The St. Albert Stars make their playoff debut today in the Alberta Football League against the 2012 national champions.
Kickoff is 1 p.m. against the Lloydminster Vandals at Johnny Bright Park.
The Stars finished their inaugural AFL season tied with the Calgary Wolfpack for third place at 3-3.
The Vandals, last year’s AFL champions, placed sixth at 1-5.
In league play the Stars throttled the Vandals 79-3 at Clarke Park.
The other opening round playoff matchup features the Wolfpack and fifth-place Grande Prairie Drillers (2-4).
The Calgary Gators (6-0) and Central Alberta Buccaneers (5-1) received first-round byes.
The last-place Edmonton Stallions (1-5) missed the playoff cut.
The Stars last game before the playoffs was Sunday’s 17-12 loss to the Gators in Calgary.
Six athletes from the St. Albert Mustangs Track and Field Club are competing at the Western Canadian Midget and Youth Championships this weekend in Calgary.
The medal contenders are Jakob Brinkhof (14-15 midget javelin, discus, shot put and hammer throw), Jace Mix (midget 200 metres, 300m, high jump and long jump), Lewis Collins (midget 100m, 200m, 300m, high jump and long jump), Ty Noyes (midget 100m and javelin), Madelyn Curle (midget high jump, 200m and 4x100m relay) and Brooklyn Failing (16-17 youth high jump and 400m).
Brinkhof, Mix, Collins and Failing will also represent the Mustangs at the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships, Aug. 7 to 13 in Langley, B.C. Brinkhof will compete in javelin, Mix and Collins qualified in the pentathlon and Failing is in high jump.
Meanwhile, eight Mustangs medalled at the Sherwood Park Track Classic that also served as the midget, youth, junior, seniors and masters provincial championships.
Brinkhof set midget male meet standards of 44.42m in javelin (record was 41.87m) and 31.94m in the hammer throw (record was 30.85m) for gold medals. He also won bronze in shot put.
The 4x400m midget male relay team of Collins, Mix, Emmett Clarkin and Matthew Schaaf also established a meet record of 3:42.69 for gold. The previous standard was 4:23.05.
The foursome also broke the 4x100m midget male relay meet record of 49.67 with a gold-medal winning time of 47.38.
Collins was also awarded gold in the midget long jump, silver in the 300m and bronze in high jump.
Mix won gold in the midget high jump and silver in long jump and Schaaf was the silver medallist in midget javelin.
Medals were also presented to Madelyn Curle (silver in midget female high jump), Liam Birch (silver in midget male hammer throw) and Luke Kaup (bronze in youth male javelin).
Visit www.ellistrack.ca for meet results.
For the third year in a row Alberta lost the Football Canada Cup to Quebec at the U18 national championship.
Sunday’s score was 43-23 in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The Alberta roster featured receiver Tyler Turner of the Paul Kane Blues and linebackers John Brouse of the St. Albert High Skyhawks and Graeme Loerke of the Blues.
Alberta knocked off New Brunswick 79-6 and Ontario 43-36 en route to the final.
Netminder Kyver Van Iderstine and runner Mathieu Gautier of the St. Albert Rams will play for Team Alberta at the national peewee lacrosse championship, Aug. 4 to 10 in Whitby, Ont.
In early May, peewee players in Alberta born in 2001 or 2002 were invited to try out for the provincial team. A total of 18 runners and two netminders were selected.
