Muskies go winless

The worst fears of the Muskie football team have been realized as the team concluded its season with an 0-7 record.
While all teams in the WHSFL earn a playoff berth, Fort High had planned on entering the post-season with something to hang their hat on instead of a 36-0 loss to a beatable Kildonan East Reivers team on Friday in Winnipeg.
“It’s like we’ve almost accepted losing,” Muskie quarterback Blake Wepruk said. “Everybody’s happy after the game, and nobody’s letting it get to them—which it should.”
Things went against the visitors right from the beginning, with the Reivers (2-5) pushing to within feet of the end zone before the Muskies forced them to a field goal attempt, which was blocked—but not without a flag on the play.
The Reivers took advantage of new life and scored a touchdown instead.
The early 6-0 lead became 29-0 by the half—before the Muskies buckled down and forced Kildonan East to a gritty but uneventful second half.
“The effort’s there. The boys are playing hard, they just keep making mental mistakes,” Muskie head coach Vince Gouin said. “It’s been what we’ve done all season long.
“I don’t know what else to say. It’s frustrating.”
The game was plagued with penalties for both sides early on, and the Muskies had their difficulties adjusting to Kildonan’s field. The old-school artificial turf was slippery after a day’s worth of rain—as was the football.
A strong, bitter wind also swept the Winnipeg field throughout the match, which seemed to hit the black-and-gold harder than the home team.
The Muskies will be back in action this Thursday at 3 p.m. at CanadInns Stadium for a quarter-final playoff battle against the first-place Kelvin Clippers (6-1), who thrashed the black-and-gold 65-0 in their previous game here.
“I’m feeling pretty confident,” Wepruk said of the this Thursday’s game. “If we make our blocks, do our assignments, we should do good.”