The Paul Kane Blues huddle up Friday in their first senior football playoff game in team history in the Metro Edmonton High School Athletic Association. Kickoff is 5 p.m. against Tuesday’s opening-playoff round winner between the St.
The Paul Kane Blues huddle up Friday in their first senior football playoff game in team history in the Metro Edmonton High School Athletic Association.
Kickoff is 5 p.m. against Tuesday’s opening-playoff round winner between the St. Albert High Skyhawks and W.P. Wagner Warriors. The score was unavailable at press time.
Admission is $5 for the semifinal at Foote Field.
The Miles final is Nov. 2 at 11:30 a.m. at Clarke Park.
The 7-0 Blues averaged 60 points per win and gave up only 78 overall. Their win totals included the season-opening 35-16 decision against Wagner (3-4), followed by the 78-14 rout of the Skyhawks (4-3).
The Blues, ranked No. 2 in Tier II (750 to 1,249 students) behind Foothills of Okotoks, can clinch the second metro berth in the provincial playoffs with a Miles championship and would play No. 5-ranked St. Joseph of Grande Prairie from the Mighty Peace league in the Nov. 9 north semifinal in Grande Prairie.
The Austin O’Brien Crusaders, ranked 10th in Tier II, are guaranteed a provincial berth because they play in the Carr conference.
If the metro reps win their respective semifinals they would line up in the Nov. 16 north final in Edmonton for the right to compete in the Alberta Bowl on Nov. 23 in Calgary.
Last week the Blues closed out the regular season by clubbing the winless Leduc Tigers 68-7.
The Blues rolled up 475 total yards on only 35 plays and averaged a touchdown every seven plays.
Grade 12 quarterback Cory Knott ran the ball three times for 49 yards and three TDs as the Blues finished with 63 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
Knott also completed eight out of 10 passes for 173 yards and three TDs.
The latest metro stats listed Knott as the top rusher in the Miles with 883 yards on 61 carries. The leading candidate for the conference MVP award was also second in passing with 1,326 yards, on 82 completions out of 140 attempts for 14 TDs. He also led the Miles in TDs with 16.
Backup quarterback Brennan Guy was 10-for-16 passing for 239 yards and two TDs.
Tyler Turner caught six passes for 166 yards and two TDs and also ran back a punt into the endzone.
Frankie White grabbed three passes for 80 yards and two TDs and Theo Block compiled 91 yards on five catches for one TD. He also returned an interception 50 yards for a pick-six.
The Jasper Place Rebels were almost punted from the Carr conference playoffs for using an ineligible player.
Tuesday morning the metro Edmonton league announced the Rebels were docked three wins after finishing in a two-way tie for third place at 4-3.
The Rebels appealed the ruling Monday but were unsuccessful and their revised 1-6 record dropped them out of the playoffs.
However, a source told the Gazette the Rebels would still play the Bellerose Bulldogs in Tuesday’s opening playoff round after lawyers got involved and the court sided with Jasper Place over the metro league and the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association.
The Bulldogs were scheduled to face the Bev Facey Falcons on Tuesday after the Rebels didn’t win their appeal. Facey went from 3-4 into a three-way tie for third at 4-3 and the Bulldogs remained at 3-4, but dropped from fifth to sixth.
But it was back to status quo for the Carr playoffs on Tuesday afternoon. The score between the Bulldogs and the Rebels was unavailable at press time.
A win by the Bulldogs would put the No. 9-ranked Tier I (1,250-plus students) team in Friday’s semifinal against the first-place Salisbury Sabres (6-1), ranked third in Tier I. Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park and admission is $5.
In league play the Bulldogs lost the season opener to Salisbury 21-0 in Sherwood Park.
The last game before the playoffs was the 30-7 loss to the Rebels, ranked fifth in Tier I.
With second place on the line in the bantam Tier 1/2 division Sunday, the St. Albert Fury blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead and settled for a 30-all draw with the Edmonton Chargers at Riel Recreation Park.
Both teams finished 5-1-1 and will tangle again this Sunday in the Capital District Minor Football Association’s Tier I semifinals. Kickoff is 5:30 p.m. at Fuhr Sports Park in Spruce Grove. Admission is $5.
The Fury started with a bang on Keaton Zaychkowsky’s wind-aided 75-yard kick into the endzone and the Chargers fumbled the return at their four. Two plays later Zaychkowski scored.
The next kickoff also went into the endzone, and the returner brought it out but then retreated back into the endzone and inadvertently conceded a safety.
A nine-yard touchdown run by Colton Meronyk made it 16-0.
After a holding penalty wiped out Zaychkowsky’s 67-yard TD, the Chargers controlled the rest of the half and trailed 16-8 at the break.
