The entire playing surface was locked in an airtight seal that meant the elements outside felt like an entirely different universe as compared to what it felt like to be inside. The uprights, usually affixed to the ground, were hoisted skywards by a net that would be repelled down in cases of extra points and field goals. If the ball hit the white roof the play would be blown dead and run again.
They were unusual conditions, but this was also the first time many of the players on either squad had played inside all year. Nine players on Team South from Cochrane and Airdrie’s George McDougall who had participated in the Rocky View Schools (RVS) League Championship game in October experienced a gametime temperature of -5 C. But in January, playing outside is almost always out of the question.
Fourteen players from Rocky View schools participated in the 2024 Senior Bowl at Encana Field at Shouldice Park in Calgary. Team South, consisting of players from schools south of Red Deer, battled against athletes from Team North in a game that gave all players involved perhaps their last chance to showcase their skills to college and university scouts. Cochrane's Bodie Van de Kraats, Hudson Hallden, Tate Larssen, Stanleigh Stone, Jesse Groot, and Brayden Chamberlin all put on the jersey for the South during the game.
Wes Bromley out of Airdrie, a powerful linebacker who was a key member of George McDougall’s championship defense, seemed to always be in the middle of the play. On multiple Team North drives in the first half, Bromley contributed to tackles that stalled the offense before it hit mid field, forcing the North into punts.
Bromley and fellow Mustang Jordan Southern–who served as one of Team South’s captains–contributed to a dominant Team South defense that held the North to two points, scored when the South took their own safety in the first half.
As far as star studded football games go, the Senior Bowl wasn’t competitive by any stretch. The South controlled the ball for most of the game. Big plays on both sides of the ball caused cheerful eruptions on the South’s sideline. Big catches, big runs, big tackles, and big hits mostly came from Team South and at the expense of the North.
In the first quarter, Strathmore Spartans running back Taehyeon Park broke through the line and ran 30 yards for the biggest Team South scoring play of the half. In the final quarter, with the game put away, Springbank Phoenix receiver Mark Schroeder sprinted towards the North end zone and jumped over a North cornerback to hall in an impressive touchdown that settled the score at 32-2.
After the game, Bromley shook hands with a South teammate and then stood at midfield and collected himself. Next fall he plans to attend the University of Northern British Columbia to study business but his football plans are still undecided. “[I] would like a team that opens doors for me,” he said. “I’m looking for the right fit but…I just want to keep playing.”
Jordan Southern held court amidst a throng of family members and friends. At a listed six 6 '2 and 260 pounds, Southern cuts an intimidating figure. But even at his size and with eye black smeared across his face, he beamed a large smile at anyone that came up to say hello. With his arm around the shoulder of a Team North lineman, Southern said he will be playing football for the University of Calgary. “It’ll be nice to be at that program,” he said. “They take things to the next level.
The next level. For some Senior Bowl players, that might have been it; no next level. For others, the next level will be stadiums that seat thousands, in cities far away, under bright lights.
