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Bengals struggle against Mustangs

The St. Paul Bengals hosted its second straight home game this season, this time facing the Lloydminster Mustangs in a close matchup that left the Bengals with a loss, and final score of 30-14.
The St. Paul Bengals took on the Lloydminster Mustangs on Sept. 17 at home. The Bengals lost the game 30-14. Both the Lions and Bengals will be playing this weekend in St.
The St. Paul Bengals took on the Lloydminster Mustangs on Sept. 17 at home. The Bengals lost the game 30-14. Both the Lions and Bengals will be playing this weekend in St. Paul, under the lights.

The St. Paul Bengals hosted its second straight home game this season, this time facing the Lloydminster Mustangs in a close matchup that left the Bengals with a loss, and final score of 30-14.

The Bengals are considered to be a very strong team in terms of this year’s league competition, and they were put to the test by a team with a strong passing game. St. Paul came into the matchup having won the first two games of the year, and the young football players were hoping to carry that momentum into this game.

Early on, the Bengals jumped out to a lead, but the Mustangs stayed hot on their tails. The Bengals were leading 14-12 heading into the halftime break. The second half of the game saw the Mustangs come alive, and the Bengals began to struggle on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Overall, Coach Travis Rolheiser was disappointed with the loss and how the game changed in the second half, but was optimistic about what the rest of the season held for the Bengals.

“It was a tough loss for sure. I believe we are all a bit disappointed in our execution and our play, but Lloydminster deserves a lot of credit for how they came out and played in the second half. They were able to capitalize on our mistakes that we made, and we didn’t take advantage of the ones they made. We had the opportunity to make a few great plays on defense but ultimately came up a few inches short on tackles, yards and the score.”

The Mustangs got their first lead of the game with a quick touchdown in the third quarter after making some nice passing and running plays to get into the end zone.

After this touchdown, it was evident the Bengals had lost their momentum, and the field started to tilt in favour of the Mustangs. The Bengals turned the ball over on downs several times in the last half and couldn’t get a consistent drive going.

Kelton Mangatal of the Bengals made an impressive catch and run to bring the ball into the end zone early in fourth quarter, and it appeared as though the momentum was going to shift back into the Bengals’ favour. However, there was a flag immediately thrown on the play, as a Bengals’ player was offside to start the play.

The Mustangs pulled away to a 30-14 lead after dominating the half.

Mangatal plays roles on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and he says that it’s important for the team to stay upbeat during the game and keep cheering each other on.

“We started to get down on ourselves, after making a bunch little mistakes. They got up on us, and although we were prepared for the game we let it get away,” he said.

Mangatal also said the change in momentum was important in how the game turned out, especially in the second half.

“We had lots of momentum coming into the game and it showed early on. We have to work a little harder and make sure we cheer each other on all of the time.”

Rolheiser said that there were bright spots from the players throughout the game, and the hard work in practice has paid off for the players but it didn’t work out in this game.

“Lots of players had a few great plays, then followed that up with some gaffes. As a team we need to be better in all aspects of the game moving forward and I’m confident that we will be. They’ve improved immensely since the beginning of the season. Everyone works hard in practice and listens attentively to advice given by the coaches. I really couldn’t ask for a better group of kids.”

The Bengals are co-hosting the night game this Saturday with the Lions, as the Bengals will take on Cold Lake under the lights at 5 p.m. Coach Rolheiser says the night will be exciting for the players and the fans, and he’s sure they’ll return ready to take on whatever challenges Cold Lake presents them.

“They will all be very excited, that’s for sure. It’s a big event for our guys as usually only the Lions get to play games under the lights. We will be looking forward to it all week.”

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