The Okotoks Eagles scored 20 unanswered points after the St. Albert Riders opened the scoring in the Tier II peewee (11-12) provincial final in the snow and cold Saturday afternoon at Johnny Bright Park.
Okotoks kicked off to the Riders to start the game and Jordan Howe returned the ball to the seven. Ewan Vanderheide’s touchdown run from the seven gave the Riders a brief lead.
Okotoks replied by marching down field to even the score near the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, after Vanderheide was picked off, Okotoks drove the ball into the endzone for the go-ahead TD to make it 12-6.
In the third quarter the Riders turned the ball over three times on one fumble and two interceptions, including a pick-six in which Okotoks converted for two points.
The 20-6 score remained intact for the rest of the game as the weather took a bite out of the passing attack and the field conditions slowed the receivers’ patterns.
The Riders finished 6-4 overall after the loss.
The Riders represented the Capital District Minor Football Association in the provincial final after beating the Sherwood Park Raiders 26-6 in the Tier II league final last weekend. It was 6-6 at halftime.
The Tier III north semifinal between the St. Albert High Skyhawks and Whitecourt Cats was close until the opening kick off Saturday afternoon at Clarke Park.
That’s when things went downhill for the Skyhawks as the Mighty Peace league finalists returned the kick 98 yards down the sideline on the snow-covered field for the first of their seven touchdowns in the 52-7 rout in high school football.
The Cats also scored on their first offensive series, a five-yard quarterback run to cap off 49-yard drive with 8:10 left in the first quarter.
The next series for the Cats ended with a 41-yard catch and run scoring play with 2:10 to go before quarter time.
In the second quarter Tyler Gagnon was credited with a fumble recovery with the Cats on the verge of adding to their 21-0 lead.
With 4:45 remaining until halftime the Cats broke free for a 34-yard TD run.
Back on offence the Skyhawks were stopped short on a fake punt attempt at the their 48 and on the next play the Cats rattled off a 62-yard TD as the ball carrier broke several tackles en route to the endzone.
After the kick-off Grade 10 quarterback Sam Cuciz was intercepted by the Cats. They would settle for a 32-yard field goal attempt that fell short of the posts. The Skyhawks were flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play and on the application of the penalty they were pinned back at their one. On third down they punted and the Cats took possession at the 11. With no time on the clock a pass into the endzone fell incomplete but the Skyhawks were penalized for pass interference and the ball was put at the one. The Cats then cracked goal line on a quarterback bootleg and the convert left the Skyhawks on the wrong side of a 42-0 score.
It was 49-0 in the third quarter when John Brouse blocked a punt and the ball was recovered at the Whitecourt 29. On first down Rory O’Donovan, the Skyhawks’ nominee for the Haliburton Trophy as the most valuable player in Miles division two, raced into the endzone and Luca Cupelli converted the TD with 4:30 left in the quarter.
The loss dropped the Skyhawks’ record to 3-5 and the Cats improved to 7-3.
In the Tier II rankings the Cats were listed second and the Skyhawks were eighth.
