A second-straight undefeated season as metro Edmonton junior football champions is on the line Thursday for the Bellerose Bulldogs.
The team to beat in the division one final will line up against the Jasper Place Rebels for gridiron glory. Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park and admission is $5.
“Everyone is excited and the coaches really want a championship underneath their belt with all the hard work we’ve put in this year and I don’t see why we can’t do it,” said A’tu’en Metallic, a Grade 10 outside linebacker, prior to Monday’s practice at Riel Recreation Park.
The Bulldogs, winners of 16 games in a row, haven’t tasted defeat since the 2011 semifinals.
“Our team has definitely got the talent and as long as we pull it together and play our best game we’ll have the outcome we want,” said Mike Clapp, a Grade 11 middle linebacker, right tackle and fullback apprentice.
The Bulldogs are 7-0 (one exhibition, five league and one playoff games) this year.
“All the effort and energy we invested is finally paying off and this game will determine whether we invested enough energy or not,” Metallic said.
The Rebels are 4-2, including a 13-10 decision against the Paul Kane Blues (4-2) in the opening crossover playoff round and in the semifinals rallied from a 22-10 fourth-quarter deficit to upset the undefeated pool A Salisbury Sabres 23-22.
The Rebels placed third in pool A and have never played the pool B Bulldogs.
“There is always pressure when it comes to games like this in the playoffs and playing a team we haven't played before,” Clapp said. “We don't know what to expect but they do have a pretty good record so it will be an interesting game.”
The Rebels run the same double wing offence as their senior team, so head coach Chad Hill brought over some senior Bulldogs to practice to give the juniors tips on how to defend against it.
“From the defensive side I look at it as more of a challenging thing since no one has really challenged us to the degree of scoring like multiple touchdowns so we don't have that practice against a challenging offence,” Metallic said.
Five of the seven wins have been shutouts as the Bulldogs have given up only 19 points on two touchdowns on the ground, a punt return for another TD and one conversion. All three TDs were scored by the same player from the Memorial Marauders (4-3), whom the Bulldogs crushed 63-12 in league play and 44-7 in the semifinals.
“Defensively we’ve been doing extraordinairy except for some mistakes but we will truly be tested this week,” said Metallic, 15.
The Grade 10 Sturgeon Composite High School student is the team leader in tackles, with strong support from Clapp, Mike Woywitka and Jakob West.
“The coaching has definitely helped improve a lot of our players. We have a lot of size on our defence and the coaching has helped take that size and use it to advantages,” Clapp said. “We all focus on our responsibilities and do what needs to be done.”
Clapp, 16, is among 17 returning juniors on the 56-man roster.
“It’s been a good year. The players are dedicated and show up to practices,” said the Grade 11 Bellerose student.
