Muskies remain winless

A touchdown returned off the opening kick-off was the deciding factor in the Muskies’ 7-2 loss to the Dryden Eagles during the annual Homecoming game last Friday afternoon.
The black-and-gold were hoping to make the best of playing a winless opponent in front of a large, friendly crowd to turn their fortunes around, but after Dryden quarterback Pierre Paquin’s return touchdown just 15 seconds into a game, there was little in terms of scoring but a conceded safety in the third quarter for Fort High.
“We were there,” Muskie head coach Vince Gouin said. “We had confidence. We could get the first down and for the most part, you might as well go to the first story—breakdowns. Mental breakdowns.”
The Muskies looked fundamentally sound and controlled the flow of the game after the opening play, seeming to be sharp on offensive plays as well as on defence.
The difference maker was that while the black-and-gold were able to gain yardage, there was little they seemed able to do within 10 yards of the end zone.
“Overall, as you look at the sheet, we moved the ball well, just at certain times we made mental mistakes,” Gouin said.
One such mistake was a holding penalty in the fourth quarter that saw a Muskie touchdown waved off—a play Gouin called “a real killer.”
The silver lining is that the Muskies’ maligned offence finally seemed to click. Fort High racked up more than 150 rushing yards and, perhaps more importantly, passed for over 100—threatening in the red zone on a handful of occasions.
“Our defence held them [Dryden] scoreless from our opening kick-off, so our defence did good,” Gouin said. “Offensively, when you have three chances on the three-yard line, it’s frustrating.”
The Muskies tried for touchdowns on those chances throughout the game, eschewing field goal attempts on third down. In fact, other than the dreaded opening kick-off, the tee got the day off as Gouin also declined to punt throughout the match.
“We thought we could run on [those third downs],” Gouin explained.
The loss dropped the Muskies’ record to 0-3. Dryden and Fort High both entered the match with 0-2 records, and many on the team felt this game was within reach and could turn around the season.
Many players took the loss hard and wore their frustration on their faces afterwards. But Gouin shook off the idea that the team was “dejected.”
“I’d say the team is very disappointed,” he said.
One player who found the loss hard to swallow was running back Matt DePiero. He led the team with 73 rushing yards but took little solace in individual accomplishments.
“It was a frustrating game to be in,” he remarked.
DePiero and a number of other veterans had a hard time keeping their head up after the loss. While others were flush-faced and quiet, DePiero had plenty to say about his team, albeit in a voice that was at times unsteady.
“I mean, the guys played hard, but we just weren’t there all the time . . . we got to get closer together and be more [like] one team,” DePiero stressed.
“We gotta lay it out for the person beside you and rely on the person beside you to pull it together.”
The Muskies next head to Grant Park in Winnipeg this Friday, who are 2-1 but only have scored 53 points on the season, ranking them fifth offensively in the division.
Gouin said practice is still going to hinge on his emphasis on fundamentals.
“We still have football to play and we have to reload and refocus on next week, and I think the boys will play hard and come back again,” Gouin noted.
DePiero agreed.
“There’s a lot of season left, and we just gotta bare down and put it behind us, and learn from this. We’ve got to learn from this,” he said.
“If we can get this team to play to its potential, we’ll be good.”