolve that this year’s team has over last year’s group is exceptional,” remarked Swing. “We can dictate to teams offensively and defensively with our systems.
“I know the score doesn’t show it, but if you were there [Friday], you would have known that we should have won that game,” he added. “Offensively and defensively, we were better.
“It was special teams where we got into trouble.”
The Muskies marched down to the Pirates’ 35 on their opening drive, where they stalled and decided to punt rather than try a long field goal.
Craig McTavish’s kick was perfectly placed as it sailed to the Grant Park three-yard line—perfect, that is, except for the pair of hands it landed in.
Those hands belonged to Andrew Harris, who gave quick notice of his monumental day to come when he returned the punt all the way inside the Muskies’ five-yard-line.
“It was the Andrew Harris show,” said Swing, who watched Grant Park’s offensive superstar unofficially compile a staggering 470 yards in total offence all by himself.
To make matters worse, McTavish injured his ribs in making what Swing called “an unbelievable hustle play” to track down Harris and at least temporarily prevent the touchdown.
McTavish was pulling double duty as the team’s punter and place-kicker, and his departure left the Muskies up against the wall in terms of having any success in winning the field position battle.
“We hope to have him back for Friday against River East,” said Swing, who wouldn’t confirm who McTavish’s replacement would be in the event of his absence.
The Muskies then bobbled the snap on a punt on their first possession of the second quarter and the Pirates jumped on the loose ball at the Muskies’ 20, setting up a field goal that gave them a 10-0 cushion.
A deadly accurate 35-yard touchdown pass for Grant Park (“We had good coverage, the guy just caught it,” said Swing) put the Pirates up 17-0 and they threatened to bury the black-and-gold.
Instead, it inspired them.
The Muskies drove down the field, completing a lengthy drive with a 13-yard touchdown run by Kevin Gemmell, last year’s team MVP, to cut the lead to 17-6 (the convert was missed).
Then Ty Griffith stepped in front of a Pirate pass and picked it off to put the momentum squarely in the Muskies’ favour.
Gemmell eventually ran the ball in from five yards away for his second major, then after Shane MacDonald bulled his way into the end zone for the two-point convert, the Muskies were within striking distance at 17-14 with only 28 seconds left in the half.
After Harris returned the subsequent kickoff to midfield, he hauled in a desperation pass from his quarterback and took it to the end zone from 55 yards out with eight seconds to go for a 24-14 lead.
“You would think that was the backbreaker, but it wasn’t,” claimed Swing.
The Muskies—working against the wind—held the Pirates to a single point on a missed field goal in the third quarter to trail 25-14. Then they went on an extended drive for the last half of the third quarter and into the fourth, before being stopped at the Pirates’ three-yard line.
But the short field goal attempt was signalled wide by the officials and was collected by Harris, who proceeded to drive the stake into the Muskies’ heart when he rambled 125 yards for the touchdown and a 33-14 lead after a two-point conversion.
“We weren’t in panic mode, but we knew we were going to have to score quickly,” said Swing.
But it was not to be as the Muskies fumbled on their own 20 on the next possession—paving the way for the Pirates’ final major.
“The mistakes we’re making are coachable, correctable things,” remarked Swing. “The kids are working hard and took some huge steps on Friday.”
The Muskies can approach the River East game on the road this Friday knowing their hosts already have tasted defeat at the hands of last year’s other winless club in the WHSFL, the Kelvin Clippers, who surprised the Kodiaks 23-0 last Friday.
The Muskies play their first four games of the season on the road, then will defend home turf for the first time Oct. 3 against the Churchill Bulldogs in the annual Homecoming game.
Their final two regular-season games also will be played here.