ESTEVAN - The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team continued to prepare for the 2023 season by facing Regina's Archbishop O'Neill Titans Saturday afternoon in a preseason game.
The two teams had a controlled scrimmage in the first quarter, with each team running 15 offensive plays, and then they played a mostly-traditional game for the final three quarters at Dana Quewezance Memorial Field in Woodlawn Athletic Park. Teams did adapt some rules for special teams in the final three quarters.
While the score wasn't tracked, Elecs head coach Mark Schott noted Estevan scored two touchdowns, with a two-point conversion on one of their scores, while Regina responded with one unconverted score for a final of 14-6.
Estevan's touchdowns came on a long run by Truman Ciepliski, which Schott said was a really exciting play, and an eight-yard run by running back Khalifa Elshein.
Schott noted both teams have a nice mix of veterans and young players.
"The scrimmage was a great opportunity to get everybody onto the field. That's really the main purpose of the scrimmage is to get everyone into game action. It's a great opportunity – whether it's the Grade 9s or anybody that's new to our team or new to football – to see what high school football is like, the pace, the physicality and the intensity of the gameplay," said Schott.
The Elecs are happy with the potential shown by the younger players, as the coaches believe they will be nice additions to the team. They also had some pleasant surprises with players trying out different positions. ECS rotated through three quarterbacks, and Schott said they all played well.
The heat, which peaked at 36 C on Saturday, did cause some problems for players on both teams. Sometimes the Elecs would have personnel ready, but players wouldn't be able to take to the field because of the temperatures.
The Elecs will open the regular season on Sept. 8 when they host the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles at 7 p.m. at Woodlawn.
