Anyone who questions why the Cochrane High School Cobras football team has been so dominant for so long in the province doesn’t understand the level of dedication the team puts in.
When they see an opportunity to take an advantage, they do so.
May 1 marked the opening of football season in Alberta, and in typical Cobras fashion, the team took to Spray Lake Sawmills Legacy Field to hold a training session marking the occasion.
“We actually start June 6, but right now the ASAA (Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association) has said the seasons of play for football is May 1, so we decided this is a good opportunity to kick off our season for next year,” said Cobras co-head coach Rob McNabb. “It happened to fall on a beautiful Sunday, so all the better.
“The team’s out here for a light practice, and then we’re back in the weight room, three times a week.”
This is the first time the Cobras have ever done something like this, but it doesn’t surprise co-head coach Bruce O’Neill, who is used to McNabb coming up with something different every year to kick off a season.
“We’re always try to change things up every year, and Rob came up with this,” O’Neill said.
One of the main benefits of the session was to allow players to get a taste of the new hitting techniques, which are to be implemented by Football Canada for the upcoming season.
“Football Canada has identified that to decrease injuries and concussions they’ve had to establish a protocol for hitting,” O’Neill said. “The progression is built on making it safer for kids but also keeping it so you can tackle. We went to a clinic in February to learn these new drills in order to continue coaching football.
“I’ve been coaching for 35 years. We’ve always coached get the helmet across the front. You can’t do that anymore.”
As big of a success as the session was (roughly 38 out of the 45 first-team roster were able to attend), the Cobras don’t plan on continuing practice until June 6 and 7 because many of their athletes have other commitments.
“We recognize a lot of kids have rugby, soccer, badminton, and track and field,” O’Neill said. “When you’re a small school you have to share the athletes. We don’t want kids to have to make a choice between sports.
“Everything ends June 7, which is a Saturday, so then we’ll go all the rest of next week, pick our team and start in August.”
