The Pitt Meadows Marauders junior varsity football team lost 30-13 to the visiting Abbotsford Collegiate Panthers in their first game the AA regular season on Wednesday.
The Marauders look dominant early on, taking a 13-0 lead eight minutes into the game.
However, things began to fall apart as injuries and inexperience began to take their toll.
“We got a lot of young, inexperienced guys on the team, and they didn’t know how to finish,” said head coach Kris Little.
Injuries to the Marauders’ first-, second-, and third-string running backs didn’t help matters either.
With the running game neutralized, the Panthers began to blitz, putting pressure on Marauders quarterback Jake Schuster.
“They started to bring pressure up the sides, and we couldn’t give our quarterback enough time to make plays,” said Little.
Making matters worse for the Marauders, Schuster was forced to leave the game early in the second half with a groin injury, and may be out for as much as two to three weeks.
Little said he hopes to get some of his injured running backs back in the lineup for next week’s game against the Rick Hansen Hurricanes.
“Every team has injuries, we’re no different,” he said. “But we’re learning and we’re working hard, so it will come together.”