School was in session Thursday for the St. Albert High Skyhawks.
Lessons were learned in the 25-0 loss to the St. Francis Xavier Rams in preparation for the team’s final exam in November, when the Tier III (school population 450 to 749) provincial north playoffs kick off in high school football.
“We’re thin and we’re young. It’s a learning process and we’re trying to get better for the end of the year. That’s what we’re working for,” said Sam Johnson, head coach of the No. 7-ranked Tier III team in the province.
No matter where the Skyhawks finish in league play, they will represent metro Edmonton in the provincial playdowns as the only Tier III team in Miles division two.
“Coach Johnson always tells us to take it one week at a time. We can’t think too much about the future because we can’t control it,” said Brendan Gervais, a Grade 12 running back and linebacker. “Our main thing is just to focus on the next game, reset our minds and then just get ready for next week.”
The Skyhawks are 0-2 in the Miles after defeating the Stettler Wildcats, ranked eighth in Tier III, 10-0 in the preseason.
In the league opener, the Skyhawks fell 14-11 to the Strathcona Lords, winless in six games last year in division two. An incomplete pass into the endzone on third down with 30 seconds remaining determined the team’s fate.
The Rams (1-1), last year’s Gilfillan division three finalists at 9-1, proved to be a tougher foe than Strathcona.
“Honestly, I thought we were more physical against Strathcona …we brought it a little bit more,” Johnson said. “But these guys are good too. They’ve got some big hummers and some good players. We just have to go back to work on Monday and try to get better for the end of the year.”
The Skyhawks hung tough in stretches against the Rams but struggled putting first downs together on a consistent basis. Defensively they were solid but still gave up too many big plays.
“We played hard, we just had one or two guys, inexperienced guys, in the wrong spot at the wrong time making the wrong play and the whole thing breaks down,” Johnson said. “I love the way our defence is playing. They just played too many minutes today. Against Stettler, they played very well. Against Strathcona they played very well, and they played very well again tonight. It was just a matter of too many minutes. Guys like Brady Gonek and Brendan Gervais and Jackson Vinall are playing big minutes and they’re playing hard.”
The Skyhawks had high expectations for their home opener after coming close to beating Strathcona.
“I don’t think it was a matter of effort, I think our focus wasn’t there this week. Maybe some of us were a little nervous to go 0-2 but as the game went on I thought we got more into it and the boys stuck together,” Gervais said. “Some games go your way and some games don’t and I guess this game didn’t really go our way but we’ll take things from this game and we’ll work hard in practice next week.”
In the first quarter, the Rams missed a 20-yard field goal attempt on their second offensive series and the Skyhawks ran the ball out of the endzone.
Early in the second quarter, the Skyhawks gave up a safety in punt formation. After the kick off, the Rams capped off a 58-yard drive with a 12-yard run. On the point-after attempt, the holder scored to make it 10-0 with 6:07 left before halftime.
Back on offence, Gervais rattled off a couple of first downs with strong runs but the Skyhawks turned the ball over on downs and the Rams took over possession at their 42. They drove the field but on second and 15 from the 17, Gervais sacked the quarterback for a big loss and the Rams opted to try a 35-yard field goal that missed the uprights and the ball was brought out of the endzone by the Skyhawks to end the half.
In the third quarter, on third and four at the Skyhawks’ 10, the Rams were stopped just short of a first down. After going two-and-out, the Skyhawks surrendered another safety in punt formation.
On the first play from scrimmage after the kick off, the Rams broke loose for a 64-yard TD burst down the sideline for an 18-0 lead.
An interception by Gervais at the Skyhawks’ 44 late in the quarter gave the home team a lift. The offence got rolling with runs by Tyler Laboucane for a first down and Dan Johnson’s reception at the Rams’ 34 made it third and short. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Laboucane was tackled in the backfield and fumbled the ball. The Rams recovered it at their 54 and would later score from the one with 7:43 to play
Gervais, 17, was impressed how the Skyhawks stayed united in defeat.
“What we can take from today is that we all came together. We all found ourselves as a family. We didn't see ourselves as Grade 10s and 11s and 12s, we saw ourselves as one football team,” said the first-year football player.
The next game is Thursday versus the Ardrossan Bisons (1-0), a Tier IV (449 or less students) team. Kickoff is 5 p.m. at Clarke Park and admission is $5.
