A new premier champion will be crowned in metro Edmonton high school junior football after the Paul Kane Blues lost their second-straight game to the St. Joseph Saints.
Thursday night the Saints knocked off the Blues 45-35 in a track meet in the snow at Foote Field.
The week before the Saints beat the Blues 24-21 at Clarke Park for second place in the metro standings.
In the rematch the Blues punted only once in the first half but turned the ball over three times on two fumbles and an interception to trail the Saints 27-7 at the break.
John Pharis scored the only touchdown for the Blues in the first half on an 82-yard reception from quarterback Shaydon Philip.
In the second half the Blues never punted and scored on all of their possessions, except for two series stopped by turnovers.
Tailback Kieran Porter reached the endzone with a one-yard run early in the third quarter and slotback Theo Block recorded the remaining three TDs on receptions of 15, 45 and 17 yards, respectively.
However, the defence could only stop the Saints on two occasions while giving up three TDs in the second half as the Blues lost their third game in a row.
The Blues finished 4-4 after going 5-0 in league play, and 7-1 overall, in winning the premier title in the inaugural season of Paul Kane football.
The Saints (7-1) will play the Bellerose Bulldogs (7-0) or the Salisbury Sabres (3-3-1) in the Nov. 13 final. Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park.
Thursday’s semifinal between the Bulldogs and Sabres was postponed because Salisbury didn’t want to travel in the snowstorm for the 5 p.m. kickoff at Foote Field.
The game has been rescheduled for Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Clarke Park. Admission is $5.
In the season opener the Bulldogs defeated the Sabres 15-2.
The Bulldogs have never won a junior football championship and the last time they reached the final was 2005, a 29-9 loss to the St. Albert Hawks for premier honours.
THIRD DOWN: Thursday in the city semifinals the Hawks (1-7) dropped a 21-13 decision to the O’Leary Spartans (4-4) at Johnny Bright Park.
Monday, in the last game before the playoffs, the Hawks posted their first win since the 2010 regular season, 25-0 over the Spartans at Clarke Park, to snap a 12-game losing streak.
