Senior Badgers feeling slighted with playoff seeding

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

The playoffs haven’t begun yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t controversy swirling in the autumn air.
The Strathmore Community Football Association senior Badgers finished the regular season tied for the No. 1 seed with the defending champion Innisfail Cyclones at 5-0-1, and appeared to own the tiebreaker for home field, should these teams meet in the finals.
The two teams played the most exciting game of the season Sept. 17, which saw the Badgers mount a comeback under the final two minutes to tie the game at 42. The game ended immediately without any overtime.
“These two teams tied earlier in the year, they finished with the same records, but there was three forfeited games on Innisfail schedule. I didn’t feel that the old tie-breaking calculation was fair,” said Mountain View Football Conference commissioner Ian Hopfe.
The old tiebreaking method goes first to record with the opponent, and then to points for and against on the season.
“We tried to come up with a fair agreement, but no matter what we did, someone was going to be unhappy,” he said.
That someone is the SCFA.
They believed that after tying the defending champion Cyclones in the regular season, the way the old tiebreaking formula was set up, that they should have home field should the two meet in the league championship in two weeks’ time.
SCFA president Carl and his son Sean, who is the head coach for the Badgers, found out about the playoff format change via e-mail Sunday night.
“I was pretty rattled when I read the news. I was shaking,” said Sean.
The commissioner also stated that this is a start-up league and they didn’t plan for this because he wasn’t expecting teams to forfeit games prior to the season. He didn’t find it fair to use the old tiebreaker calculation with the Cyclones missing three games.
The Seafoots also don’t find it fair that their Week 2 game with the Blazers was called with four minutes on the clock because of darkness, four minutes where they could have racked up a few more touchdowns.
So, working swiftly and apparently without asking for any Badgers opinions, Hopfe changed the tiebreaker so it went based on points for and against when the Cyclones and Badgers played against the other playoff teams, the Bowden Blazers and Didsbury Dragons.
“There was a bunch of forfeit games that messed things up. The league tried getting around it and this is what we’re stuck with,” said Carl. “It’s not what we wanted; it’s always better to play at home, but it is what it is.”
The Cyclones were on a year-and-a-half unbeaten streak until the Badgers tied them Week 3.
“I tried to come up with a fair idea. I suggested that if the two teams meet in the finals, that they play on a neutral site. Everyone agreed to that idea, except Strathmore,” said Hopfe.
League semifinals are slated for Oct. 29. The Badgers will host the Dragons (1 p.m.) at Crowther Memorial Junior High School field. The Blazers will duke it out with the Cyclones in the other semi.

 

Bantam Badgers beat Titans
The bantam Badgers experienced the bright lights of McMahon Stadium when they dusted the Drumheller Titans 22-12 on Oct. 22.
“We played them in an exhibition game a couple weeks ago and lost big to them. We were missing a few games and it was miserable out, but they showed us their hand. I was able to construct a game plan and they played right into it Saturday,” said Badgers head coach Brad Middlemiss, who lost 40-0 to the Titans Oct. 8.
Middlemiss is wrapping up his sixth season with the Badgers. Coaching at all three levels, he has taken a team into McMahon five times, but he still gets a kick out of the kids’ reaction when they enter the home of the Calgary Stampeders.
“It’s truly an unbelievable experience for the kids. We get our own locker room; play on the turf and underneath the lights. It’s a lot of fun for them,” said Middlemiss.
Badgers quarterback Nicolas Heaton injured his throwing shoulder in the first quarter and Middlemiss had to throw Brandon Middlemiss to the wolves.
“You know, it’s probably my fault that I didn’t give him any reps during practice. But he came in and did a great job understanding our offence,” said Brad. “We received great games from Luke (Henry), Angelina (Palardy) and Riley (Southern).”
Predicting that the Titans would try another ground-and-pound attack, Brad developed schemes to gang tackle Conner Enns and Braden Mazereeuw.
“We were really physical with those two and wore them down by the fourth quarter,” said Brad.
Entering the A playoffs as the two seed, the Badgers will travel to take on the Red Deer Hunting Hills (6-0) in their opener. The Badgers will be in tough as Hunting Hills finished with the most points for (321) and the fewest allowed (26).

 

Peewee Badgers finish in top spot
The peewee Badgers finished their Central Football League as the number one seed and undefeated after thumping the Olds Huskies 26-0 in their regular season finale.
“It feels great going undefeated through the regular season,” said Badgers coach Doug Theissen. “The team did great all season and now we need to carry that momentum into the playoffs.”
The Badgers (6-0) will host the Rocky Mountain House Rebels (4-2) Oct. 29 (11 a.m.) at CMJHS field. The Badgers blanked the Rebels 33-0 back in week 4. Thiessen’s crew only allowed three touchdowns this season.