Bantam Badgers wrap up season with plenty to build on

By Melissa Crispin-Piche Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Silver medals, decisive wins and plenty of progress gave the Strathmore Community Football bantam and peewee Badgers good reason to celebrate this season.

Both teams finished with silver in their respective pools, but their coaches had just as much to say about the players’ determination, friendships and growing confidence as the results.

For bantam head coach Dan Bouchard, the way his players connected helped make his first season leading the team memorable. 

“Everybody clicked with everybody,” he said. “It was awesome.”

The bantam Badgers recorded several convincing victories, including a 51–0 shutout against Carstairs on Sept. 5, a 53–20 road win in Hanna on Oct. 17 and a second shutout against Carstairs, 57–0, on Oct. 24.

They closed the season with one of their most exciting games, finishing just short of the B pool title in a 41–40 loss to the Stettler Cougars on Oct. 31.

A strong second half kept Strathmore in contention until the end. Bouchard said the players returned from halftime with renewed energy and held Stettler to 13 points over the final two quarters.

The silver medal finish gave the Badgers something to celebrate and something to work toward. “You want to use it to come back better next year,” he said.

Earlier in the season, the team had already shown how well it could pull together. Following a difficult second game, players and families reached into the community to recruit more teammates. By that weekend, the roster had grown to 18 players.

As the season progressed, Bouchard saw that effort reflected on the field.

For him, helping players find their place is part of football’s appeal. 

“There’s a spot for everybody on it,” he said. “We need the big guys, we need the small guys, we need them all.”

That same opportunity to learn and contribute was central to the peewee Badgers’ season under first-year head coach Sean Meston.

The peewees earned C pool silver with Meston reporting a 2–3 regular-season record and another win in the playoffs for a 3–4 overall finish.

With a younger group and only eight players moving up to bantam, the season gave many players valuable experience against older, larger opponents. 

“What we did pull together this year did fantastic,” Meston said.

He was particularly pleased with how the defence worked together.

“Defence was really good cohesively,” he said. “They were really, really good as a unit.”

The offence also found its rhythm as the season went on, with the passing game becoming a highlight in the closing games.

Following their playoff game in Lacombe, Meston said the Badgers received praise from the opposing team for their passing attack. It was an encouraging sign that the work players had put into learning the offence was paying off.

Their conduct earned recognition, too. Meston said parents and opposing coaches consistently commented on the players’ sportsmanship. 

“The attitudes were good,” he said.

For Meston, some of the season’s best moments came from players who surprised him with their progress. When it came time to consider year-end awards, narrowing down the choices is posing a challenge as he said every player is deserving of recognition.  

“I could give away 15 awards,” he said.

With a strong group eligible to return to peewee next season, he sees plenty of promise ahead.

“I hope all those kids come back, and if they do, they’re gonna have a really, really good core in the next year,” Meston said.

Both teams also benefited from parents, coaches and volunteers who gave their time throughout the season. Bouchard credited the work behind the scenes that keeps the organization running while Meston said he had good help in his first year as head coach.

The Badger banquet on Nov. 29 at the Strathmore Civic Centre will give the teams another opportunity to recognize those contributions and celebrate the players.

There will be silver medals to recognize, wins to remember and plenty of individual achievements to applaud as the Badgers look ahead to another year.