The Westlock Thunderbirds played their last league game of the Wheatland Football League (WFL) regular season last week, falling 19-8 to the Wainwright Commandos at the Westlock Elementary field.
The weather was miserable, with rain falling for most of the game and then turning into blowing snow.
“When the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, it was something else. We’ve played in worse, but this individual group hadn’t played in anything like that. It’s tough to come to grips with,” said coach Jon Kramer.
Kramer said he had some new offensive plays drawn up of the team, but it was hard to implement them with the weather.
Despite the loss, he said the coaching staff is proud of the team for making strides every game and for never giving up.
“Everybody really did give their all, which we’re super proud of ... It was another tough loss, but it was another week of learning a bit more about who we are and what we’re made of and where we need to grow for the next week,” said Kramer.
“The upside of all of this is that we know our last two games were games where we should have been able to be really competitive in.”
Next up for the T-Birds will be an away game in Cold Lake this Saturday, Oct. 20. If they lose, their season is over, but if they win, they will have another shot at Wainwright.
Preparations for the Cold Lake game includes coming up with a strategy to bring the younger players into the game more.
“We really need them to step up so we’re going to kind of renew a focus on them,” said Kramer.
“I think that will make some difference for the vets who have been going both ways, just to have a series off here and there.”
