Football Alberta is proud to host its’ 4[SUP]th[/SUP] Bantam Bowl which is a minor football all-star game for graduating Grade 9 players at Edmonton’s Foote Field on Monday, May 23rd. The Bantam Bowl is a North/South All-Star Game similar to the Senior Bowl that will also be run on the May Long Weekend in Calgary for graduating Grade 12’s. It is played every two years as each intervening year features the Alberta Summer Games where minor football is represented in eight zones. The “South” currently leads the series two games to one.
HISTORY:
2011 will mark our 4[SUP]th[/SUP] ever Football Alberta Bantam Bowl however the concept of the game dates back over a few years.
On February 10, 1968; the executive of the then Alberta Football Coaches Association (a forerunner to Football Alberta) met in Red Deer to discuss the concept of an Alberta High School Football All-Star Game to be known as the “Senior Bowl”. The proposal involved the creation of two teams in a “North” vs. “South” fashion from the 56 High School football teams in Alberta.
Due to factors beyond their control the game did not occur and the idea remained dormant until it was resurrected in 1988 at a Football Alberta’s Planning Meeting. Even then it was a full two years until Rocky Mountain House’s Craig Berger kicked off for the “North” to St. Francis’s Sam Scalise of the “South” in Commonwealth Stadium on July 7, 1990 to begin what is now an annual event.
Five years later a similar effort was put into showcasing the minor football talent in Alberta by entering bantam football aged players in the Alberta Summer Games. To our knowledge this is the first and only time that the sport of football has been a part of the multi-sport Games. This event worked wonders for the showcasing and development of football at the bantam level and new leagues and teams have sprung up in every corner of the Province since 1995. The only problem with the whole affair was that the Alberta Summer Games only took place every second year. This meant that the graduating Grade 9’s in each intervening year were without a showcase event of their own. Eight years ago the Capital District Minor Football Association and the Calgary Bantam Football Association staged an All-Star Game immediately following the 2003 Senior Bowl thus laying the groundwork for the creation of the Bantam Bowl which will now mirror the Senior Bowl in the years when Alberta Summer Games do not take place.
All in all, the concept of showing off the best talent that Alberta high schools and minor football teams have that was dreamed of in 1968 has come true. With the continued support of its sponsors the game will continue to grow in its tradition and interest. Sometimes dreams do come true.
HOW IT WORKS:
The planning for each years Bantam Bowl actually begins in November as the coaching staffs for both the “North” and “South” All-Star teams are picked from the ranks of the bantam teams throughout the province.
The staff’s are filled from the provincial representative teams in Tier I, II, III, & IV from all the leagues in the Alberta with the dividing line between “North” and “South” set south of Red Deer. In April two selection camps are held to screen the over 300 nominee players and out of it two 40+ man teams were finalized. Finally over the May long weekend the teams reconvene for a three day training camp followed by an Awards Banquet and the Bantam Bowl Game.
BANTAM PROGRAMS PRODUCING THE MOST PLAYERS ALL-TIME
“NORTH” (Fort McMurray to Olds)
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS – 38
SPRUCE GROVE COUGARS – 14
LEDUC TI-CATS – 13
EDMONTON CHARGERS – 9
