There’s a first time for everything.
The Bow Valley High School Bobcats made history on Tuesday night when their boys soccer team took home their first ever Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) Divisional Championship, winning the gold medal game 5-3.
After finishing runners-up in the South Central Zones to Canmore in a close 4-3 loss over the weekend, and coming off a 7-0 divisional semi-final win against the Bert Church Chargers on June 2, the Bobcats had a point to prove when they took on the George McDougall Mustangs at Monklands Park in Airdrie.
“We can put the banner up with pride,” said Bobcats head coach Jez Rodgers. “What a fantastic season these 18 committed kids have put in. We lost to a good side in Canmore, but can’t complain.
“Tonight’s the night, and I hope they enjoy it. If you had said to us at the start of the season we’d finish with a gold and silver medal, we’d have laughed at you.”
The clash was a cracker right from the get-go as both sides felt each other out with striker Max Perron cracking a shot off the Mustangs crossbar, before the Airdrie side went down the field and missed an open goal.
Perron was the danger man again, as he opened scoring a short while later, going through on a breakaway after a defensive error to give the Bobcats the lead.
He later added a second goal, and the Cochrane side was coasting before, the Mustangs clawed their way back into the game with a couple well-taken chances to level things up at two a piece.
“When (the Mustangs) tied it up we thought, ‘uh oh,’” Rodgers said. “But, we showed composure and got back our shape. It was great.”
Striker Liam Baker got on the scoreboard, before Perron completed his hat-trick with a well-placed right footed strike into the corner past Mustangs goalkeeper Justin Bainbridge, to make it 4-2.
Baker missed a penalty later on, flubbing his shot straight at Bainbridge, but it mattered little as midfielder Landon Murphy bagged his side’s fifth goal of the night to put things out of reach.
The Mustangs scored a third late on, but it was too little, too late, as the Bobcats celebrated a spectacular end to a special season.
Rodgers went into his first season as the Bobcats’ coach after being coaxed by his son – midfielder Ewan Rodgers – to take charge, yet wasn’t sure how things would pan out.
“I’ve been watching (these guys) for the last three years, and I didn’t think it would be the easiest thing to take over,” he admitted. “But, Ewan said there were good players on this team, and today they’ve proven it.
“We’ve been realistic all season because we didn’t know our capabilities, and built game by game, week by week. We were looking for a top four finish and we’ve exceeded expectations.”
Despite the goal-scoring prowess of his front two star men, Rodgers is adamant none of his team’s success would have come about if they hadn’t worked together as a unit.
“Liam and Max have been awesome, both of them have huge confidence,” he smiled. “Ewan and Landon in the middle have been solid all season, but our defence was the start of it. We’ve got guys like Rylen (Waugh), Thomas (Cameron), Brad (Willms), and Devon (Latchuk) in goal.
“What a great bunch of kids, I can retire happy now.”
.
