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Mustangs host Taber at Halton Field

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The senior Mustangs football team took to Halton Field on Friday to battle their longtime rivals, the Taber Rebels, in their first home game of the season.

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The game was played under a cloudy sky, with some rain sprinkled in, and the Rebels came away with the win, by a score of 41–7.

Mustangs head coach Brian Murray said considering injuries and the effort the boys put in, the game was a positive step forward.

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“We’re dealing with a few injuries, but I feel like we’re getting better each week. The guys are tough, and they play hard,” said Murray.

“For a lot of these guys, it’s their first time playing football ever. For our second game, I’m not happy with some of the things I’m seeing as a coaching staff, but the grit we got and the brotherhood we got — I really enjoy it.

“As we get better and better each week, I really think we’ll start to shine.”

Friday’s game showed that some areas could be improved upon, said Murray.

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“We still have to work on our own line firing out, and getting pressure on their defence and their quarterback. We need to make them have to react to our play,” he said.

“A lot of it is fitness — we have a lot of guys that aren’t in football shape. We can only do so much throughout the week, but it will come.

“As it comes the guys will get better, and we’ll be in the game right until the end.”

Taber always has a strong program, said Murray.

“They’re well-coached, and they always come ready to play,” he said.

The Mustangs have a lot to learn, but the players have been positive and receptive during practices, said Murray.

“About half of our team has played, but the other half are brand new. Still, they’re picking it up really well, and I’m really happy,” said Murray.

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“Our playbook is a basic playbook. It’s pretty simple, but it’s effective when it’s run well, and when it’s executed well it will be hard to defend.

“Once we get our timings down, and our (offensive line) firing off the ball and opening some holes then we can run the ball. Our running back is tremendous — he’s incredibly fast, and we just have to get the holes open for him.”

The players are buying in to what the coaching staff is trying to do, and the program is getting better week after week, said Murray.

“That’s all we can ask as a coaching staff, is that they come in, put in the effort, and work hard,” he said.

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