SHERWOOD PARK WOLVERINES – 8
FORT MCMURRAY RAVENS – 6
MILLWOODS GRIZZLIES – 6
WEST EDMONTON RAIDERS – 6
GRANDE PRAIRIE RAIDERS – 5
ST. ALBERT 49ERS – 5
ST. ALBERT FURY – 5
SHERWOOD PARK NORTHSTARS – 5
STONY PLAIN BLUE BOMBERS – 5
CAMROSE COYOTES – 3
EDMONTON MUSTANGS – 3
ELK ISLAND LIGHTNING – 3
GRANDE PRAIRIE BRONCOS – 3
LINDSAY THURBER RAIDERS – 3
ST. PAUL BENGALS – 3
EDMONTON SEAHAWKS – 2
LLOYDMINSTER CHARGERS – 2
OLDS BULLDOGS – 2
SEXSMITH SHAMROCKS – 2
STETTLER COUGARS – 2
WAINWRIGHT COMMANDOS – 2
HUNTING HILLS LIGHTNING – 1
LLOYDMINSTER MUSTANGS – 1
NOTRE DAME COUGARS – 1
WETASKIWIN WARRIORS – 1
“SOUTH” (Airdrie to Cardston)
CALGARY WILDCATS – 22
CALGARY BULLDOGS – 15
CALGARY COLTS – 13
COCHRANE LIONS – 11
CALGARY COWBOYS – 10
BROOKS ROADRUNNERS – 9
CALGARY FALCONS – 8
CALGARY GOLDEN HAWKS – 8
CALGARY HILLTOPPERS – 8
CARDSTON COUGARS – 6
CALGARY MAVERICKS – 6
RAYMOND JR. COMETS – 6
LETHBRIDGE STAMPEDERS – 5
CALGARY STAMPEDERS – 4
FOOTHILLS EAGLES – 4
FOOTHILLS FALCONS – 4
CALGARY BRONCOS – 3
TABER REBELS – 3
AIRDRIE STORM – 2
BOW VALLEY WOLVERINES – 2
LETHBRIDGE BULLDOGS – 2
PARKSIDE PYTHONS – 2
HANNA HAWKS – 1
LETHBRIDGE JR. COUGARS – 1
LETHBRIDGE RAMS – 1
MEDICINE HAT HAWKS – 1
PINCHER CREEK MUSTANGS – 1
ST. MARY’S COLTS – 1
STRATHMORE SPARTANS – 1
Foote Field in Edmonton
NO. NAME POS. HGT. WGT. 2010 BANTAM TEAM HOMETOWN
1 Andrew Britton DB 5’8 140 Calgary Bulldogs Calgary
5 Alex Cho SB 5’10 176 Calgary Falcons Calgary
7 Wyatt Humber DB 5’8 125 Calgary Hilltoppers Calgary
10 Kevin Chopek QB 5’10 170 St. Mary’s Colts Medicine Hat
11 Benjamin Kopcynski QB 5’9 200 Calgary Wildcats Calgary
12 Jagveer Bahia SB 6’7 135 Calgary Wildcats Calgary
15 Axel Caballero SB 5’10 151 Raymond Jr. Comets Raymond
17 Sean Waugh DB 5’10 134 Calgary Colts Calgary
20 Harley Hansen RB 5’7 145 Calgary Hilltoppers Calgary
21 Trey Brass DB 5’6 147 Raymond Jr. Comets Raymond
22 Kevin Demmers DB 6’0 155 Calgary Wildcats Calgary
25 Ross DeLauw RB 5’10 180 Lethbridge Bulldogs Lethbridge
27 Dalton Winkworth DB 6’0 145 Calgary Stampeders Calgary
32 Hunter Sorgard LB 5’8 180 Taber Rebels Taber
33 Jackson McDonough DB 5’7 150 Calgary Falcons Calgary
34 Wyatt Paton RB 5’11 170 Calgary Golden Hawks Calgary
35 Josh Duazo WR 5’4 142 Airdrie Storm Airdrie
42 Scott van der Baaren OL 6’1 185 Calgary Cowboys Calgary
43 Carlo Gallotta LB 6’1 195 Calgary Cowboys Calgary
44 Jordan Chabot LB 6’0 185 Calgary Bulldogs Calgary
45 Brogan Hickey LB 5’10 198 Calgary Colts Calgary
51 George Saloum DL 6’1 200 Calgary Stampeders Calgary
52 Anthony Crowshoe DL 5’11 230 Calgary Falcons Calgary
53 Jared South LB 5’10 173 Calgary Colts Calgary
54 Kelsey Connick DB 5’8 145 Calgary Golden Hawks Calgary
55 Zachary Urquhart DL 6’2 165 Calgary Cowboys Calgary
56 William Buck LB 6’0 150 Calgary Wildcats Calgary
57 Wesley Siemens OL 5’10 200 Raymond Jr. Comets Raymond
58 Chase Jensen OL 6’1 200 Calgary Colts Calgary
60 Edmund Many Guns OL 6’0 320 Pincher Creek Mustangs Pincher Creek
61 Liam West OL 6’0 230 Parkside Pythons Redcliff
62 Drew Hawes OL 6’0 270 Parkside Pythons Redcliff
64 Brendan Bray OL 6’1 200 Calgary Colts Calgary
65 Trea Hande OL 6’0 196 Calgary Stampeders Calgary
66 Damian Brazeau OL 6’0 175 Calgary Hilltoppers Calgary
77 Jackson Bokenfohr WR 5’9 138 Calgary Wildcats Calgary
80 Dallas Boath WR 5’4 135 Calgary Colts Calgary
88 Scott MacKay WR 5’9 142 Calgary Bulldogs Calgary
92 Samuel Dyer DL 6’2 190 Calgary Cowboys Calgary
95 Joel Van Pelt DL 6’3 195 Lethbridge Bulldogs Lethbridge
HEAD COACH: Damon Mair, Calgary Hilltoppers
ASSISTANTS: Richard Walker, Calgary Hilltoppers Rick Winkworth, Calgary Stampeders
