Local Sports

“It was pretty special. Coach called me, and it was so cool,” said Wilson. “I’m the only person from Alberta, so it feels good to represent St. Albert, the Glendale, and my home.” 

Crusaders setter Amber Edwards, and Gators setter Jack Drake both took home MVP honours. 

The gold medal marks the second time in two months that Harris has achieved acclaim at the international level. In October, Harris captured a silver medal in the super heavyweight division at the World No-Gi Championships and a gold medal in the open division as well. 

The good play of the Spirits could only go so far against a Raiders team that piled up two more touchdowns before the game ended for the 42-0 final score. 

St. Albert immortalized Iginla by renaming the Akinsdale Arena after him in 2018. The Calgary Flames did something similar that same year by raising his iconic #12 to the rafters, ensuring no player would ever wear his number for the team again. 

The end of the season for the 49ers marks the final year of minor football for the majority of the team, many of whom will be tackling the game at the high school level next season. Some may not get the chance to play again.

“We try to treat everything like a 0-0 game 7,” said Ryder Boddez. “It’s hard sometimes when we go into a game knowing [our opponent] is not as strong of a team and that can be our problem, but we’re really just trying to forget about the standings and stats and just play our hearts out.”

On Saturday the Raiders will take on the South Side BP Athletics at Bill Hunter arena, while Sunday will see them match up against the Maple Leaf Beverly Optimists at Bill Hunter arena. 

The Spirits will look to rebound in their provincial game against the Peace River Pioneers this weekend. 

The 49ers will be on the road for their provincial semifinal as they head to Calgary on Saturday to try to continue their winning ways.