Pincher Creek Mustangs defeat High River in exhibition game

Chris Davis and Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

High River (left) goes down in
defeat to Pincher Mustangs
Chris Davis photo

The Pincher Creek Senior Mustangs football team achieved a decisive 30 - 20 victory over the High River Mustangs on Friday evening, September 2 in front of an ecstatic home-town crowd at the Matthew Halton field.  The first two quarters saw the Pincher Creek team playing a very solid game.  They fell apart in the third quarter, making fans and coaches alike feel uneasy. The game descended into a bit of a free-for-all, with emotions running high to no good effect, cheap shots from both teams disrupting the rhythm of the game.
#39 Ryley Jenkins brought them back to earth, "playing for everybody", in the words of Head Coach Dennis Sokownin.

They brought their A-game back to the final quarter, securing their victory and proving their perfomance in the first half was not a fluke.  #17 Stephen Hochstein, slightly injured, brought it home for the team and the fans with a beautiful touchdown. "They believed in themselves in that last quarter, and it showed," said Sokownin.

Mustangs vs Mustangs
Chris Davis photo

This was an exhibition game, one of two they will play here in Pincher Creek before the season proper begins.  What the squad of 25 boys demonstrated was the power of teamwork and self-belief.   While there were definite moments when individual players shone, this victory was a testament to everyone knowing their role and carrying it out.

Chris Davis photo

The Pincher Creek Senior Mustangs have, in the past, most often been non-contenders in the Southern Alberta High School Football League.  This year they seem to be very determined to change that.  "We set a precedent tonight that we're not going to be laughed at anymore," said Sokownin.  They've been practicing drills since August 16,  preparing for the season, and Sokownin has been drilling them in positive thinking as well.  What we saw last night was a group of young men united in a cause, dedicated to a purpose.  If they continue to build on that, and work on some of their rough edges, they will go a long way towards repairing the reputation of their team.  They have many challenges before them this season, including teams with more financial backing, a bigger pool of talent to pull from, and/or newer equipment. Their biggest challenge will be to sustain the momentum that definitive games like this one can create.  They believe in themselves now, and it showed.  Their fans were with them every moment of the game, and it helped.
Pauline Breeze, grandmother of Ryley Jenkins, was "Excited to be able to come out to football again."  Dan Crawford, father of #57 Lane Crawford was very happy at the outcome. "It was a beautiful start to the season," he said.  "The (recent) rain softened the ground, and greened the grass. The team have worked on a play system to get the ball to move, and we got to see it in action today.  It's working."

In the wrap up bull session after the game, Coach Sokownin asked his boys "What did I say we were going to do this year?"  "Win," they answered in unison. "And we're going to win..." he continued. "Lots!," they replied.

"We`re going to win...LOTS!`"
Chris Davis photo

Sokownin coached for 6 years at Sir Winston Churchill High School in Lethbridge before moving to Pincher Creek, and has been coaching the Pincher Creek Mustangs for 12 years, for the most part by himself. Now he has a lot of help from Offensive Co-ordinator Peter Brennan , with results that could be seen in this game, and Wayne Alexander, with 39 years of coaching experience, who brings a positive and constructive aura of maturity and intelligence onto the field with him.

Karl Engen all smiles
after victory
Chris Davis photo

"This win has showed the town that we actually care about the boys that are playing, because Peter Brennan and Wayne Alexander and of course myself have put a lot of effort into doing that," said Sokownin when asked what this win meant to the team.  "The boys have shown the town that they really want to play for the town, for the people, and they've commited themselves, and I hope it continues that way, and the roll keeps being successful."

The PC Mustangs will be practicing again on Tuesday, September 6, preparing for their next game, another exhibition against Cranbrook which will be held on Friday, September 9, at 5:30 pm, again at the Matthew Halton field.  They will be playing Claresholm in 3 weeks, a challenging team they've only beaten once before. Claresholm Coach Tim Bryson was watching the game intently from a vantage point well up the hill, preparing for a dogfight with the Pincher Team.

"After this, there's going to be a lot more boys going 'I'm thinking of maybe playing for them' because that's what a lot of people see," mused Sokownin. "If they see wins, they see a team.  If they see losses, they call the coaching bad.  I've been a losing coach, but I've had a lot of winning boys."

Come out and cheer on the home team, see what good coaching of good athletes can accomplish for yourselves.  The concession stand will be open, serving hamburgers, smokies, pop, water, and Tim Horton's coffee.

Hoo Rah!!!

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