The rematch of last year’s division one final between the Bellerose Bulldogs and Jasper Place Rebels in metro Edmonton high school junior football kicks off Thursday at Clarke Park.
The start time has been pushed ahead one hour to 6 p.m. and admission is $5.
Last year’s final went down to the wire as the Bulldogs rallied to beat the Rebels 21-17 for their second championship in a row.
The last junior team to three-peat was the St. Albert Hawks from 2004 to ’06.
The Bulldogs (276 PF/51 PA) and Rebels (202 PF/47 PA) are 6-0 after placing first in their respective pools.
Last week in the semifinals, the Bulldogs rolled over the Bev Facey Falcons (4-3) 62-14 and the Rebels downed the St. Joseph Saints (5-2) 35-21.
The junior team at Bellerose, which includes players from Sturgeon Composite High School, is 22-0 in league and playoffs combined since losing the 2011 semifinal to Facey.
St. Albert High Skyhawks line up against the Whitecourt Cats in Saturday’s Tier III north semifinal at Clarke Park.
It’s a noon kickoff and admission is $5.
The winner hosts the north final next Saturday against the Cold Lake Royals of the Wheatland league or Sylvan Lake Lakers of the Central Alberta league.
The Alberta Bowl championship is Nov. 21 in Lethbridge.
In the Tier III (450 to 749 students) Football Alberta rankings, Whitecourt (6-3) is ranked second, Sylvan Lake (6-2) is ranked fifth, Cold Lake (5-4) is ranked sixth and the Skyhawks (3-4) are ranked eighth.
Last weekend Whitecourt lost the Mighty Peace league final to the St. Joseph’s Celtics of Grande Prairie 15-3. The Celtics (11-0) are ranked No. 1 in Tier II (750 to 1,249 students).
The Skyhawks (3-4) are representing the metro Edmonton league in the north semifinals as the only Tier III team in Miles division two this season.
In the opening playoff round, the Skyhawks lost 28-10 to the Ardrossan Bisons (3-5), a Tier IV (449 or less students) team that reached the Tier III Alberta Bowl last year.
Rory O’Donovan was the Skyhawks’ candidate for the Haliburton Trophy as the most valuable player in Miles. The Grade 12 player led the team in tackles with 27 and was second in rushing with 338 yards on 43 carries for one touchdown.
Brandon Jillings was the top Skyhawk in rushing yards with 417 on 31 carries and in TDs with four.
