There were two questions heading into last Friday’s showdown here between the first-place Muskies and the third-place Dryden Eagles.
First, could the black-and-gold stop Dryden’s vaunted rushing attack led by star running back Byron McKenzie? And second, could the Eagles stop the Muskies?
The answer was yes to the first question–and no to the second.
The Muskies manhandled the Eagles on home turf, running the ball with success right from the opening series when Dave Gemmell scored on an eight-yard run up the middle midway through the first quarter.
They also threw the ball with success in the early going, with quarterback Gary Wager tossing touchdown strikes of 15 yards to Mark Mercure, 56 yards to Scott Witherspoon, and 38 yards to Doug LaBelle.
Chad Canfield also recovered a Dryden fumble in the end zone for another Muskie major and a 35-0 halftime lead.
The onslaught continued in the second half. First, Gemmell scored his second touchdown on a nifty 55-yard run midway through the third, then Jamie Booth, Witherspoon, and Gemmell racked up majors in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t think our guys were ready to play with the cold, their inexperience, and with the game not meaning anything playoff-wise,” Dryden head coach Geoff Zilkalns said outside the locker room after the game.
“We don’t have a lot of depth.”
The Muskies exposed that lack of depth all afternoon, moving the ball effectively. On the ground, Witherspoon and Gemmell–along with the newly-formed “Godzilla” backfield featuring power backs Canfield, Jesse Rodrigues, and Jeff Poperechny–all had solid games.
“Scott Witherspoon and David Gemmell are both very good running backs and they made good decisions and good cutbacks,” said Muskie running backs coach Greg Allan.
“Our power running guys really carried the ball well,” he added. “Chad Canfield, who has been a fullback for us in the past, ran the ball well.”
Head coach Bob Swing also was pleased with his offence’s production. “I think we executed and did everything we planned on doing,” he noted.
But most impressive was how well the Muskies did stopping McKenzie, the league’s leading rusher who was coming off an amazing 455-yard rushing performance in a win over the Kenora Broncos the previous week.
McKenzie also had run rough-shod over the Muskie defence in their first meeting here in September.
“I think they gear their defence to stop the run and they also did a good job in Dryden,” noted Zilkalns. “We couldn’t sustain our blocks and we don’t really have a passing game [but] the Fort’s strong defensively.”
Swing had nothing but high praise for Dryden’s top running back.
“I think he is a very good back and we used a ‘scheme’ defence. And that’s where our games against the United States teams have helped us,” he remarked.
“It’s a style more predicated to stop the run.”
But Swing also noted McKenzie will be back for another season next year and “that’s scary.”
Meanwhile, Swing said the black-and-gold are in good shape in their quest for another NorWOSSA crown, particularly with several players returning to the lineup from injury.
“Now we don’t have to play players on both sides of the ball, and they’re more rested,” Swing said.
The Muskies will close out the regular season this Friday at 2 p.m. against the visiting Kenora Broncos, which will set the stage for a re-match in the NorWOSSA final here Nov. 6.