Four locals named to Zone 2 football team

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The Zone 2 defence has been beefed up by a quartet of local talent as they take aim at their first Alberta Summer Games title.
Last week, Zone 2 released their rosters for the biennial football tournament at the Alberta Summer Games that take place July 19 to 22 in Grande Prairie. Making the cut was Kaden Warren, Jack Warrack, Dawson Jensen and Dominique Atkinson.
“We feel like we have a really solid team this year. We think we have a good running game on offence and with all these Strathmore kids securing our defence, we feel like we should be able to control the game to our advantage,” said Zone 2 Head Coach Chris Glass.
Anchoring Zone 2 will be Warrack, a lineman versatile enough to play on both sides of the ball if needed.
“(Jack) has the possibility of being our most impactful player. The kid is in Grade 8 and is already the size of my car,” said Glass. “He’s big, strong and really smart.”
Warrack, who stands 6-foot-2 and clocks in at 200 pounds, was the only one out of the four to suit up for the Strathmore Community Football Association Badgers.
“Not a lot of people from Strathmore made this team, so I was pretty proud of myself when I found out that I made the cut,” said Warrack, a Crowther Memorial Junior High School student. “Hopefully I get the chance to play some o-line. I like to use my strength and aggression on the defence. I think I’ll be able to hold my own out there.”
While Warrack clogs up the running game on both sides of the ball, one of the youngest players on the field will be looking to pick off errant passes.
Typically, the Summer Games are slotted for players in Grade 8 and 9, meaning that kids will only get one shot at the provincial title.
But for Dawson Jensen, he is the rare exception: he could play in the tournament twice because he is only in Grade 7 at Holy Cross Collegiate.
“To be two years younger, you’re typically going to be less developed and that usually holds kids back – especially in football,” said Glass. “Dawson made this team because of his heart. He never turned down a tackling assignment and went up against some of the biggest kids in camp. He made it impossible to cut him.”
For years now, Jensen has had one of Strathmore’s better offensive football players in his ear teaching him the ropes, in his older brother Reid. Reid also played in the Summer Games in 2016 when they finished fourth.
“He’s been great in always pushing me, telling me that I can do anything and helping my football IQ,” said Dawson. “I was a little surprised to make it. It just goes to show that all my hard work has paid off.”
This past season, Dawson played for the Airdrie Raiders of the Calgary Bantam Football Association, where he teamed up with Atkinson and Warren.
“Our defence is going to be looked after really well with Dominique on the defensive line and Kaden flying around in the secondary,” said Glass. “Kaden will be the fastest kid on the field in every game he plays in. That kid can fly.”
Zone 2 will kick off their tourney slate July 20, when they take on the powerful Zone 1 squad from the south.
“They always have a talented team, but they haven’t fared that well in the tourney. It will be a great test for us coming out of the gates,” said Glass, who will be coaching in the Games for the fourth time but first as a head coach.
The first game is a big one, as the winning team goes straight into a semifinal.
Before the tournament gets underway, Zone 2 will hold a couple more practices to try to sync together as a unit.
“This year might be our best shot at going for gold and the Strathmore kids are a big reason why,” said Glass.