The Paul Kane Blues proved last year's annihilation of the St. Albert High Skyhawks wasn't a fluke in Thursday's 56-0 rout.
The 2013 Miles division two champions carved up the Skyhawks for eight touchdowns, including three back-breaking six-pick majors.
It was on par with last year's 78-14 epic blowout – 11 touchdowns and 700 yards of total offence by the Blues – the benchmark for lopsided results in the colourful and controversial history of the Battle of St. Albert.
"We came in knowing they were going to come hard and we wanted to come equally hard after last year. We wanted to show that we're a better team still this year," said Shaydon Phillip, a Grade 12 slotback/halfback.
Fans packed the stands in the metro Edmonton season opener at Riel Recreation Park for the most anticipated game of the season.
"Nerves were high for sure. We knew it was a big game, especially after last year," said Phillips, who scored two TDs and had one wiped out because of a penalty. "We knew there was going to be a big crowd again and we wanted to go out and play our brand of football and that's play fast and play strong."
The Tier II (750 to 1,249 students) north finalists were feeling the heat after the star-studded core from last year's 10-1 roster graduated and a loss to the Skyhawks would have felt like a punch below the belt.
"We really had to win this one because of the team last year. When they win by that much (64 points) and if you end up losing it shows that you're not a team that is ready," said Grade 11 quarterback Brendan Guy. "Both teams played really hard but we ended up playing a better game."
The score actually flattered Skyhawks as the Blues racked up more penalties than first downs by their opponent while posting leads of 6-0 after the first quarter, 26-0 at halftime and 47-0 after three quarters.
"We're just young. We're wafer thin. That's what happens. We're an enrolment of a little over 500 playing an enrolment of eight or nine hundred, I don't know, but that's what happens sometime," said Sam Johnson, head coach of the Tier III (450 to 749 students) Skyhawks. "Our boys are learning and we're trying to get them better."
When the thorny question was raised why the Skyhawks are short on bodies – the plug was pulled on the junior Hawks (2-19, dating back to the 2010 regular season) on the eve of the Battle of St. Albert – Johnson simply shrugged his massive shoulders. It's no longer a lead pipe cinch that Catholic students who play bantam football will move up to St. Albert Catholic High School with the gridiron programs at Paul Kane and Bellerose (with players from Sturgeon Composite) thriving at the junior and senior levels. Johnson and his assistants are now forced to recruit players from the St. Albert Catholic High School hallways.
"If I had that answer I would probably be the richest man in the world. I don't know. Kids are making choices that they're making and that's out of our hands. We can deal with who we have and do our best to coach those guys," said Johnson, who has a roster of 44 players with the junior and senior teams combined as one.
Moral victory?
When asked if losing by 56 points was a moral victory after last year's lopsided margin of defeat, Johnson replied: "I wouldn't call that a moral victory. We don't look at it that way. We got beat by a good football team. We're not where we want to be and we're going to try and be better in two weeks time."
The Skyhawks have high hopes that grade 10 quarterback Sam Cuciz from the bantam St. Albert Fury (last year's Tier I Capital District playoff finalists and provincial semifinalists) will give the offence a boost. Cuciz is still nursing a non-football related injury and Anthony Borrelli took snaps from centre against the Blues.
"He stepped up and played his heart out," Johnson said of the gutsy Grade 11 Skyhawk who is primarily a receiver.
"We'll be better in two weeks (Sept. 19 against the W.P. Wagner Warriors) when Sam is back in the lineup," he added. "I don't know if he will be the difference but he has great composure and great experience for a young man and he's a superb athlete. In training camp the boys have really rallied around him."
The Blues intercepted Borrelli three times while setting a team record for the most six-picks in a game in the four-year history of the Paul Kane football. Aidan Mueller stepped in front of a pass and went roughly 35 yards to pay dirt with 1:16 left in the first half to make it 18-0. In the third quarter Isaiah Ansah motored for 75 yards to make it 32-0 and Phillip went the distance from near midfield in the last minute before quarter time to make it 46-0.
"Our defence was ridiculous," Phillip said. "We had a slow start but our defence kind of got our offence pumped up and we started going."
Scoring spree
Guy, 16, also threw TD passes of 29 yards to the slippery Naiem Qadiri in the opening minute of the second quarter and hit Phillip down the middle for a 45-yard strike with 5.4 seconds left until halftime and in the third quarter hooked up with Mueller for 38 catch and run yards. Mueller's catch around the 20 was a thing of beauty and the basketball player shed several tackles en route to the endzone.
"His timing is great. His hands are probably the best on the team. He runs his routes on a dime and he sees the holes really well and catches the ball like a pro," Guy said of Mueller, who grabbed three passes overall for 62 yards.
Phillip, 17, reeled in a game-high 118 yards on seven catches and was dangerous returning kicks.
Kieran Porter's one-yard TD run opened the scoring and Ty Beck sprinted 50 yards to end the carnage with 1:36 to play.
Porter was the top rusher with 67 yards on nine carries and Brandon Smith gained 45 yards on four handoffs.
Nick Parrotta converted six TDs after the Blues were unsuccessful on two-point conversion on TDs by Kieran and Quadiri.
The Skyhawks also gave up a safety in punt formation early in the fourth quarter.
"Offence played really well. Our line was fantastic. They kept those blocks hard the whole game and the receivers were catching the ball really well too," said Guy, who completed 13 out of 26 passes for 236 yards in his first start with the senior team after backing up Miles division two MVP Cory Knott last year.
The Blues were flagged for a variety of violations, much to the dismay of the coaching staff.
"Penalties kind of killed us. We got a couple of touchdowns called back but we'll fix that," Guy said.
The Blues, listed fourth in the Football Alberta Tier II rankings, will now gear up to play the Strathcona Lords (0-1), the same squad they pummelled 80-0 last year. Wednesday's kick off is 5 p.m. at Johnny Bright Park and admission is $5.
"We want to go one game at a time get the win and move onto the next game," Phillip said. "Our goals is to get to the (Miles) final again and make it to provincials."
The Skyhawks, two years removed from going to the Tier III provincial final as the Carr division one finalists, will set their sights on making the Tier III north playoffs as the rest of the season unfolds. This is the fourth year for the Skyhawks flying solo after Paul Kane served as a feeder program for St. Albert High's junior and senior teams.
"We want to do as well as we can on the season and we want to make sure we get past our tier three opponent in this league," said Johnson, who looked like he needed a hug after the team's inept performance.
Previous results against the Blues were wins of 14-10 in 2012 and 15-0 in 2011.
"You should know I hate losing more than most. Discouraged? Yeah, probably a little bit. Disheartened? Not at all. We'll be ready to suit back up and get ready to play. Our boys will step up onto the field against anybody they need to step up against. The sun will come up tomorrow, I promise you that," Johnson said.
