Game 4: Outlaws 36 - Chargers 0

After the games that were played this week, all our midget football teams should probably get some kind of award or medal. Getting knocked down on this field must have seemed like being tossed into a big tub filled with ice water. Before tonight's game was half over, most of the players on both teams were soaked through and chilled to the bone, and it must have taken every bit of heart that they could muster for those guys to go out and give the effort that they did. You've gotta love this game!

Despite the filthy weather the Outlaws managed to come up with what might be one of their best games up to this point in the season. It wasn't a night for fancy plays or for the type of aerial attack that the Outlaws have relied on in previous games this year. Instead, it was mostly up to Parkland's twin "giants" Pierce and Kevin, and the Outlaws O-Line, to try and keep the chains moving on offense. By the end of the first quarter each of the Outlaws backs had scored a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Parkland defense just keeps getting better with every game they play. For the most part on this night they managed to shut down the Chargers attack, although they often needed more than one tackler to bring down the Edmonton ball carriers. In the second quarter Parkland's offense added one more touchdown and the Chargers gave up a safety touch, so at the half time break the Outlaws had a 21 - 0 lead.

In the second half the Outlaws seemed to pick up pretty much where they had left off. Again, the passing game didn't generate a lot of offense (for either team), but the Chargers defense managed on several occasions to intercept the Outlaws and turn-overs made the game interesting with the Outlaws pinned deep in their own end for much of the third quarter, and the Chargers threatening to score. The Outlaws weren't in a mood to let that happen though, and in the fourth quarter when Pierce broke through for a 70 yard carry from deep in his own end, it was clear that this game was going to end up as another Parkland win.

This was another one of those games where team discipline made a huge difference. The Outlaws had very few mental mistakes and a bare minimum of penalties assessed against them. This is a style of play and a trait that has been evident in most of the Outlaws games this year.

Congratulations Outlaws on another impressive win! And to both teams; a purple heart - or perhaps more appropriately - a "purple hands" award, for battling hard under very adverse conditions.