MOOSE JAW -- The Weyburn Eagles have all but guaranteed themselves a spot in the South Rural Football League thanks to a win over the Peacock Tornadoes in Moose Jaw on Saturday.
Weyburn took a 17-7 lead out of the first half and held on for a 17-14 victory at Gutheridge Field, moving into second place in the seven-team league with a 3-2 record and closing in on a top-four finish in the regular season.
The Eagles opened scoring in the first quarter when Tace Odima missed a 16-yard field goal but had enough on the ball to record the rouge. Odima then made it an 8-0 Weyburn lead with a 25-yard touchdown catch as the first quarter came to an end.
Weyburn’s defence came up big with a safety for a 10-0 edge with 9:45 to play in the first half, but it was Peacock’s special teams that would strike next to keep the Tornadoes in the contest.
Nate Measner would recover a blocked field goal and go the distance for the major to make it a 10-7 contest with 1:41 to play in the second quarter.
The Eagles got that one back before the half was out, though, as quarterback Cooper Knox scored on a 10-yard run with 14 seconds remaining to give Weyburn their 10-point lead at half.
The contest turned into a defensive battle in the second half, and the Tornadoes would create some late-game drama when Payson Acorn hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass with 53 seconds left. That would be as close as they’d get, though, and Weyburn had their narrow victory.
Peacock falls to 1-3 and sit in fifth place with two games remaining in the regular season.
Knox finished 11-for-20 passing for 159 yards and the single touchdown, with Odima catching eight passes for 132 yards. Max Venard had nine carries for 95 yards. Weyburn finished with 330 yards of offence.
Tornadoes quarterback Rayan Gebhart was 9-for-24 passing for 95 yards, a touchdown and one interception. Kam Loptson had three catches for 36 yards, Measner three catches for 34 yards. Gebhart was Peacock’s top rusher with 20 carries for 59 yards. The Tornadoes ended up with 181 yards total offence.
Other SRFL action on Friday saw the Estevan Elecs at the Swift Current Colts and the Yorkton Raiders hosting the Balgonie Greenall Griffins, with scores unavailable as of this writing.
League action continues Thursday, with Estevan at Balgonie (7 p.m., Leibel Field) followed by Yorkton at Swift Current on Friday (4 p.m.) and Moose Jaw Central taking on Peacock on Saturday (1 p.m., Gutheridge Field).
