The Steinbach Regional Secondary School's junior varsity team won it's first ever Winnipeg High School Football League game Wednesday in Brandon.

Quarterback Austin Dueck threw touchdown passes to Teg Peters and Nathan Edwards-Schure and ran for another as the Sabres defeated the Crocus Plains Plainsmen 32-24.

"Our football team was great," texted head coach Kerry Friesen. "We took huge steps in learning how to handle the adversities and victories of a football game. We grew in learning how to steady our emotions and stay unified in the good and the bad moments. I was very proud of them for operating at that level of maturity."

Dueck completed eight-of-12 passes for 144 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Avery Penner carried the ball 29 times for 133 yards and a touchdown.

The SRSS enjoyed a 16-8 lead at halftime and increased their advantage to 32-8 before the Plainsmen scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Friesen wasn't exactly sure how his offense would look against the Plainsmen on Wednesday.

"I was quite surprised that we put up 32 points on the board. I knew that we were capable, but after it started raining to start the second half we limited our pass game and relied primarily on the run. Considering our limited options for the sake of ball security, our guys stepped up and made big plays in key moments."

Defensive linemen Reece Knelsen and Keegan Sawatzky each registered quarterback sacks and linebacker Jayden Pozniak was the leading tackler on defense.

"The bus ride home was awesome," added Friesen. "The kids were so excited about our first victory. They loved celebrating with each other and they carried that vibe all the way back to Steinbach."

The Sabres play their home opener Wednesday, September 20th against the Sisler Spartans at A.D. Penner Park.