A large turnover of players has resulted in a young Dauphin Clippers football hitting the field in the Rural Manitoba Football League, this season.
And, although they lost the season opener, 48-0, to the St. Vital Mustangs, Sunday in Dauphin, it was a good learning experience for the young squad.
“I think it was huge. We had so many things that we didn’t have a chance to work on. In fact that was our first time on the football field,” said Clippers head coach Nathan Thacker.
“We do all our practicing off to the side, because we don’t like to damage the field. So spatially, it was a lot of learning that had to go on.”
Despite the lopsided score, Thacker was pleased with a lot of aspects of the game.
“When you look at the fact that at the end of the game, we still had kids clawing for every inch on offence and running their butts off on defence trying to make tackles. Not shying away from contact,” he said.
The coaches, Thacker said, can work with players who maybe miss an assignment or aren’t quite sure what they’re supposed to be doing.
“You learn a lot about your kids in a game like that. Who wants to play when they’re down? Who gives up early? And we didn’t see a lot of people that gave up early. And we saw a lot of people that wanted to play at the end. So that means a lot,” he said.
The Clippers, who have plenty of things to build on for the next game, will now get ready to host the Swan Valley Tigers, Sunday, at 1 p.m.
“Defensively, we had a few people who wanted to spectate, because when the older kids are making plays, you step back, but they know what it takes now,” Thacker said.
“And then offensively, we saw the things that we struggled with, which was mainly timing. And we knew that. But when you’re not executing on offence, you make your defence pretty tired.”
Thacker added this is the happiest he has ever been after losing a game by 48 points.