Irish drop final home game of 2016 to Calgary Gators

By Eric
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Updated: July 14, 2016

Airdrie Irish running back Matt Huntley (right) battled a wall of Calgary Gators defensive players during the Irish’s 44-0 loss at Ed Eggerer Athletic Park July 9. Andrew Halipchuk/Rocky View Publishing

Andrew Halipchuk – Airdrie City View – Thursday, July 14, 2016

Playoff hopes for the Airdrie Irish senior men’s football team took a major hit July 9 when the team was shutout 44-0 by the visiting Calgary Gators.

Due to severe weather, the game was called at halftime after the surrounding thunderstorm and heavy rain had not let up. Head coach Sean Stewart said he was not pleased with the team’s final home game of the season.

“We’ve got to use every opportunity we can to get these guys to come together and get as much experience as we can,” Stewart said. “We still had a half to play. We waited for half an hour to get back out there.”

The game got off to a rough start when the Gators opened the scoring less than three minutes in, off of a touchdown pass from Gators quarterback Jordan Heather to Kurt Howland.

“They’re fighting champions, they’ve got good quality players,” Stewart said. “Our players have to realize that’s what they’re going into and they have to get mentally prepared for it.”

The Gators seemed to score at will through the rest of the opening quarter, tacking on a safety, a field goal a rushing touchdown from Anthony Johnson and a passing touchdown from Heather to Ben Hnatiuk, to take a 26-0 lead.

Stewart said he saw the Irish team turning against one another as the score continued to climb in the second half.

“They need to play as a unit. As soon as the game gets tough they start falling into playing as individuals,” Stewart said. “They need to work on playing as a team (and) playing as a family.”

The Gators continued to dominate on both sides of the ball in the second quarter, adding an additional 18 points to its lead.

Near the end of the second quarter, the Irish started to see a turn around, marching the ball down field on offence, but failed to score and held the Gators to minimal yards.

The loss was the Irish’s third at Ed Eggerer Athletic Park and the fifth overall loss this season. The loss put a huge dent in the Irish’s hopes of earning a berth into the Alberta Football League (AFL) post-season, with just two road games remaining.

The Irish have yet to earn a win on the road in the team’s second season in the league.

The Irish will be looking for its first road win July 16 when it heads north to take on the 1-4 Grand Prairie Drillers. This game is a must-win for both teams if either wants a shot at playing in the post-season this August.

“We have to use this (loss) as a learning experience for the guys,” Stewart said. “Guys try to take things on by themselves an they have to realize that’s not the way football is played.”