There’s only a few seats left remaining as we reach the conclusion of our Canadian high school football edition of musical chairs.
We begin in Quebec where the DII Bol d’Or went down to the wire between Dalbe-Viau and College Laval. Only two points separated these two squads when College Laval took their regular season meeting, and once again a mere two points would separate them again in the finals, but this time it was Dalbe-Viau who got the last laugh in a 23-21 triumph. It’s a fairy tale ending for Dalbe-Viau, who entered the season as the great unknown in DII after previously competing on the private school circuit against programs like Selwyn House and Loyola High School. Just making some noise in the playoffs would’ve been an accomplishment, but nobody could’ve predicted at the start of the season that they’d be raising the Bol d’Or above their heads. The last four champions in DII all went back-to-back, so will we see Dalbe-Viau keep the trend alive next year? Stay tuned because the road will be a lot harder now that everyone knows they’re playing for keeps.
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We turn our attention to Alberta where we had programs on the list competing across three different Tiers for provincial glory. It was the first year that Cochrane were thrown into the mix for the Tier I Regional based playdowns, and unfortunately they had to take an early exit after losing 21-20 to All Saints out of Calgary. Now that they’ve got a taste of what Tier I has to offer, the Cobras should be better prepared to run the gauntlet again next season. Dropping down to the Tier II finals, top ranked Holy Trinity Academy had no trouble bypassing Hunting Hills by a score of 44-22 to secure their spot in the provincial finals. They will now get ready to take on Austin O’Brien, who dethroned the reigning champions from St. Joseph in a 47-22 victory after falling to the Celtics in the quarterfinals last year. There were no surprises in Tier III with the defending champions Holy Rosary making quick work of Sturgeon taking home a 42-7 win, and now they will be hoping to raise another banner to the rafters with a matchup against sixth seed Sturgeon in the finals.
We wrap-up our coverage this week in BC where the quarterfinals provided some drama. It looked like Langley were primed for a championship run, but they couldn’t find a way to defeat John Barsby who prevailed 30-23. The Bulldogs are preparing to take on Vernon in the semifinals, who had no issues dispatching South Kamloops once again by a score of 30-14, and now the real test begins for the AA Interior division champions. The Panthers have been isolated from the chaos of the Coastal Division, but did get a taste of what to expect in the preseason when they lost to Langley 16-10, so it will be a very interesting to see how their showdown with John Barsby unfolds. On the other side of the bracket top ranked Robert Bateman are getting ready to take on College Heights after blowing out Argyle 37-0 in the semifinals. Can anybody knock off the Timberwolves? It’s going to take a massive effort to get the job done, but anything can happen when the final four appear at BC Place this weekend.
PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 1 – WEEK 2 – WEEK 3 – WEEK 4 – WEEK 5 – WEEK 6 – WEEK 7 – WEEK 8 – WEEK 9
# | Last Week | School/Team Mascot | City | Prov. | Conf. Rec. | Non-Conf. Rec | Results |
1 | 1 | Holy Trinity Academy Knights | Okotoks | AB | 0-0 | 10-1 | W 44-22 vs. Hunting Hills |
2 | 2 | Vincent Massey Vikings | Brandon | MB | 10-0 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
3 | 3 | Robert Bateman Timberwolves | Abbotsford | BC | 8-0 | 3-0 | W 37-0 vs. Argyle |
4 | 4 | Bishop J. Mahoney Saints | Saskatoon | SK | 8-0 | 1-0 | COMPLETE |
5 | 6 | DalbΓ©-Viau Aigles D’Or | Lachine | QC | 10-2 | 0-0 | W 23-21 vs. College Laval |
6 | 7 | Sturgeon Heights Huskies | Winnipeg | MB | 9-1 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
7 | 8 | Holy Rosary Raiders | Lloydminster | AB | 9-0 | 2-1 | W 42-7 vs. Sturgeon |
8 | 10 | Weyburn Eagles | Weyburn | SK | 8-1 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
9 | 5 | College Laval Maraudeurs | Laval | QC | 9-2 | 0-0 | L 23-21 vs. Dalbe-Viau |
10 | 23 | Austin O’Brien Crusaders | Edmonton | AB | 6-3 | 0-0 | W 47-21 vs. St. Joseph |
11 | 12 | Collège Bourget Voltigeurs | Rigaud | QC | 8-2 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
12 | 13 | George McDougall Mustangs | Airdrie | AB | 7-2 | 2-0 | COMPLETE |
13 | 22 | John Barsby Bulldogs | Nanaimo | BC | 6-3 | 0-2 | W 30-23 vs. Langley |
14 | 14 | SΓ©minaire Saint-Joseph Vert et Or | Trois-Rivieres | QC | 8-2 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
15 | 15 | Greenall Griffins | Balgonie | SK | 7-1 | 0-1 | COMPLETE |
16 | 17 | Mathieu-Martin Matadors | Dieppe | NB | 9-1 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
17 | 16 | Cochrane Cobras | Cochrane | AB | 8-3 | 0-0 | L 21-20 vs. All Saints |
18 | 11 | Langley Thunderbirds | Langley | BC | 6-2 | 2-0 | L 30-23 vs. John Barsby |
19 | 9 | St. Joseph Celtics | Grande Prairie | AB | 6-1 | 3-2 | L 47-21 vs. Austin O’Brien |
20 | 21 | Vernon Panthers | Vernon | BC | 3-0 | 3-1 | W 30-14 vs. South Kamloops |
21 | 18 | Thomas A. Stewart Griffins | Peterborough | ON | 7-0 | 0-0 | BYE |
22 | 19 | Yorkton Raider Gridders | Yorkton | SK | 6-2 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
23 | 20 | Central Cyclones | Moose Jaw | SK | 5-2 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
24 | 24 | St. Mary’s Mustangs | Owen Sound | ON | 7-1 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
25 | 25 | Académie les Estacades Aigles | Trois-Rivières | QC | 7-3 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
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