First place in the Miles division two standings is on the line in Thursday’s showdown between the Paul Kane Blues and O’Leary Spartans in metro Edmonton high school football.
Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park and admission is $5.
Both teams are 3-0 in league play.
The Blues, listed second in the Football Alberta Tier II (750 to 1,249 students) rankings, are coming off Friday’s 41-24 victory over the McNally Tigers (1-2) in Edmonton.
The Tigers are the first team to put points on the boards against the Blues this season and it was in the second quarter when the shutout streak ended.
The Tigers finished the game with three touchdowns and a two-point conversion and the Blues conceded a safety.
The 2013 Miles champions and Tier II north finalists led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, 20-17 at halftime and 27-17 after three quarters.
Ty Beck rushed for 111 yards on 18 carries as the Blues gained 150 yards overall on the ground.
Beck scored from the one-yard line and quarterback Brendan Guy ran for TDs of eight and three yards.
Guy also completed 22 out of 39 passes for 255 yards and threw touchdown passes to Shaydon Phillip (one yard) and Greg Hebb (three yards). He was picked off twice.
Aidan Mueller and Tanner Buchanan caught nine passes apiece for 95 and 92 yards, respectively.
Phillip and Hebb both had four receptions for 24 yards apiece.
Grade 10 quarterback Sam Cuciz fired four touchdown passes as the St. Albert High Skyhawks shut out the W.P. Wagner Warriors 34-0 Friday at Clarke Park.
Both teams suffered shutout losses in their Miles division two season openers in metro Edmonton high school football.
Cuciz, playing in his first game since injuring his hand with Zone 5 (Black Gold/Yellowhead) at the Alberta Summer Games in July, hooked up with Anthony Borrelli for two TDs and hit Ryan Marano and John Brouse for scoring strikes.
Rory O’Donovan led the ground attack with strong runs up the middle and timely first downs, which allowed the Skyhawks to keep possession of the ball for the majority of the second half. O’Donovan, a linebacker for U18 Team Alberta at the 2014 Football Canada Cup in July, combined with Jordan Kroeker and Brandon Jillings to keep Wagner’s defence off-balance throughout the game.
On defence, Jarret Penney scooped up a fumble at the Wagner 25 after a huge hit by O’Donovan and scored the first TD of his career.
Brouse also picked off one pass and made several drive-ending tackles.
Strong defensive line play by Logan Tait-Vanderheide and Jay Stoneham also disrupted Wagner’s offensive flow.
Last year Wagner (4-5) defeated the Skyhawks (4-4) in the opening playoff round.
Dean Guedo, a former defensive back with the Alberta Golden Bears and high school football product of the Skyhawks who coached the defensive backs on the Bellerose Bulldogs’ senior team last year, is the new head coach at Wagner.
The Skyhawks, slotted ninth in the Football Alberta Tier III (450 to 749 students) rankings, huddle up Thursday against the Strathcona Lords (0-2) at 5 p.m. at Johnny Bright Park. Admission is $5.
