Badgers football fielding competitive teams

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

Large turnouts are creating optimism for the Strathmore Community Football Association about fielding teams to battle every game when the season begins this weekend.
The number of players showing up to practices, especially new ones, excited senior team head coach Brad Middlemiss.
With his team being in a new league this year, he is unsure of what to expect.
“It’s a new league this year so we don’t really know what to expect in the nine man league but I think we’re going to be competitive,” said Middlemiss.
He added that it is about 50/50 with the roster’s new players versus experienced players, and said after the Sept. 12 exhibition game they’ll know where they stand.
He has seen some improvement in areas of the team’s game that will assist them in seeing results.
“Speed and size,” said Middlemiss. “I’ve got some returning players that are absolute monsters, former Team Alberta try-out members, and we’ve got some kids here that are absolutely quick. We’ve got to get their hands there so they can catch the ball.”
Middlemiss said whoever wants to commit and show up for practices will get their preferred starting positions.
The seniors will open up with an exhibition game on Sept. 12 against Innisfail before opening up the regular season on Sept. 19 in Didsbury.
Meanwhile, the bantam Badgers had great numbers return from the spring camp and new players have already filled in some positions.
“Some of the lacrosse guys came because Tanner Bean, he was the quarterback for the peewee team last year, he brought up a few of his friends,” said head coach Sean Seafoot. “We have some more guys playing defensive back, more receiver type bodies, and we have a kicker, he was doing kicks from the 30-yard line here, that opens up our game a lot.”
Seafoot mentioned with the lack of size on the offense, they will have to attack opposing defenses with different play calls to spread the ball around the field.
“If you have enough big guys, you could have a good run game but we’re going to have to pass the ball. We’re going to have to succeed on the passing game.”
They will open up on Sept. 5 versus Drumheller in Strathmore at 1 p.m.
A year after losing in the league final, the peewee team will have a much younger-looking squad with many graduating to the bantam team.
Head coach Clinton Bean thinks it is a bit early to tell if the team can get back the championship game, but with the early chemistry anything can happen.
“It is a little bit early,” said Bean. “(The) defense is looking really good. The offense is a little slow, but it always starts out slow because there is a lot of kids’ learning new positions. I think we could easily be top four, if not, number one again.”
The peewees will open up their season on Sept. 19 in Sylvan Lake against the defending champions and one Bean says will be a bit of a redemption game for many of the players.