The undefeated St. Albert Storm whipped up a big win in midget spring league football.
Brett Yost was a workhorse rushing for more than 100 yards and Cole Precht added his second interception in as many games in Saturday’s 33-18 decision against the West Edmonton Raiders at Fuhr Sports Park in Spruce Grove.
Midget teams in the Capital District Minor Football Association consist of players in grades 9, 10 and 11.
The Storm led 14-12 after the first quarter and 26-12 at halftime.
Luke Eady’s pick set up the first Storm score. Long gainers by Yost and a late hit resulting in a roughing the passer penalty paved the way for quarterback Ewan Vanderheide to sneak across the goal line from the one.
A powerful inside run by Yost behind veteran offensive linemen Dylan McCoy, Aiden Orr and Nick deChamplain resulted in the second Storm TD on a play that had Bulldogs Football written all over it.
Vanderheide also teamed up with William Campbell for a TD completion as the Grade 9 rookie made an acrobatic adjustment to cling onto the ball in the endzone.
Before the half, Vanderheide scored his second major off a textbook perfect read as the defence and spectators thought Yost was handed the ball but the Grade 10 St. Albert High Skyhawk pulled it for the walk-in TD.
The Storm slotted several rookies into action in the second half.
Vanderheide was replaced by Zach Froese, who started at defensive back, late in the third and the projected starting quarterback for the Sturgeon Spirits this fall led a TD drive that saw the Grade 10 athlete pick by gobs of yardage using his legs and capped it off with a Nathan Brake fly sweep run from the five.
Brake led all Storm receivers with five catches.
Karl Haasz was a force pressuring elusive quarterback Russell Dixon, who played his Grade 10 high school season with the Paul Kane Blues before transferring to the Jasper Place Rebels last season.
Haasz finished with a couple of sacks while causing chaos in the backfield.
The Raiders capitalized off a fumbled punt return for the team’s first TD. Three plays after the Storm miscue, Dixon took an option play to the endzone.
Dixon also showed off a strong arm with multiple completions on a drive that included untimely Storm penalties.
The only TD for the Raiders in the second half was off an errant Storm long snap that ended up in the endzone and Froese, the punter, fumbled the ball away after securing it and attempted to kick it away.
The Storm is 2-0 when they tackle the Lloydminster Red Dogs, undefeated in four seasons. Saturday’s kick-off is 1 p.m. in Spruce Grove.
The Red Dogs draw players from in and around the Border City and are a legitimate all-star calibre team.
Last year’s Storm team finished 3-3.
Sturgeon football
The head coach of the new Sturgeon football team in the metro Edmonton league is expected to be announced next week.Sturgeon will huddle up in the division three Gilfillan conference.
For a long time Sturgeon students played football at Bellerose.
As for the Bulldogs, a replacement for head coach Chad Hill had not been finalized even though Bellerose is accepting player registrations for the upcoming season.
Hill, the 2016 and 2017 Metro Athletics Coach of the Year in the division one Carr conference, stepped down in early March after 10 years as the senior team's field general.
Brayden Guy, head coach of the junior Bulldogs and defensive coordinator of the senior team, is also not returning.
The only metro Edmonton junior football team in St. Albert was based at Bellerose last year.
It’s also unclear whether Bellerose will remain in the Carr conference or drop down into the division two Miles conference without the availability of Sturgeon players for the upcoming season.
Paul Kane and the Skyhawks also compete in the Miles conference.
