Every season, the Cochrane High School Cobras expect to win the provincial football championship.
They met that lofty expectation Nov. 24 with a 31-20 win over the St. Albert Skyhawks at the Football Bowl Tier 3 high school provincial championship in Edmonton.
“Just an unbelievable game,” said elated Cobras coach Rob McNab following the contest played at Foote Field.
“Momentum changes both sides. Great passing, running. Two physical teams went at it today and it happened to be our turn today.”
The Cobras jumped out to a 16-0 first-quarter lead, starting on defence with a safety. Justin Mount and Josh Gingrich-Hadley added touchdowns before St. Albert could get anything going.
But when St. Albert did awaken, they woke up in a bad mood, scoring 20 unanswered points to take a 20-16 early third-quarter lead. Skyhawks receiver Rocky Borrelli was particularly effective throughout the tilt, catching passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. But Cobras quarterback Kelton Beach, subbing for starter Cody Stevens, carried his team back to the top side of the scoreboard with a three-yard touchdown run in the latter half of the third quarter, making it 23-20.
“We got down this year once before too (in the provincial quarter-final against Crescent Heights) and the kids didn’t give up. We just kept saying, Hey, don’t give up. It will come around, and man the kids just stepped up.
“I can’t say enough about them.”
Stevens hit receiver Kyle Moortgat with the dagger midway through the fourth quarter, a 27-yard strike for a touchdown that made it 31-20 with Travis Chase’s convert.
“We knew they were going to be tough,” said Skyhawks head coach Sam Johnson. “And you’ve got to try and play error-free ball and, obviously, we didn’t in the first half.
“You can’t spot a team like that 16 points and expect to come in and do what you want.”
The provincial-championship victory caps a season in which the Cobras went 13-1 and had more than a dozen players claim awards at the Rocky View Sports Association football banquet Nov. 26 in Chestermere.
Cody Snoxell, Mount, Adam Dodd, Gingrich-Hadley, Matt Pipa, John Shamla, Dale Cummings and Jacob Moulton were all named RVSA football all-stars. Moortgat was named league MVP, Logan Blair defensive player of the year, Bryce McKinnon defensive lineman, Stevens rookie of the year and Conner Steiro the heart award.
With files from Jeff Hansen/St. Albert Gazette
