Things look promising for St. Albert high school football teams as they hit the 2023 mid-season mark.
The Paul Kane Blues are ranked seventh in the province’s Division 1, according to Football Alberta’s weekly top-10 rankings.
It’s exciting news for coach Rob Strecker. The team has competed in the Division 2 Miles Conference since 2017, but this year they decided to test their mettle in the more competitive Carr conference, which includes high schools with student populations greater than 1,250 students.
“I figured it’s time for another challenge,” Strecker said. “We were in the city championship three of the past four years. We won last year. I was bringing back a big portion of that team, and we had a number of really skilled Bantam players coming to our squad. And with the new school and population size, we figured, 'let’s just move up.'”
The team is currently ranked No. 3 in the metro Edmonton league, behind Sherwood Park’s Bev Facey and Edmonton’s Harry Ainlay.
“We’re 3-1 in league play. It should be 4-0, but we let one slip by us against Facey,” Strecker said.
Last week the team beat the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds 48-0. On Sept. 22 they took on the Jasper Place Rebels and won 47-9.
Thursday's game against the Harry Ainlay Titans will be a “huge challenge” for Paul Kane, Strecker said.
“No one has come within six touchdowns of them this year,” he said. “I’m hoping we can be competitive.”
Strecker is particularly happy with how well-balanced the Blues have been both offensively and defensively.
“I don’t think people expected us to do as well as we have,” he said.
The team wanted the challenge and wanted to “go up against top kids in the city.”
“[Our goals] were to finish top four in the Carr and get a provincial berth. Right now, we’re on track to make them.”
The Bellerose Bulldogs are also in the top 10. Last week they moved up to ninth place in the province in Division 2, which includes schools with student body sizes of 750-1,249 students.
Coach Jason Lafferty said the ranking is “a nice feather in the cap,” but he doesn’t put much stock in them.
“One of the goals for a football program in high school, my personal philosophy, is that we’re provincially recognized, and our athletes have opportunities to do well in high school but also represent our province on provincial teams,” he said.
The Bulldogs moved into Division 2 this year after playing in Division 2 in 2022.
“Based on our new enrolment and how we’re set up we made the decision that Division 2 is suitable for our school,” Lafferty said.
For Lafferty, major highlights this season include seeing Darius Crandell lead the league in receiving, and Grade 10 student Eli Korownyk fill in for the team’s injured quarterback and throw for five touchdowns.
“Our defence is running to the football; they’re aggressive,” he said. “We’re tackling better than we did in the last three or four years.”
“Based on wins and losses we’re having a much better year, but I think it’s more than that. I think we have total buy-in from everybody: parents, administration, the assistant coaches, the kids … People are really excited about their friends’ successes.”
The St. Albert Catholic High School Skyhawks are also making noise in the provincial rankings. This week they are in ninth place in Division 3.
