Neither sleet nor snow could keep Cochrane quarterback Xavier Vaillancourt from leading the Calgary Selects to victory last weekend.
The Cochrane Lions player was one of 30 13- to 15-year-olds from around the area hand-picked by the Calgary Bantam Football Association to play on the coveted Selects team. Each year, the group competes in the All-Star Youth Football Tournament in Langley, BC.
To prepare for this year’s competition, Vaillancourt said he and his newly-formed squad practised at Shouldice Park five times a week for two weeks.
“Our team was really close and we meshed really well. We really got to know each other,” said the teen. “I learned all these new plays, and I learned how important it is to stay healthy it is during the season.”
The Selects then travelled to British Columbia for the tourney, which took place in the middle of a snowstorm Dec. 5.
Vaillancourt said the winter weather made his position as quarterback a challenging one.
“It was pounding snow. We were playing in a foot of snow, so … the ball was all wet and it was hard to get good footing to throw,” recalled Vaillancourt. “We didn’t pass as much as we were expecting. I ran a bit in both games and we also rushed a lot with our running backs.”
Despite the seasonal setbacks, the Calgary Selects managed to keep control of each game and squeaked out victories over the Langley Youth All-Stars 8-6 and the Vancouver Island 7-6.
“It was really fun,” said Vaillancourt.
The Cochrane High School student said he will take a break for the holidays, and then he hopes to start training with the Cochrane Cobras, with a goal of possibly making the successful football team when he enters Grade 10 next fall. He said the time he was able to spend with the Selects team over the last few weeks has re-invigorated his already strong passion for football.
“It made me love the game even more and want to continue to play even farther to keeping having more fun experiences like this.”
