The fourth time is hopefully the charm for the St. Albert High Skyhawks.
After three losses in a row to the Holy Rosary Raiders in the Tier III provincial north final, the Skyhawks are poised to dispatch the Lloydminster team to the sideline for a shot at the Alberta Bowl championship.
“We’ve got a game plan in hand that we think will give them some trouble,” said Sam Johnson, head coach of the 8-2 Skyhawks.
Saturday’s kickoff is 1 p.m. at Larry Olexiuk Field and the winner plays the Cochrane Cobras (8-1) or the Brooks Buffalos (5-4) for provincial honours next Saturday in Fort McMurray.
“We’re focused. We know what has to be done and we’re going to get there,” said Matt Swecera, a punishing Grade 11 running back and linebacker. “We just have to follow the coach’s game plan. It will set us up to win and it’s up to us to follow through.”
The Football Alberta Tier III (450 to 749 students) rankings have Holy Rosary (10-2) slotted second and the Skyhawks third.
Cochrane (8-1), the Alberta Bowl champion the last four years, is No. 1 and Brooks (5-4) is No. 6.
The first of five provincial titles in six years for Cochrane was 31-20 over the Skyhawks in 2012 at Foote Field.
The Skyhawks are competing in their sixth north final in seven Tier III playoffs since 2011.
Holy Rosary, the Wheatland league finalist after four consecutive championship seasons, halted the Skyhawks’ provincial runs the last three years by scores of 28-0 in 2015 at Lloydminster, 61-0 in 2016 at Clarke Stadium and 35-10 last November in the Border City.
“Their coaches have remained the same forever so their style doesn’t change too much. They do what they do and if you can’t stop it you’re in a world of hurt,” said Johnson, the 2017 Metro Athletics Coach of the Year in the division two Miles conference.
“They’ve got some big D linemen that play a 30 front normally. They’ve got big, fast linebackers and they’ve got DBs that lay back and then just go for the ball when it’s in the air,” Johnson added. “They’re going to run the ball. Their quarterback is very athletic with a strong arm … they’ve got those type of players that maybe they’re not the world beaters at their positions but they’re awfully good athletes.”
Holy Rosary will be a handful, according to Swecera. “They’re big, mean and gritty. They were last year. We played them in a little scrimmage in the summer and they seemed pretty similar so I expect a really gritty game.”
The Skyhawks graduated 14 players from last year’s 6-4 team that fell behind 21-0 at halftime and 28-7 after three quarters to Holy Rosary.
“We had a very Grade 12-laden team last year. We had Danny Johnson (All-Edmonton Miles Team linebacker) and Christian Pulis (running back and team MVP) and Koen Klinge (kicker/punter for the north all-star team at the 2018 Senior Bowl) and guys like that who were great athletes,” Johnson said. “We’re a little younger this year and maybe we’re a little bit more athletic, but we’re going to show up and play like always.”
So, is this the year of the Skyhawks?
“You would like to think that way,” Johnson said. “We’re happy to be here but we’re not satisfied to be here. We wanted that league championship but it didn’t come about so maybe that’s refocused us a little bit.
“Our boys want to play so that’s exciting for us.”
Losing the metro Edmonton league’s Miles conference final 27-12 to the Archbishop Jordan Scots at Commonwealth Stadium after shutting out the Sherwood Park squad 44-0 in the regular season was a punch in the gut, but the Skyhawks recovered with last weekend’s 31-9 beat-down of the No. 9-ranked Whitecourt Cats (5-4) of the Mighty Peace league in the north semifinal at Larry Olexiuk Field.
“That loss got everybody a little down. We came into the year knowing that it was basically finals or bust so we just had to shift our focus,” said Swecera, who skewered Cats with four touchdowns – three rushing and was on the receiving end of a TD pass from Grade 12 quarterback Kyle Torok-Booth – as the Skyhawks led 19-0 at halftime.
“That win really brought the life back into this team.”
Swecera, 16, is among a strong core of returning Skyhawks.
“I feel like we had a stronger team going into the year but injuries put us back a little bit,” said Swecera, stating the obvious with Grade 11 slotback/defensive back Jackson Ganton, the team’s nominee for the Miles conference MVP award this year and 2017 All-Edmonton Miles Team defensive back who hasn’t played in the last five games because of a lower body injury.
Swecera is anxious for the Skyhawks to inflict their will on Holy Rosary, who sailed past the No. 5-ranked Sylvan Lake Lakers (6-4) in the north semifinal 42-15, so the seniors can end their high school careers at the Alberta Bowl championship.
“I’m really channelling this for the Grade 12s,” Swecera said. “I really want to win this for them.”
