The St. Albert Storm whipped up their first midget spring league victory since 2015 in the Capital District Minor Football Association.
The team of Grade 9, 10 and 11 players downed the Fort McMurray Ravens 43-16 Saturday at Fuhr Sports Park in Spruce Grove to kick-off the six-game schedule.
It was 23-0 at halftime and 30-8 after three quarters as the Storm emptied the bench in the second half.
The Storm closed out the win by taking a knee three times inside the Ravens' five-yard line with just over one minute remaining.
Slotback Logan McCullough caught two touchdown passes and ran for two majors while racking up 135 receiving yards on five grabs and 95 yards on four carries, including a 65-yard jet sweep TD in the fourth quarter.
Andrew Nielsen and Cordel Callioux split halves at quarterback. Nielsen was 10-for-14 passing for 246 yards, two TDs and three picks. Callioux, an All-Edmonton Carr division one all-star at defensive back for the Bellerose Bulldogs in 2016, was 5-for-7 for 80 yards and one TD, a 17-yard strike to McCullough in the third quarter.
Travis Heggart reeled in five passes for 131 yards and a TD on a 25-yard reception from Nielsen in the first quarter.
Nielsen also hooked up with McCullough for a 25-yard TD in the second quarter.
Brett Yost, a Team Alberta U16 player at the 2017 International Bowl VIII in Texas who played for the senior Bulldogs last year, closed out the scoring with a six-yard TD run.
Ben VanLeeuwen booted a 32-yard field goal, converted four TDs and rumbled 42 yards on eight handoffs.
VanLeeuwen and Yost also dished out some hefty hits on defence.
Karl Haasz, a Grade 9 player, was credited with a team-high three sacks and six tackles.
Bronson Wilkie chipped in with five tackles and Cole Precht and Hudson Stewart had four apiece.
The Storm roster consists of 21 Grade 9s, 19 Grade 10s and four Grade 11s.
Last year's team lost all seven games, including four by shutouts.
The next game is against the West Edmonton Raiders at 3 p.m. Saturday in Spruce Grove.
The St. Albert Mission ended the season with three wins in a row to finish fifth overall at the Western Canadian Ringette Championships in Winnipeg.
The U14AA tweens compiled an overall 34-11-6 record after going 3-2 at westerns.
The team's last game was Saturday's 6-3 decision over Team Manitoba, the Boni-Vital Angels.
Reeve Spanakis collected three goals and two assists and Janie Lajoie notched one goal and three assists.
Kenzie McEachern and captain Jamie Stolk also tallied.
Spanakis finished the tournament tied for fourth in goals with nine and shared sixth place in points with 12.
In pool play, the Mission recovered from losses of 4-3 to the LMRL Thunder (B.C. No. 1) and 5-1 to Calgary White (Alberta No. 1) on the opening day with victories of 4-1 against the Saskatoon Saints (Sask. No. 2) and 3-1 against the Eastman Flames (host).
Four of the top five teams at westerns hailed from Alberta.
The Mission were seeded third out of four Alberta teams at the 10-team tournament as bronze medallists at the eight-team provincials.
The Mission were also awarded the Team Champion title in the skills competition for their age division.
The Lauren Jenkyns rink punched their tickets to the Alberta Travelers Club Championships after going undefeated at northerns last weekend in Sherwood Park.
The fourth win without a loss for Jenkyns, third Kathy Piper, second Laurie Conrad and lead Cindy Bobowik was 8-6 against Tanish Stroh of the Granite in Sunday's A qualifier.
Last year's President's Cup playoff winners at the St. Albert Curling Club rebounded from a steal of two by Stroh in the first end with a four spot in two and in five counted two to lead 6-4.
Stroh replied with a deuce in six and Jenkyns answered with one in seven and a steal of one in eight.
Jenkyns zipped through the A draw with wins of 7-3 in seven ends against Tracy Zadderey of Calmar by stealing four points in the opening three ends, 9-1 in four ends against Michelle Hartwell of the Shamrock with steals of three in the first and second ends and 8-3 in seven ends against Adele Kezama of the Avonair with a big three-ender in seven.
The fourth Alberta Travelers in five years for Jenkyns, Piper and Conrad is Oct. 20 to 22 at the Avonair. The trio were victorious at the 2013 provincials and last year the Jenkyns' foursome finished 0-2.
Jenkyns already has a spot reserved at the 2018 northerns as this year's club playoff champions with Christina Monk at lead and they will also represent St. Albert at the 54th annual Edmonton and area Tournament of Champions, April 7 to 12 at Ellerslie.