In the third quarter Matt Jeffers recovered Zaychkowsky’s short kick off and five plays later the Big Z capped off the drive with a five-yard run.
On the next series the Fury went airborne, as two clutch receptions by Jacob Uchmann set up Meronyk’s 17-yard run to increase the lead to 30-8.
The Fury were led by quarterback Sam Cuciz’s return to the line-up after a stint on the injury list and in three quarters he was 9-for-15 passing for 107 yards and hit five different receivers in the process.
On defence, Nick Allen and Ross Supruniuk did yeoman work corralling the vaulted Chargers offence.
The playoffs kick off Saturday for the defending Tier 3 bantam champions in the Capital District Minor Football Association.
The St. Albert 49ers tackle the Edmonton Seahawks at 12:30 p.m. at Fuhr Sports Field in Spruce Grove. Admission is $5.
Both teams shared first place with the Millwoods Grizzlies at 5-1. In league play the Seahawks beat the 49ers 48-36.
The last game before the playoffs was Saturday’s 40-13 pounding of the Camrose Buffaloes (3-3) at Riel Recreation Park.
The 49ers pretty much ran the ball on a windy afternoon and gained 175 yards.
Isaiah Ansah rushed for 95 yards on 14 carries for two TDs.
Quarterback Connor Guy scored twice on 10 carries and 55 yards rushing. He was also 2-for-6 throwing for 30 yards.
Guy also returned a punt from five yards deep in the endzone for a third-quarter major.
Josh Porter added 25 yards on three handoffs.
Alex Holmes reeled in a 20-yard reception to the one, and on the next play Ansah scored.
Wyatt Bates also caught a pass for 10 yards.
On defence, middle linebacker Ty Loiseau and defensive tackle Jacob Parent led a goal-line stand near the end of the game and Porter had two interceptions, including one for a pick-six for last year’s Tier 3 provincial north finalists.
The Paul Kane Blues clinched second place in pool B in the metro Edmonton junior league in Monday’s 44-13 triumph against the Memorial Marauders at Riel Recreation Park.
The Blues (4-1) will battle the Jasper Place Rebels (2-2), ranked third in pool B, in Monday’s opening playoff round in division one, formerly known as the premier conference. Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park and admission is $5.
The Blues stumbled out of the gate in the last game before the playoffs as Memorial (3-2) returned the opening kick off 95 yards to pay dirt.
The Blues responded with a nine-play drive, culminating with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jamison Enger to Tanner Buchanan.
The teams traded TDs before quarter time, as Memorial broke loose for a 68-yard major and Enger hooked up with the sure-handed Buchanan for 50 yards and the convert made it 13-all.
In the second quarter Darryl Broderick scored from the five and two series later he fumbled the ball in the endzone but it was recovered by offensive guard Noah Bodnarek for his first career TD.
Nick Parrotta’s 27-yard field goal put the Blues up 30-13 at halftime.
In the second half the Blues held Memorial to only three first downs as Aiden Muller (49-yard reception), Enger (one-yard sneak) and Naiem Qadiri (33-yard run) registered TDs.
Broderick led all rushers with 125 yards on 13 carries. Fullback Brandon Smith rattled off 106 yards on 17 handoffs and led the team in tackles with five at defensive end.
Enger finished 6-for-11 passing for 143 yards and two TDs through the air.
Arjun Bashati and Michael Wenn picked off passes and Smith, Liam Blair and Noah Brown recovered fumbles.
The Bellerose Bulldogs emptied the bench Monday while shutting out the winless St. Albert Hawks 55-0 to finish 5-0 in the metro Edmonton junior league’s pool B standings.
Every player on the Bellerose roster saw action in the last game before the playoffs.
The 2012 premier conference champions will huddle up in the Oct. 31 division one semifinals against the Bev Facey Falcons (3-1 in pool A) or the Memorial Marauders (3-2 in pool B). Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Clarke Park and admission is $5.
The Bulldogs racked up eight touchdowns and a safety, but missed three extra points against the Hawks. They rolled up 30 points at halftime and led by 49 after three quarters.
Several players contributed offensively after the Bulldogs scored on the opening drive. On the first play from scrimmage Grade 11 quarterback Trace Stuht galloped 79 yards to the six and on the next play Mitch Kruk cracked the goal line.
Kruk was pulled after the first series in the second half, which was one play: a 60-plus TD romp.
Kruk’s totals going into the game were 596 yards and 10 TDs for a Bellerose offence averaging 51.4 points per win in league play.
The shutout was the fourth in league play and the fifth in six games this season as the Bulldogs have only given up two unconverted TDs.
It was also the 15th straight victory since losing the 2011 premier semifinal.
For more on the junior Bulldogs, read Saturday’s edition of the Gazette.