Al Geib, St. Mary’s Colts Thomas Heaton, Calgary Golden Hawks
Stephen Kemp, Airdrie Storm Ian Ashton, Calgary Broncos
GENERAL MANAGER: Brock Jacobs EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Kevin Kopcynski
ATHLETIC THERAPIST: Melissa Petryna
NO. NAME POS. HGT. WGT. 2010 BANTAM TEAM HOMETOWN
1 Braden Jackson WR 5’8 125 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
5 Trevor Aiello SB 5’9 165 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
7 Brandon Thiessen QB 5’9 150 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
10 Brandon Mellen SB 5’10 153 West Edmonton Raiders Edmonton
11 Tyler Turner SB 5’10 140 St. Albert Fury St. Albert
12 Brady Kerr QB 6’0 150 Stony Plain Blue Bombers Stony Plain
15 Frederic Muamba SB 5’11 195 Millwoods Grizzlies Edmonton
17 Jarrett Burzuk QB 5’9 140 Hunting Hills Lightning Red Deer
20 Quinn Polley RB 5’8 145 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
21 Colby Miller WR 5’10 150 Stony Plain Blue Bombers Stony Plain
22 Nathaniel Martin DB 5’9 145 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
24 Jacob Battenfelder RB 5’10 190 Fort Saskatchewan Lightning Fort Sask.
25 Kain Kell SB 5’11 165 Grande Prairie Broncos Grande Prairie
27 Donivan Grannum RB 6’0 175 Lloydminster Mustangs Lloydminster
32 John Colville DB 5’9 141 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
33 Troy Hansen RB 6’2 175 West Edmonton Raiders Edmonton
34 Cole Christianson DB 5’9 140 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
35 Keshone Clement DB 5’8 128 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
42 Jesse Anderson DB 5’10 167 Leduc Ti-Cats Leduc
43 Tim Hayward LB 5’11 185 Lindsay Thurber Raiders Red Deer
44 Joshua Normandeau DB 5’11 145 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
45 Dominic Disciglio DB 5’8 137 Sherwood Park Wolverines Sherwood Park
50 Timothy Atrazhev LB 6’2 163 Edmonton Chargers Edmonton
51 Jeffery Jensen OL 6’4 205 Edmonton Chargers Edmonton
52 Chad Bullock LB 5’7 175 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
53 Tristan Hughes-Nyszczuk DL 6’3 180 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
54 Michael Yuzyk OL 5’8 215 Sherwood Park Northstars Sherwood Park
55 Justin Lawrence OL 5’11 240 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
56 Jacob Wasserman OL 5’10 227 Leduc Ti-Cats Leduc
57 Jassen Brown LB 5’4 175 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
58 Nicholas Baharally LB 5’7 175 Stettler Cougars Stettler
60 Luc Laplante OL 5’10 192 Notre Dame Cougars Red Deer
64 Mark Korte OL 6’1 205 Spruce Grove Cougars Spruce Grove
65 Christopher Holowaty OL 5’9 204 Sherwood Park Wolverines Sherwood Park
66 Tyler Beaudoin DL 6’1 178 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
70 Ryan Jackson LB 5’11 206 Sexsmith Shamrocks Sexsmith
77 Quade Smith K/P 5’9 175 Olds Bulldogs Olds
80 Jonathan Muamba SB 6’2 200 Millwoods Grizzlies Edmonton
82 Jordan Sperounes DL 6’3 171 Lloydminster Chargers Lloydminster
88 Graeme Lorke LB 5’11 170 St. Albert Fury St. Albert
92 Colby Smith DL 5’10 234 Grande Prairie Raiders Grande Prairie
95 Leo Kennedy DL 6’0 175 Sherwood Park Rams Sherwood Park
99 Jack Hanna DL 6’0 245 St. Albert Fury St. Albert
HEAD COACH: Brent Korte, Spruce Grove Cougars
ASSITANT COACHES: Rob Polley, Spruce Grove Cougars Aaron Hodges, Grande Prairie Raiders
Gerald Thomas, Leduc Ti-Cats John Krickle, Sylvan Lake Lions
Darren Gagnon, Lacombe Raiders James Devine, Edmonton Chargers
GENERAL MANAGER: Susan Morgan EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Jim Corry
ATHLETIC THERAPIST: Kassandra McGillvray
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