All three football teams play in league championship
By Mario Prusina Times Editor
Photo Courtesy of Lisa Thiessen
Squaring off in the Tier 1 finals, the Badgers faced the Explosion, an undefeated team that allowed zero points against all season.
The locals showed no quit in the difficult game as they managed 10 points for.
“They beat us 60-10; having said that, this is a team that had nobody score on them all season. So we actually got points on the board against them; we actually fought back,” said Badgers head coach Doug Thiessen. “The (Lacombe) kids’ head coach actually came up to me after the game and complimented me on the fact that our kids didn’t quit, they kept going, they kept trying to win, they kept trying to make the plays. They never stopped until the game was over. He said that he was quite impressed with the whole character of the team; that even when they were down, they just kept fighting back. So that’s a pretty big compliment.”
The game was looking like any other the Explosion played this season, as they were up 42-0 at the half. However, the Badgers ended the Explosion’s perfect season by scoring 10 points in the second half.
“We did something nobody else did, we found a way to score on them,” said Theissen. “The kids didn’t quit, the kids played well, that’s all I can ask of them. I was super proud to coach them this year.”
Battling for bronze
The SCFA bantam Badgers will battle for the Central Football League bronze medal after falling to top-ranked Notre Dame Oct. 27 in Red Deer.
Despite a solid effort from the local football team, Notre Dame remained undefeated on the season.
“Tough game, the kids played awesome. It was a tough battle. I couldn’t be any prouder of my kids and how they played,” said Badger coach Greg Zaugg. “Notre Dame was the top-ranked team in the league and they came out hard, they hit hard, they played hard the whole game and my guys didn’t let up.
“They gave us everything they had, and they left it all out on the field. They gave Notre Dame a beating, but unfortunately we just couldn’t move the ball as well as we are used to moving it and we had a tough defence that we were fighting and we just couldn’t capitalize on a few plays.”
Despite falling 34-6 against the No. 1 team in the league, the Badgers remain confident going into the bronze medal matchup against the Rocky Mountain House Rebels.
“We have played Rocky Mountain House already and that was actually the only game we’ve lost in the regular season,” said Zaugg. “Honestly, we lost that because of some mistakes we made and so I think the mentality we have going into it is this is a team that we can beat. This is going to be a fun game for the spectators to watch because it’s going to be a hard-hitting, tough game for both teams.
“They’re coming into it thinking ‘it’s Strathmore, we’ve already beaten them,’ and we’re coming into it thinking we’re going to show you why you shouldn’t have beaten us.”
Off to the finals
Meanwhile, the SCFA senior Badgers with the Mountain View Football Conference (9 man) earned a berth in the league final after the Carstairs Tigers forfeited the league semifinal.
The Badgers-Tigers contest was to be played on Oct. 27 at Crowther Memorial Junior High School, but the road team cancelled a few days before the game, citing they were short players for the game.
The senior Badgers will now travel to Innisfail for the league championship on Nov. 3.
**With files from Adelle Ellis