The formation of the first football team in Paul Kane history is a blessing in disguise for the St. Albert High Skyhawks.
Without the talent pool of players from Paul Kane to help fill their roster in the Metro Edmonton league's Carr conference, the Skyhawks will now have a legitimate shot at provincials in tier III (school population 450 to 749), compared to their unsuccessful attempts at tier I (1,250-plus students) for several years.
"Coming out of Metro as the only tier III team [in the Carr conference], that's going to give us the automatic tier III bid, so that's kind of nice if you want to look at it that way, but nobody is going to give us anything for free. We're going to have to fight for everything we get," said head coach Sam Johnson. "Does it make provincials an easier run? I don't know if it means easier; it just means newer opponents."
With players from St. Albert Catholic High School and Paul Kane in the lineup, the Skyhawks struggled to reach the Carr final in a conference dominated by Sherwood Park schools. The last non-Sherwood Park team to win the Carr and play in the tier I provincial playdowns was the 2000 Skyhawks.
"We've always had the mindset here at St. Albert Catholic High that we're going to play the best people that we can all the time," Johnson said. "Are we going to be a different team now? Absolutely. Are you going to have to look to find us? Absolutely not."
The new-look Skyhawks will take flight Sept. 3 in Cochrane with an exhibition against the Cobras, a tier II regional finalist last year that was ranked first overall going into the provincial draw. In the tier III final, the Cardston Cougars edged out the Peace River Pioneers 8-6.
"Cochrane is perennially a provincial powerhouse no matter what tier they're in, and we thought it would be a real good test for our boys," Johnson said.
The Skyhawks are not hurting for players for their senior and junior programs with 60 in camp, including a Grade 10 quarterback from Florida that Johnson believes is the real deal. But, of all the eligible players from Paul Kane who played for the junior Hawks or senior Skyhawks last year, none have transferred to St. Albert Catholic and they will all huddle up for the Blues instead.
"We're doing well. We've got good numbers and we're happy, but we would like to pull 10 more kids out of the hallway once school starts," Johnson said.
It's still business as usual for the Skyhawks.
"Structural-wise, we're running it like we have in the past. Thought process-wise, the kids are taking real pride that this is truly our own program. They're drinking the Kool-Aid and they're working out hard. They've got the right attitude," Johnson said. "To be honest with you, it's like a breath of fresh air really — not that we had any sort of contempt or dislike with PK. It was just never truly our program and the boys are relishing the fact that it is now."
Bring on the Blues
The Battle of St. Albert will intensify significantly with the Blues joining the Skyhawks and Bellerose Bulldogs in the seven-team conference. Every team but one will make the playoffs. The Skyhawks and Bulldogs will go toe-to-toe Sept. 15 in the best high school sports rivalry in the city. However, the game of the year will be Oct. 13, when the Skyhawks and Blues battle for bragging rights. It's expected to break last year's single-game attendance record at the Riel Park turf field, when the Bulldogs beat the Skyhawks in a 7-0 thriller for the first time in team history after seven losses.
"It's great for football in St. Albert. I would love to see when PK plays Bellerose [Oct. 6]. I'm getting all my guys there and I hope, when we play PK, that Bellerose gets all their guys out. If we sell out that darn stadium, it does nothing but improve football in St. Albert and that's what we want," Johnson said. "Is it going to be a little different with PK? Of course. You've got Nathan Mitchell and kids like that who have been with us for a couple of years. It's sad to see them over there, but we'll be friends before the game, and after the game we'll have a hug and a handshake, but when we step in between those white lines, there is nobody there. If you're not in a blue or gold jersey that says SACHS on it then you'd better have your chin strap buckled up because you're going to get whacked."
The Skyhawks will go only as far as their offence will carry them. Last year, they failed to score a touchdown in four of their last five games, and were pointless in three of them while going 4-5 overall. In a move to boost offensive production, Johnson will call the plays.
"We're going back to the basics. We looked at the athletes that we have and we're trying to put the ball in their hands in situations that displays the skills that they have," Johnson said. "We've got more speed here than we've ever had. We've always had one or two guys that could fly that were really good athletes, but now we've got a number of them, so we're going to try and stretch the defence down the field. We're going to try and hit you on the outside. We've got a horse like Nathan Pytel and we're going to bang you in the middle. We're going to try and do the things that demonstrates and displays the kids' talents."
The Skyhawks' annual Blue/White intersquad game kicks off Friday at 3:30 p.m. at St. Albert High.
