Two Cochrane Cobras represented their school and town when they took to the field on May 21 in the 29th Annual Football Alberta Senior Bowl at Foote Field in Edmonton. Receiver Daniel de Bruin as well as linebacker Will Eilers represented Cochrane High during the annual football event that brings the best senior high school football players together from across the province to compete in a showcase game. The two teams are divided into north and south, with the north side comprised of Edmonton and area schools, while the south includes teams from Calgary and surrounding areas such as Cochrane and Airdrie, Medicine Hat, Brooks and Cardston. Fellow receiver Jack Tocher was originally selected to the team, but was held out due to injury. Team South won the contest by a score of 38-23, with Eilers recording an interception that led to a South touchdown, while de Bruin made a few key catches on the day. Eilers said the experience of playing in the showcase was amazing and contributing with a key play was just the icing on the cake. "The game itself was amazing. There were so many talented players and the coaching staff was equally as talented. I honestly went into it without expectations but it lived up to the stories I've heard from past Senior Bowl players that went to Cochrane High," Eilers said. "To be able to make a pretty big play ... it was cool for sure. It got the crowd so loud and rowdy, while also doing the same for my teammates. It also gave me a little reassurance that I was talented enough to be on the all-star team." Eilers also made comment on the atmosphere of the crowd, as there was more than 1,500 people in attendance for the game including many friends, family and coaches of the two Cobra athletes. "It was so loud. You didn't have to be watching the game to know when a big play was made," Eilers said. "The crowd's atmosphere only made the players more excited to get out there and make plays. It was cool to play in front of a lot of familiar faces." The two seniors played key roles for the Cobras. de Bruin was one of six Cochrane High School players that were named the team’s Most Outstanding Player (MVP), while also being the league's recipient for Best Offensive Player. Eilers was Best Linebacker and a league all-star. The Cochrane High stars were a huge part of the Cobras team that went undefeated throughout the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) regular season with a 6-0 record, as well as winning all four Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) Provincial games including a 21-14 victory in the final over the Holy Rosary Raiders on Nov. 24. In those 10 games, the Cobras outscored their opponents by an astounding margin of 414-53, where Cochrane High averaged 41 points per game while never giving up more than 14 points en route to the team’s fourth straight provincial championship.
