Riders undefeated
The St. Albert Riders streak into the Tier I playoffs without a loss in the Capital District Minor Football Association.The senior varsity peewee team is averaging a whopping 45.5 points scored and a minuscule 4.25 points against after posting its fourth shutout in eight games in the 28-0 decision against the Leduc Wildcats.
The semifinal is Oct. 27 at Fuhr Sports Park and the Riders will likely play Leduc (4-3).
The winner of the Nov. 3 final in the Susan Morgan division will represent the CDMFA in the Football Alberta Tier I championship Nov. 10 as the host team against the Calgary rep.
Last Saturday’s match in Leduc was a defensive battle as the grass field at John Bole Athletic Park was covered in ice and snow.
Ryker Latimer put the Riders on the board as the linebacker picked up an errant ball in the Leduc backfield and rumbled 30 yards to pay dirt.
Safety James Hill also pulled off a scoop score in Leduc territory and sprinted 40 yards for the touchdown.
Jamie Clark ran in the conversion as the first quarter ended 13-0.
Hill also had a 30-yard TD run called back for a block behind the play.
Pinned deep in its own end, Leduc conceded a safety before halftime as the Riders led by 15.
In the third quarter, the defences continued to dominate as both teams struggled to move the ball.
Nose-tackle Cohen Bernas was Leduc’s worst nightmare with multiple tackles in the backfield.
The Riders began wearing Leduc down in the fourth quarter with Josh Mah and Hill pounding out yards. Hill scored early in the quarter and later had a 40-yard TD run nullified by another block behind the play. However, on the next play from scrimmage, Mah found a crease in the defence and burst into the end zone. Clarke’s conversion run closed out the scoring.
Flyers blank KC
Carson Ironside faced only 13 shots as the St. Albert Flyers recorded their first shutout win of the season in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.Holden Selin, Aidyn Hutchinson, Dylan Leslie, Chase Visser and Ethan Sundar (power play) scored as the midget 15 Flyers racked up 64 shots in Thursday’s 5-0 decision against the KC Centennials (0-5) at Akinsdale Arena.
Ironside (3-0-1, 2.25 GAA) was tested twice in the third period.
Sundar’s goal was his team-leading seventh and 12th point.
The Flyers (4-1-1) are in Red Deer today to play the south division Chiefs (3-1-1) at 5 p.m. and the next home game is Wednesday versus the Sherwood Park Squires (3-2) at 7:45 p.m.
Sabres stymied
The fourth loss in six games for the St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres was Wednesday’s setback against the Leduc Oil Kings.The 4-2 result left the Sabres with a record of 1-4-1 in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
The Sabres scored early and late in the third period on goals by Micheal Romeo and Ryan Arnold. Declan Dika assisted on both markers.
Leduc made it 2-0 in the second on the power play and 4-1 with an empty netter with 40 seconds to play.
Shots were 33-22 for Leduc (5-1). In net for the Sabres was Teagan Kendrick.
Friday’s score against the CAC (1-5-1) at Callingwood Arena was unavailable at press time.
Next weekend the Sabres play the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (3-2) Saturday at 5:15 p.m. at JRC Arena and the PAC Saints (0-5) Sunday at 4:45 p.m. at Grant Fuhr Arena.
Atom football
Sunday’s games at Foote Field mark the end of the season for the following St. Albert atom teams in the last round of tiering in the Capital District Minor Football Association.Division I: The Jaguars battle the powerful Beaumont Bears at 12 noon.
The Jags are coming off a 7-0 decision against the Edmonton Chargers on the strength of a 35-yard Theo Weirmeir to Cruz Kennedy pass in the third quarter.
The bend-but-don’t bend defence was led by Cashton Mattar and Bohe O’Donnell-Nyal prevented the Chargers from scoring despite being inside the Jags’ five-yard line three times and stopped at the six-inch line on one drive.
Division II: The Buccaneers huddle up against the Spruce Grove Cougars at 1:30 p.m.
Overtime was needed to determine the 21-14 outcome against the West Edmonton Raiders after the Bucs pulled even on Dillon White’s second touchdown of the game.
The Bucs buckled down to hold the Raiders to no score as Kaeda Anderson and Matt Loverock led the charge defensively.
A guard-around play by Cooper McQuaid in a maul of about five Raiders while advancing 22 yards into the end zone was super good for the winning score.
Division III: The Vikings line up against Stony Plain Bombers at 3 p.m.
The last game for the Vikings was the 14-0 loss to the Camrose Buffaloes.
Quarterback Isaac Lorenzin gave the Vikings a chance to score and his brother, Micah, and Gavin Frank paced the defence to keep it close.
Division IV: The Avengers play Wetaskiwin Gold at 4:30 p.m.
Jesse Neal scored all the offensive touchdowns for the Avengers in the 28-21 loss to the Stony Plain Blue Bombers.
Ayton Maki and Luka Schmidt also contributed defensively.
