It was a good season, but for the Fort Frances High School Muskies football team, it’s come to an end.
Last Thursday in Winnipeg, the Dryden High School Eagles held off a second half rally by the Fort Frances High School Muskies to advance to the Winnipeg High School Football League’s (WHSFL) AAA Division Championship game with a 31-24 victory. The loss meant the end of the season for the Muskies, who finished the season with a record of seven wins and two losses.
The Muskies took the opening kickoff and scored when quarterback Milo Stafford connected with his brother Liam on a 60-yard touchdown pass. The conversion was unsuccessful.
The Eagles took the ensuing kickoff and scored on a long touchdown run. A two point conversion gave the Eagles an 8-6 lead and they would hold onto for the rest of the game.
The Eagles scored a touchdown on a fake field goal to extend the lead to 15-6 after the first quarter. The Muskies closed to within six points on a short field goal by Trent Friesen. The Eagles answered with a field goal of their own to lead 18-9 at halftime.
The start of the third quarter didn’t get much better for the Muskies.
The Eagles scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half to widen their lead to 31-9.
Late in the third, Muskie receiver Malachi Barkley ran 64 yards untouched for a touchdown, followed by a Friesen boot for the conversion, to narrow the Eagle lead to 31-16 after three quarters.
The Muskies found some spark with under four minutes remaining in the game when Barkley scored his second touchdown from 12 yards out. The Stafford brothers connected on the two-point conversion play for a 31-24 score in the Eagles’ favour.
The Muskies got the ball back and were driving in the Eagles end but time wasn’t on their side the game ended 31-24 Dryden.
The Eagles advance to the WHSFL AAA Division championship game against the St. Norbert Celtics tomorrow, Nov. 6 at Princess Auto Stadium, home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They’ll face off against the St. Norbert Celtics who are coached by former Muskie star receiver Adrian Huntley. The Celtics upset the top seeded Churchill Bulldogs 17-14 in the other semi-final game.
