It’s three for three for the Cochrane Cobras football squad, who earned back to back-to-back championships last weekend after a formidable campaign for provincial gold.
“We worked so hard,” running back Kane Boklaschuk said after the game. “It’s just so rewarding.”
Saturday’s Tier III Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) final saw the Cobras up against the Holy Rosary Raiders from Lloydminster – the same team Cochrane obliterated 55-0 in 2015 when they last met at Hellard Field in Calgary.
This year’s provincial matchup was more of a firefight, with the Raiders eager to avenge the loss.
“It was a really physical game,” said head coach Rob McNab. “It was a battle back and forth.”
The Cobras came strong out of the gate, scoring the first two touchdowns to put up a 14-0 score reminiscent of last season’s showdown. But the hungry Raiders pushed back hard and by the third quarter had just about evened things up at 20-21.
Cobras quarterback Tae Gordon – who has led the team through all three provincial wins – said the Raiders’ level of play was “night and day” from last year.
“They really came to play...,” said Gordon. “They came with a chip on their shoulders.”
Near the end of the third quarter, the Cobras muscled through to the end zone to widen the spread to 28-20. Then, with 2:04 left in the game, a long bomb from Gordon to Zach Rabe hit the mark – sealing the deal for the Cobras with a final score of 29-20.
Even though the team faced a ton of pressure through all four quarters and made a few mistakes along the way, Boklaschuk said they never let it affect their play on the field.
“It never fazed us one bit,” he said. “We believe in each other, we support each other, no matter what.”
McNab said the objective all year has been to clinch the provincial banner, and while the Raiders gave the Cobras a difficult challenge to overcome – it wasn’t going to stop the team from achieving their season-long goal.
“That was a really good football team we played today,” said McNab, “but we’re a really good football team, too.”
