No. 1 Nationals rolling into playoffs

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This article was published 21/10/2014 (4283 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Transcona Nationals are hoping to win it all on the big turf.

The Nationals finished the Midget Football League of Manitoba season with a 7-1 record, earning themselves the top seed heading into the playoffs. Transcona had a first-round bye, and will host the Greendell Falcons on Sun., Oct. 26 at 12 p.m. in the semifinals. On the line will be a chance to make it to the title game on Nov. 2, which will be held as part of Championship Weekend at Investors Group Field on Nov. 1 and 2.

Head coach Steve Hoel explained there was one game that threw the Nationals for a bit of a loop — a 21-16 loss to the No. 2-ranked St. Vital Mustangs on Sept. 13.

Hoel, who is in his first year as midget coach but has led several of this group’s players at other levels, was glad to get the first loss out of the way midseason at the “perfect time.”

“The Mustangs played very well. We didn’t have our starting quarterback (Adam Gorzen), but the boys played well,” he said. “It was a couple of mental mistakes, but we bounced back stronger than ever.

“A couple of kids were devastated, especially a couple of the guys who got scored on, but we explained to them ‘The next game starts right now.’”

Middle linebacker Austin Uskiw of Selkirk came to realize the importance of vulnerability at the right time.

“I was pretty upset. I was kind of angry because I knew we could have played better. We played good, but we didn’t play up to our potential,” said Uskiw, 17, who recorded 49 tackles, a sack, and three fumble recoveries in the regular season. “Later, I felt it was a really good learning experience, teaching us we’re not invincible.”

Gorzen, 17, who lives in Oakbank, said the Nationals quickly realized how much they could lose everything they’ve worked for, and were a more focused group afterward.

“We work very well together. We always build each other up and pick each other up when we get down,” said Gorzen, who threw for league-leading marks of 1,173 yards and 15 touchdowns while being picked only five times.

Hoel praised the group of players, which steamrolled to a plus-242 point differential with 307 for and just 65 against.

“I’ve never seen a team come together as these guys have,” he said. “First place is where we set out to be, and we got there. (There was) a little hiccup in the road there, but we reclaimed our spot where we should be.”

With the extra week to prepare, Hoel said the Nationals were working on tightening up all aspects of their game. He wasn’t particularly worried about the layoff, noting the benefit of injury recovery and extra learning for some players outweighs any figurative rust that may accumulate on the team.

“A lot of the guys are watching film and looking at some errors they made in the past,” Hoel said. “(The bye) scared me a bit, but it’s a blessing.”