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Bucs looking to bounce back after loss to Calgary Gators

The Central Alberta Bucs are looking to rebound after a tough outing against the Calgary Gators
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The Central Alberta Buccaneers are looking to rebound after a tough outing against the Calgary Gators

“We have another big game coming up against another tough team in Fort Mac, but luckily we got a bye week between now and then,” Offensive Tackle Vince Roth said.

“We have four practices and we will learn from our film session. We will apply the film in practice and be able to bring it against the Monarchs.”

Roth added the bye week they just had allows the team to expand their strategic repertoire

“We are still installing a lot of plays - our playbook isn’t completely installed and there are also a lot of personnel changes throughout the season as well,” he said. “We have new faces at most practices and some guys aren’t available for certain games for whatever reason.”

He added the bye also helps some of the guys on the team heal up, which is important considering that all of the Bucs’ have their own day jobs throughout the week.

“It has been a good grind up until this point with two practices a week and a game every weekend,” he said.

“We started that a month before our first game. I wouldn’t say we are fatigued but a lot of guys will appreciate the weekend off. It is a time to reset our bodies - we aren’t career athletes, so we need time to rest and heal.”

Roth said there is some extra incentive in playing the Monarchs.

“They have had some pieces shuffle but they are definitely going to be a challenge for us,” Roth said.

“That being said, we won’t be laying down for them. It will be an interesting game. There are a lot of guys in the room who haven’t forgotten that game, myself included. It will be nice to be on the field with them again and we can open that discussion one more time.”

This huge test comes on the heels of the Bucs’ squaring off against the Calgary Gators - where the second spot up was up grabs in the AFL.

After winning their first two games - the Bucs were feeling confident however a huge 28-point first half for the Gators would put the game to bed early for the Bucs.

“They are a good team,” Roth said.

“There is no doubt about that. We got what we expected from them but came short on putting points up. I think our defence did pretty good but for whatever reason the bounces weren’t going our way.”

“The entire defence was a huge strength for us. For how much they were on the field, they played lights out,” Slotback Corbin Knip added in a press release provided by the Bucs’ community representative Todd Lewis.

Roth added that the game was a good wake-up call for the team.

“We always hope to win every game but it would be pretty arrogant to think you are going to walk through a season untouched,” he said. “We aren’t that group this year. There is a lot to take and there is a lot to build off. We had a good team that exposed a couple areas we need to work on. We will do that accordingly.”

Knip added in the release, “They tried to trash talk and get under our skin, but I feel we kept our composure. If we fix our mental errors, we can absolutely beat them. Without a doubt.”

todd.vaughan@reddeerexpress.com