Joey Payeur
Mike Cuzzolino probably burned the midnight oil trying to figure out a game plan to extend the season for the Muskie football team.
Then, in two excruciating quarters, the St. Norbert Celtics took a blowtorch to the whole strategy.
The Celtics scored almost at will in building a 41-0 halftime lead en route to a 49-20 win over the Muskies in the first round of the WHSFL 4th Division playoffs Friday in Winnipeg.
Chalk up another forgettable first half for the black-and-gold, who fell behind 20-6 a week earlier in their regular-season finale against the Celtics as both teams wound up at 2-4.
“It was tough to see us fall behind like that and be down 41-0 at half,” noted Cuzzolino.
“But the boys showed heart and refused to give up, and battled to the end,” he added.
“So I’m still extremely proud of these men I’ve had the opportunity to coach.
Cuzzolino said assistant coach Dave Montgomery talked to the players at halftime to get them going.
“We just said to forget the half and let’s focus on having a great second half,” he noted.
“We just needed to score six [touchdowns] and give up zero. Anything is possible.”
Celtics’ quarterback Adam Brockie and the running back duo of Mathieu Cornborough and Chris Dick made up a three-headed monster that terrorized the Muskie defence.
St. Norbert’s defenders, meanwhile, gave Muskie quarterback Brandon Whitecrow and his offensive line a case of the fits for the first 30 minutes.
“St. Norbert’s ‘D’ was tough,” admitted Cuzzolino.
“They moved the fronts around a lot, which made it hard to pick up blitzes, and they are very athletic up front and play hard,” he noted.
“Our offensive line did a great job picking it up the second time around but we were just unable to make some plays.”
Cuzzolino said they tried to vary their formations but that seemed unsuccessful.
“We went back to our base formation and had more success there in the second half,” he remarked.
“On defence, we just had a few breakdowns in fundamentals and they just executed very well.
“Our boys did a great job shutting the door in the second half, surrendering zero points.”
That blanking didn’t include the kick-off return for a touchdown surrendered by the Muskies’ special teams in the third quarter.
Whitecrow, who went 13-for-29 for 196 yards, threw just one interception Friday a week after throwing three against St. Norbert in the regular-season finale.
He also had five carries for 54 yards and threw a 38-yard touchdown strike to running back Sekina Scheibler.
The Muskies’ other touchdowns were provided by linebacker Byron Stewart, who took a fumble recovery 30 yards for the major, and Dougie deBernardeaux on a three-yard touchdown catch.
Cole Kowalski led all Muskie receivers with 93 yards on four catches and also had a team-high 15 tackles while playing in the secondary.
Kenton Bowles added nine tackles while Baeley Fulford had seven.
St. Norbert now faces the Portage Collegiate Institute Trojans in the 4th Division semi-finals tomorrow in Winnipeg, with the winner to meet the survivor between the Neelin Spartans and Maples Marauders.
Cuzzolino, meanwhile, sees an expressway to better times lying just in front of the Muskies.
“For this team to be a true competitor in the Currie Division, it really just needs to continue to work hard,” he said.
“There’s no way getting around hard work,” he stressed. “I’ve been fortunate to win four championships and it takes really hard work, and the kids can’t be scared of failure.
“A lot of the pieces are here,” Cuzzolino noted.
“I’m going to continue to learn and develop my skills as a coach to be the best coach I can be for the kids, and help the kids become champions both on and off the field,” he pledged.
“I have great respect for this game and I have great respect for all the players I get to coach.
“They are excellent kids and parents should be really proud of them,” Cuzzolino lauded.
“[They] just need to learn to become a band of brothers, like a family.”
The Muskies only lose offensive linemen Noah VanHeyst, Terrell Yerxa-Mosher, and Bryce Gilbert, as well as Fulford, linebacker Andrew Hanson, and defensive back Dylan Ossachuk, but could return as many as 25 players from this year’s roster.
“If we can develop that mentality, anything is possible,” Cuzzolino reasoned.
Should enough bodies be gathered for the trip, the Muskies have a standing invitation to head to Thunder Bay in the upcoming weeks for an exhibition game against the Churchill Trojans.
And there are possible future ramifications for those players who stand out.
“Rolf Waffler coaches Churchill and he e-mailed me about an exhibition game so that he can get a look at some of my players for the Northwestern Ontario Canada Cup team,” said Cuzzolino.
“It’ll be a great experience and opportunity for some of our kids,” he noted.
