Huskies put up tough fight in opener

EDMONTON - The score shows a lopsided game, but it's the little things that show promise for the Edmonton Huskies.

Playing in their Prairie Football Conference season opener on Saturday night against the Calgary Colts, the Huskies fell 33-7 at Clarke Park.

While the score will tell you that Calgary is on a different level than the Huskies, the home team wasn't just a conglomeration of steamrolled pylons at game's end. For a team that has gone 0-8 in each of the last two seasons, that's a good thing.

Kevin Francis's spirited efforts were a testament to that notion. The defensive back had three knockdowns in the first half. Had he been able to juggle two of those knockdowns into interceptions, which he narrowly missed, it could have put some much-needed points on the board for the Huskies.

With those points missing and some offensive struggles, the Huskies had to settle for small victories as the game got away from them.

The Huskies showed grit early after giving the ball up on an interception. With the Colts deep in the Huskies zone, just three yards from a touchdown, Edmonton made a key stop. Defensive back Colton Nickaruk's knockdown in the end zone pushed the Colts into a gambling situation on the third down. The gamble didn't pay off as quarterback Jeremy Long overthrew a pass that kept the Colts off the scoreboard.

The points started to roll in for Calgary on the ensuing possession. Stuck with the ball deep in their territory, the Huskies conceded a safety. They kicked the ball back to Calgary and Douglas Long returned the punt 82 yards for the first touchdown of the game. The convert from kicker Andrew Fabian made it 9-0 with 5:11 to play in the first.

The early interception and a long punt return for the major could have left the Huskies hanging their heads. Instead, the team kept fighting. When they did haul in Calgary's running backs and receivers for tackles, the Huskies did it with emotion.

The Colts closed out the first quarter with a push deep into Huskies' territory, getting to the two-yard line. They made good on the drive 43 seconds into the second quarter, with the offensive line forcing its way in from close range for the major. Fabian's kick made it 16-0.

Calgary did a good job of tilting the field for the majority of the second quarter. Colts running back Cuong Thai Lieu made an excellent read on the Huskies defence and darted through an opening for an eight-yard scoring dash. Another Fabian convert stretched Calgary's lead to 23 points.

The Huskies showed improvement in the third quarter, keeping the Colts off of the scoreboard until the final minutes of the frame. Calgary receiver Jake Harty had his 30-yard run for a touchdown called back and Calgary had to settle for a Fabian field goal from 25 yards out. The Colts took a 26-0 lead into the fourth quarter and didn't add to it until the final 1:28 of the game, when Long ran in from seven yards out for a touchdown. Fabian's convert made it 33-0.

The Huskies' resilience paid off on the final drive of the game, as backup quarterback Kevin Allen hooked up with receiver Anthony Barrett on an 18-yard passing play for the major to spoil the Colts' shutout. Mattias Hencke kicked the convert to round out the scoring.

PFC action continues today at 1 p.m. when the Edmonton Wildcats host the Regina Prairie Thunder at Clarke Park.