Austin Dueck threw three touchdown passes and Avery Penner rushed for 111 yards and a major as Steinbach Regional defeated the Sisler Spartans 31-21 Wednesday at A.D. Penner Park.

"Our home opener was super exciting," texted SRSS head coach Kerry Friesen. "It was so fun to see our home crowd come out as we definitely felt their support."

"It was great to see our kids compete and play hard for each other. It was a great team win that continues to build our guys confidence and the team momentum going forward."

Dueck completed nine-of-15 pass attempts for 124 yards.

Two of the Sabres starting quarterbacks touchdown passes went to Jayden Martens while Teg Peters caught the other.

Christian Ginter complimented Penner's performance on the ground as he gained 53 yards on 10 carries.

The defense was led by Jayden Pozniak, Reece Knelsen and Skyler Wilkinson who combined for 16 tackles and a quarterback sack.

Coach Friesen added that progress was made from week one's 32-24 victory over the Crocus Plains Plainsmen in Brandon to Wednesday's win over the Spartans.

"In week one there were several unknowns with being on the road and the first game of the season. In week two our team was very steady. There were ups and downs within the game, but our guys had a great measure of confidence from the preparation that came from the week of practice. With that confidence and preparation I think our kids executed more consistently and as a result we saw a more refined result on the field."

The Sabres, who are 2 and 0 in the Winnipeg High School Football League's Junior Varsity Division, have the bye next week.

The SRSS will host the Oak Park Raiders on Wednesday, October 4th.