The Raiders senior boys football team lost 44-0 to the LCBI Bisons in chilly football weather last Thursday at the Bison Dome, but that didn’t stop them from having a bit of fun and enjoying a game they are all happy to play no matter what the score happens to be in the end.

Raiders head coach Jason Low said he was “pretty happy” with the game, which featured a number of hard tackles, long bombs and interceptions, despite the uneven score. He said the game plan heading into the Dome was more focused on the little things and they pulled off some great plays.

“It’s easy to get down with the score, but to me it’s the second year of the program and we’re looking more at plays and players,” said Low. “We’re gelling as a team, are more focused and I think we did well.

“Mike Kowalski (Raiders running back and quarterback) had a great game and the defence is starting to figure things out.”

Low said the team has to remember why they are playing football in the first place and that is to have fun. He said the goal is to win games, but just having a good game as a team is a great reward as well.

Raiders linebacker Jon Taylor had fun laying out a few bone-crunching hits during the game on a couple Bisons, while defensive lineman Kirby Manz may have had the highlight of the game when he drove into Bisons QB Damon Berggren for a teeth-rattling sack in the fourth quarter. On the Bisons side, tight end Jordan Bott was a force to be reckoned with as he took out any Raiders trying to run down his side of the field.

Phil Guebert, head coach of the Bisons, said the Raiders “played with a lot of heart” and he was even rooting for them to get into the end zone in the fourth quarter when Kowalski tried to muscle the ball in from in-close, but he’s still happy his team held them back too.

“We played with good intensity today, but not high intensity,” said Guebert. “We were short staffed and didn’t have many guys. There were a few guys playing out of position, but they did a good job.”

The Raiders are now preparing to host the Hague Panthers Oct. 11 for their last home game of the year at The Ranch and are hoping for a good crowd.

Kowalski said the team will need to try hard to improve their game against the Panthers, but he is confident they can do better on their home field.

“It’s pretty plausible it’ll be a very close game,” he said. “We’re expecting to give them a run for their money.”