The Paul Kane Blues are a perfect 6-0 heading into their last game before the Miles conference playoffs in metro Edmonton high school football.
Thursday at 7:30 p.m. the Blues tackle the Leduc Tigers (0-5) at Johnny Bright Park. Admission is $5.
The Blues have a first-round bye and will huddle up in the Oct. 25 semifinal at 5 p.m. at Foote Field or Johnny Bright Park.
The final is Nov. 2 at 11:30 a.m. at Clarke Park.
A Miles championship in only the third season of Paul Kane football would nail down the second Tier II provincial berth in the metro league. The Austin O’Brien Crusaders, the only Tier II team in the Carr conference, is guaranteed a provincial spot.
If the metro reps win their respective Tier II north semifinals Nov. 9 on the road – the Blues would play St. Joseph of Grande Prairie in the Mighty Peace league – they would butt heads in the Nov. 16 north final in Edmonton for the right to compete in the Alberta Bowl on Nov. 23 in Calgary.
The Blues have been pouring over game film of the Crusaders, in particular the Bellerose Bulldogs’ brilliant 7-0 win of the two-time defending Tier II champions Oct. 4.
In the Football Alberta rankings the Blues are No. 2, St. Joseph is No. 5 and the Crusaders are No. 10.
Last weekend the Blues posted their second shutout of the season, 53-0 against the O’Leary Spartans (2-4) at Clarke Park.
The Blues ran 67 plays for a total of 543 yards of offence and seven touchdowns.
O’Leary barely crossed the midfield stripe in the first half.
Grade 12 quarterback Cory Knott was eight-for-14 passing for 127 yards and one TD. The leading candidate for the conference MVP award also ran for 134 yards on 12 carries for three TDs.
Knott’s season totals include 653 yards on 51 carries and 12 TDs and 983 passing yards and 11 TDs on 71 completions out of 110 attempts.
Backup quarterback Brendan Guy was six-for-12 passing for 60 yards and one TD.
Tyler Turner caught 11 passes for 142 yards and two TDs. The Grade 12 slotback is the conference’s leading receiver with 44 catches and 582 yards.
Grade 10 running back Ty Beck recorded 107 yards on 11 carries and one TD as the Blues racked up 356 rushing yards.
The St. Albert Fury whipped up a bantam Tier I playoff spot in the Capital District Minor Football Association in Monday’s 6-3 win over the Sherwood Park Wolverines at Clarke Park.
With 4:23 left in the game, and the Fury down 3-0, Keaton Zachkowsky fired a 38-yard TD strike to wideout Matt Scheff, who reeled in the ball in stiff double coverage for the major.
The convert was unsuccessful and from there the Fury defence rose to the occasion and the Wolverines never gained another first down.
Zachkowsky, a tailback, and backup quarterback Adam Bochar split time as the Fury pivot lining up in the Wildcat formation with starter Sam Cuciz sidelined with an upper body injury from the previous week’s 54-27 loss to the first-place Sherwood Park Rams (6-0).
Five crucial Fury penalties killed first-half drives that showed promise.
With three seconds to play in the first half, the Wolverines kicked a 17-yard field goal that was set up by a costly unnecessary roughing penalty.
In the second half both teams moved the ball between the 40s, only to turn it over on downs.
Huge hits by linebacker Jesse Stuht and defensive back Matt Jeffers stalled the Wolverines on more than one occasions.
It was also the Fury’s annual Pink Game and the bantams raised $100 for breast cancer research.
Second place is on the line Sunday, when the Fury (5-1) host the Edmonton Chargers (5-1) at 3 p.m. at Riel Recreation Park in the last game before the playoffs.
