Raiders season ends

The Chateauguay Bantam Raiders competed in their President’s Cup final in St. Leonard on November 9, putting in a good effort against the St. Lazare Mustangs, but ultimately lost 31-13.

“It started off really well. It was a close game in the first half,” said Bantam coach and president of the Chateauguay Minor Football Association Kevin Wyeth.

Halfway through the game, Chateauguay and St. Lazare were neck-and-neck, with the scoreboard reading 7-6 in favour of the Mustangs.

The second half, though, was a different story.

“We had a small roster. By the end, there were a lot of guys playing both ways,” said Wyeth. “The kids fought really hard at the beginning, but they just ran out of juice.”

Usually, football players only play on one side of the ball, except in rare specialist roles. As such, playing the whole game on the field can lead to faster fatigue.

Local player Aidan Davies was one of the players for the Raiders who was tasked with being on the field on both sides of the ball. Davies is a linebacker on defense, and a running back on offense.

Wyeth said that Davies, along with the rest of the team, gave it their all during the whole game, and that with the small roster - a reality for the Bantam team the whole season, not just in the finals - he was pleasantly surprised that the team made the playoffs in the first place, let alone playing a competitive finals game against a team with more players than them.

The Raiders and Mustangs met twice during the regular season. In their previous regular season game against St. Lazare on October 18, the Raiders had lost 18-0 to the Mustangs. Prior to that, on September 20, it was the Raiders who shut out the Mustangs, winning 6-0.

This season was Wyeth’s first as president of the association, and with many playoff teams, three finals appearances, and a Mosquito championship, he feels the Raiders had a strong season overall.

“I was a little nervous, but it ended up going pretty well,” said Wyeth. “I had a lot of help from all the executives, the managers, the coaches, so I’m thankful.”

He hopes the younger divisions will continue to have strong participation, along with their development program in Atom divisions.

As for next year, Wyeth wants to increase the number of players in older divisions – Peewee, Bantam, and fielding a Midget team.

He will also be working on having alumni help coach teams, as he coached three teams this season on top of his other duties.

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