Today’s tripleheader at Riel Recreation Park features all six St. Albert teams in the Capital District Minor Football Association.
The Buccaneers (1-0) and Vikings (0-1) kick off the festivities at 10:30 a.m. in the atom Tier 3/4 division.
The main event is the 12:30 p.m. bantam showdown between the Fury (1-0), last year’s Tier I Capital District playoff finalists and provincial semifinalists, and the 49ers (1-0) in the Tier 3/4 division.
The last game is the peewee Tier 1/2 tilt between the Riders (1-0) and Colts (0-1) at 3 p.m.
A pair of missed converts and some bad luck resulted in Tuesday’s season-opening loss for the Paul Kane Blues in metro Edmonton high school junior football.
The Blues scored touchdowns on drives of less than five plays while the St. Joseph Saints countered with time-consuming marches of 15 or more plays that kept the Paul Kane defence on the field for the majority of the 27-26 loss at Riel Recreation Park.
The Blues opened the scoring on their first drive with a one-yard plunge by Jamison Enger. The convert was no good.
The Saints answered with a long TD drive to lead 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Blues replied with two converted TDs as Keaton Zaychkowsky scored from the 35 and Enger from the eight.
However, the Saints capped off a lengthy push with a TD on the last play before halftime to trail by six.
The Saints started the second half with a nine-minute clock-eating drive to knot it at 20 after missing the convert.
The Blues roared back and regained the lead on Enger’s three-yard TD. The convert was unsuccessful.
The Saints replied with an agonizing 17-play, eight-minute drive in the fourth quarter and the convert left the Blues down by one with just under four minutes to play.
The Blues had their chances to win the game with three drives into the red zone, only to come away empty with a fumble and a muffed field goal attempt to end the game.
Zaychkowsky finished with 213 yards on eight carries and Enger added 52 yards on the ground. Both players were on the bench with injuries in the final minutes.
The next pool B game is Wednesday in Spruce Grove against the Memorial Marauders at 5 p.m. at Fuhr Athletic Park.
Last year the Blues beat the Marauders 44-13 en route to a 4-2 season as division one quarter-finalists.
The Bellerose Bulldogs out-scored the Bev Facey Falcons three touchdowns to two in Tuesday’s controlled scrimmage in metro Edmonton high school junior football in Sherwood Park.
Junior veteran Terrell Peters crossed the goal line twice and rookie Zach Nuttall also scored.
The starting defence was solid and Facey scored its TDs against the younger, less experienced Bulldogs
Rookie Colton Meronyk and veteran Drew Morrison were solid at linebacker and Ben Jones and Jake MacKay, two rookie defensive ends, held their own against Facey.
The Bulldogs, undefeated the last two years as the division one junior champions, play their pool B opener Sept. 24 against St. Joseph Saints at 6 p.m. at Johnny Bright Park.
