Fratmen yet to hit their stride, says AKO coach

by Ashley Davidson & Rob Benneian

Fratmen open home schedule with big victory

Another win, another day.

So sums up the Windsor AKO Fratmen’s 2-0 start to the season following a 38-7 victory in their home opener against the over-matched Brampton Bears, according to head coach Mike LaChance.

“A couple years ago, I’m not gonna lie, this (win) would have felt a lot better,” LaChance said moments after his team’s second victory in as many weeks. “We’re at the point now when we’re not looking for just wins. Not that we’re looking for style points, but we’re looking to play our game. Whether that’s a 1-0 win or a 50-0 win, it doesn’t really matter. The score is kinda irrelevant at this point. We want to play well, and we want to get going in the right direction.”

After opening the season on the road with a 33-0 victory over the Twin Cities Predators in Kitchener, Ont. the Fratmen once again had their way with their opponent. Despite winning their first two games, LaChance said he doesn’t think his team has played to their best abilities yet. He said his team needs to play faster than they have been.

“We don’t have the tempo that we want,” LaChance said. “We run a high tempo offense, and right now we’re no-tempo. We’re gonna have to work on that in practice. It’s on me and the coaching staff to get that going in the right direction.”

The Fratmen have eclipsed 30 points in each of their wins and have surrendered only seven total points in this young season. Those numbers give general manager Jerry Brun a reason to be optimistic about the squad he has assembled and their chances this season.

“I love the group, I love the coaching staff, and I love our chances this year,” Brun said. “At the same time, we still have a lot of work to do.”

Drew, Hurst step up with All-Canadian out

In a game where the Fratmen weren’t firing on all cylinders, coach LaChance singled out return man and receiver James Drew as a bright spot.

When primary returner and 2011 All-Canadian Richard Veenstra went out early in the game with a hamstring injury, Drew stepped up and grabbed a bigger share of the responsibility.

“It feels good, you just gotta do what the team needs you to do,” Drew said. “Every down of the game, we got Chucky (corner back Charles Johnson) and me back there and there’s a lot of people on the team who could fill in, it just so happens that I’m back there and I was getting a lot of kicks to me. I was just trying to do what I can to help the offense out.”

Also stepping in for the injured Veenstra was Derrick Hurst.

Normally a wide receiver, Hurst took over Veenstra’s position as the team’s free safety, a position he had not played in three years.

In a coincidental turn of events, Hurst had been taking reps in practice this week at free safety for the Fratmen. The coaching staff had no way of knowing they would lose their star safety, but showed they would be prepared for anything by having Hurst available to play on defense.

After starting the game at wide receiver, Hurst was able to slide into Veenstra’s slot in the lineup smoothly. He said the transition from one side of the ball to the other mid-game went well, and he was aided by his prior experience as a defensive back at General Amherst High School.

The Fratmen will host the (0-2) Ottawa Sooners Sunday, August 26 at 1 p.m. at Windsor Stadium.