The Battle of St. Albert went down to the wire in Thursday's frantic finish in high school football.
Robert Blunden's four-yard touchdown burst with 1:52 to play put the Bellerose Bulldogs ahead to stay and Braden Attrill's interception sealed the deal in the 13-10 thriller against the St. Albert High Skyhawks in front of a spirited crowd at the Riel Park turf field.
"We played great as a team. We were starting to fall behind but we pulled through together," said Liam Gray, a Grade 11 physical force at defensive end for Bellerose. "We're never going to give up against the Skyhawks or any team. We'll always do our best, whether we're down by 50 or up by 100."
On first down and 20 at the Bellerose 35, and the Bulldogs down by three points with time ticking down in the hard-fought contest, quarterback Dallas Moroz hooked up with Ryan Proulx on a screen play while under heavy pressure by the jacked-up Skyhawks. The shifty Grade 12 tailback darted out of traffic into open space and flew towards the end zone after avoiding a tackle in front of the Bellerose bench. He was eventually wrestled to the field from behind in front of the posts at the four-yard line.
"I saw Landon Wenger [of the Skyhawks], he was on the right of me, so I turned to the left to avoid him and I just pretty much followed my blocks down field. Robert Blunden also made a huge block and that was critical," Proulx said. "To do that in such a big game was awesome."
The 71-yard romp was the longest play from scrimmage by Bellerose against a tenacious and trash-talking Skyhawks defence.
"Defensively we played marvellous," said Sam Johnson, the Skyhawks' head coach. "They got two plays all game. They got that first pass [a 35-yard TD catch by Jeb ??Jed?? Groenenboom on the second play from scrimmage] and they got that screen play. That's all they got.
"We just had a breakdown defensively on that screen pass."
Blunden's convert attempt following his TD was blocked.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Skyhawks huddled up at their 40. On third and three, quarterback Keith Zyla fired a strike to a wide-open Brendan Thera-Plamondon. The super quick receiver stepped out of a tackle in front of the Bellerose 40 and was hauled down at the 35 as the female-dominated Skyhawks' cheering section screamed their lungs outs.
Play of the game
On first down, defensive back Braden Attrill stepped in front of a Zyla pass and returned it 14 yards with 1:17 to play as the Bellerose fans roared their approval.
"I just played my zone and the ball came right to me," Attrill said. "That play was the game changer. It was at the end of the game and it was getting really intense. I know I was getting nervous."
Attrill is still learning the game after sitting out last year following his first stint of season of football in Grade 10 with the junior Dawgs.
"I'm not experienced as these guys. I'm just doing what I'm told to do," Attrill said. "It just felt great to help out my team like that."
Zyla, a lanky Grade 10 transfer student from Florida with a rifle for an arm, was under the gun throughout most of the match against an aggressive Bellerose defence.
"He's excellent, but if you keep him in the pocket, I think he gets a little scared," Gray said.
Zyla's main targets were Thera-Plamondon and the dangerous Danton Tait-Vanderheide. Nathan Pytel, a firecracker carrying the ball, also racked up major yardage against Bellerose.
"Offence takes a little time but we're meshing. They've got a good defence too," Johnson said of the bend-but-don't-break Bellerose defensive unit. "On that last interception we threw, that was a bad call on my part."
After Attrill's pick, Bellerose went two-and-out while taking time off the clock. Blunden's punt out of bounds pinned the Skyhawks at their 25 with 35 seconds on the clock. On second and 10, Thera-Plamondon snagged a pass and made his way to midfield. Two plays later, the gun sounded to end the suspense. The Bulldogs celebrated like it was the end of the school year. As for the Skyhawks, they flooded the field with tears.
"It's extremely satisfying to beat the Skyhawks," Gray said with a big smile.
Johnson was happy with his team's effort in a losing cause.
"Our boys played their hearts out. They've got nothing to be ashamed of. I'm very proud of them," Johnson said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. Bellerose is a good team. I just didn't prepare them well enough."
After the Bulldogs opened up the scoring on the Moroz-to-Groenenboom TD throw, set up by Nathan Anderson's kickoff return to the Skyhawks' 31, both teams were held in check in the first half by some great defensive plays. Joshua Dobbins picked off one pass, Brandon Moulds recovered a fumble and Blunden and Kyle Duperron registered key sacks for Bellerose. Riley Morin also recorded an interception and Tait-Vanderheide dropped another pick.
The Skyhawks got on the board on Tait-Vanderheide's 15-yard field goal with 2:53 left in the first quarter. He also converted Zyla's 42-yard TD run with 5:44 to go in the third quarter. Zyla showed remarkable balance and quickness while dodging Bulldogs along the sideline en route to the end zone.
"Our boys battled back. They showed some character," Johnson said.
The Bulldogs were down but not out after falling behind 10-7.
"A couple of our leaders brought us back up. We started clawing our way back and we pulled through together as a team," Gray said. "On offence, we got the yards we needed and we got the touchdown we needed to win the game."
Both teams were guilty of several unnecessary roughness penalties in the emotionally charged, penalty-riddled affair.
"It's always like that between us and Bellerose. It has been since the creation of the Battle of St. Albert," Johnson said of the most heated high school sports rivalry in the city. "They've got some great kids. We've got some great kids. It's a lot of fun. Look at the great crowd we had. It was a beautiful fall night to watch two great football teams. Holy smokes, it was great."
Both teams are now 1-1 in the Metro Edmonton league's Carr conference.
"It's a big win. It's definitely a big confidence booster for us," Attrill said.
Bulldogs repeat
The victory marked the second year in a row Bellerose beat the Skyhawks after seven losses in a row, dating back to 1999. It was also the first time the Skyhawks, a tier III provincial contender this year, played Bellerose without Paul Kane players in their lineup.
"It's fantastic to beat our crosstown rivals again. However, this might not be the last we see of the Skyhawks. There is a real possibility of meeting them again in the playoffs," said Bellerose head coach Chad Hill.
Johnson was asked if the loss was tougher to stomach than last year's 7-0 setback against Bellerose in front of the largest crowd to watch a football game in St. Albert.
"Heck no. They're all the same. Heck, I've forgotten about it. I'm getting ready for AOB already," Johnson said. "As much as we want to turn the clock back on and put more time on there, we can't do it. We've got to let it go."
Both teams are in action next Thursday at Riel Park field. The Skyhawks (1-2 overall as the fifth-ranked tier III team in Alberta) line up against the Austin O'Brien Crusaders (3-0 overall) at 5 p.m. Bellerose (1-3 overall) squares off against the second-ranked tier I Salisbury Sabres (3-0 overall) at 7:30 p.m. Game admission is $5.
