A winless start to the season hasn’t deflated the St. Albert Storm.
The midget spring league team believes there is hope on the horizon despite being outscored 47-32 in two losses in the Capital District Minor Football Association’s Tier 1 and 2 division.
“We’re getting better. The more practice we have the better we are and the smoother we are,” said runningback Greg Fleming.
Friday the lineup of Grade 9, 10 and 11 players hosted the Millwood Grizzles, but the score from Riel Recreation Park was unavailable at press time.
The second last game before the playoffs is this Friday versus the Parkland Predators. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Fuhr Sports Park in Spruce Grove. Admission is $5 for adults and children under 12 get in free.
Last year the Storm finished 2-4 and both wins were against Millwoods, including the Tier 2 playoff final.
The last game for the Storm was the 25-16 loss to the Edmonton Chargers in St. Albert. Decimated by injuries and a shortage of bodies, the Storm trailed 14-0 at halftime and 22-0 in the third quarter before getting on the scoreboard on Josh Coogan’s 11-yard touchdown dash and Fleming’s two-point conversion.
“We weren’t meshing on all the plays and we made a few mistakes and that changed the game,” Fleming said. “We really picked it up though and started playing better but it just wasn’t enough.”
The Chargers were held in check after kicking a field goal late in the third quarter.
“After a while we shut them down on defence. We didn’t give them much,” said Fleming, who was credited with three tackles at defensive end.
In the fourth quarter, Fleming scored his third rushing TD in two games on a 13-yard burst.
Matty Short completed a two-point conversion pass to slotback Corbin Stewart to round out the scoring.
Fleming, 16, finished the game with 60 yards on 12 carries and caught four passes for 45 yards.
After two games the Grade 11 standout for the Paul Kane Blues has run for 100 yards on 24 carries and grabbed six passes for 47 yards.
Fleming huddled up last year for the Storm in preparation for his first season of senior football in the metro Edmonton league’s Carr conference after leading the Blues to their first football banner in school history as the 2011 premier junior champions.
“It really shows you a lot what the senior level is like by playing against bigger guys than you and if you’re younger you have to step it up,” said the 10th leading rusher last year in the Carr conference with 458 yards on 69 carries. “It’s always nice to keep playing too and keep all your skills up to snuff.”
