The Paul Kane Blues are moving up into the toughest division in metro Edmonton high school football after consecutive Miles division two championships.
The Blues will huddle up against the Carr division one powerhouses as preparation for the Tier II (750 to 1,249 students) provincials.
Last year marked the second time the Blues suffered their only loss of the season in the Tier II playoffs against the eventual Alberta Bowl champion. They finished 8-1 overall after going 10-1 in 2013.
“Although there are some good teams in the Miles we just weren’t getting enough competitive games. We would get into provincials and that’s a whole new different ball game. It was a step up from anything we played all year, whereas now in the Carr we’re going to see that every week,” said Rob Strecker, the fourth-year head coach of the Blues. “It came down to the ultimate goal of winning provincials and how can we get over this hump. The coaches all agreed we need to play in a more competitive schedule and that’s why we ended up going into the Carr.”
The leap of faith by the fifth-year Paul Kane football program was in the planning stages before last year’s undefeated Miles repeat.
“We basically had two options. Option A was to stay in the Miles and then try and get some exhibition games against some of the tougher teams from the south but logistically that’s a nightmare with our schedule. You would have to play two games in basically a couple of days,” Strecker said. “Option B obviously was going into the Carr where every game is super competitive and that’s what we’re going to be looking at. It’s going to be a grinder. Every game is going to be our toughest game compared to what we played in Miles last year. I’m not going to lie; there were a few spaces on the bingo card last year but not this year. We have to come to play every game or we’re going to get embarrassed. Everyone has got to step up, the players and the coaches too.”
The last time the Blues played in the Carr was 2012 before the metro and public league merger and they finished seventh at 3-5 against a lineup of mainly Tier I (1,250-plus students) teams.
Last year the Austin O’Brien Crusaders were the only Tier II team in the Carr.
“Nothing has changed. We’re still a Tier II school and we still lack the depth. We’re carrying 28 to 30 guys and we’re going up against schools with 45 or 50 so it’s a huge advantage for them,” Strecker said. “The other thing that was going against us was we still lacked in size. We have a couple of guys over 200 pounds, which means those boys are going to have to play on both sides of the ball. They did it in Miles but there is a big difference between Miles and Carr. There are some big fellas in the Carr and the boys are going to get beat up so we need to get stronger. We need to get into the weight room and take it a little more serious because it’s not going to be a cakewalk like it has been for the last two years.”
If the Blues and Austin O’Brien finish top six in the nine-team Carr they both qualify for provincials.
If one team makes top six the other team would play a challenge game against the Miles champion if it’s a Tier II team.
If both teams finished below sixth place the higher team qualifies and the second provincial berth would be decided by a challenge game involving the Miles champion if it’s a Tier II team.
“Hopefully we can finish top six and go from there and stay injury free,” Strecker said.
The Blues have 15 returning players, in addition to the four junior call-ups who finished off the season with the senior team. The ultimate goal is to dress 30 players.
“I need to find a few more boys. There will be some that should be in junior but we need them for depth,” Strecker said. “We’re rolling the dice injury-wise, as every team does but for us more so because we don’t carry that many players, but that’s the chance we’re going to take.”
Strecker is confident the team’s skill set will put the Blues over the top.
“We have a lot of good athletes and our football IQ is very high,” said the Paul Kane teacher.
Head coach Chad Hill of the Bellerose Bulldogs expects the Blues to be competitive right from the opening kick off.
“The rest of the conference should not take PK lightly as they have athletes and talent on both sides of the ball,” Hill said. “It’s good for them to move up to division one to build their program. I remember when we made the jump in 2010. Several people questioned the decision but it has paid off.
The Battle of St. Albert takes on a whole new meaning with the Blues and Bulldogs in the Carr. In the Miles the Blues demolished the Tier III (450 to 749 students) St. Albert High Skyhawks 56-0 last year and 78-14 in 2013.
“The last two years playing SACHS those games were so much fun, not because we won but the atmosphere was great. This year with Bellerose, because everybody has been asking for this game for so long, they’ve got it now and the kids are excited at both schools. It’s going to be a great football atmosphere. It will be very close to what they have in Sherwood Park with Salisbury and Bev Facey where they have a real good rivalry going,” Strecker said. “Chad and I are buddies. There is no animosity there. We want to see both programs do well. We’ve already talked about when it would be a good time to play the game. If we’re lucky we can play it on a Friday and just pack the park. That would be unreal for football in St. Albert to have your two big high schools go at it so we’re excited about it. Again, it’s another game in the Carr but it’s a rivalry game.”
