CFC25 Small School Rankings (11): Alberta Tier II and Tier III champions leave no doubt

There’s only one game left before we put a bow on another fantastic season for the CFC25 Small School Rankings.

We begin our coverage this week in Alberta where there was nobody questioning the end results in the Tier II and Tier III provincial finals. Holy Trinity Academy have been the team to beat all year in Tier II, and Austin O’Brien simply couldn’t cope with the Knights attack falling 57-14. This marks the second provincial banner for Holy Trinity Academy, who’ve made four straight appearances in the finals, and will be extra sweet for any returning players who endured the loss to St. Joseph’s last season. The only loss they suffered this campaign came at the hands of CFC50 Raymond, who went onto dominate the Tier I playdowns with an impressive victory over CFC50 Harry Ainlay in the championship, and even though it ruined their flawless record, that game against the Comets still provided a priceless experience before heading into the Tier II playoffs with a better idea about where they could still improve. The word dynasty is now on the table with the Knights looking to make it three out of five if they can continue their reign of terror in Tier II next season.

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With Cochrane getting elevated to the Tier I Regional Based playdowns, it left the field wide open for a new king to rise at the Tier III level. Holy Rosary had been on the losing end of six straight Tier III finals against Cochrane, but their day in the sun has finally arrived with a 44-0 blowout over Strathmore to claim their first banner since 2014 when they won the Tier IV finals. While some might question why they’re so highly ranked on the list because of their Tier III status, we’d like to remind everybody they began the year with a 14-13 win over St. Joseph, who were the defending Tier II champions, and also had a great showing against CFC50 Ernest Manning, who delivered their only loss of the season by a score of 28-13 before going on to win the Calgary DI championship. One day we might see Holy Rosary elevated to a higher Tier just like we saw with Cochrane, but for now they can celebrate finally reaching the summit of Tier III after six years of heartache in November.

We flip our attention to BC where we’ve got an intriguing rematch in the AA Varsity provincial finals at BC Place this weekend. College Heights wouldn’t go down without a fight, but they didn’t have enough power to deliver the knockout blow to Robert Bateman who prevailed 21-7 to advance. They’re now getting ready to take on John Barsby one more time after the Bulldogs showed no mercy in their 36-14 conquest over Vernon in the other semifinal. These two squads provided a barnburner in their regular season matchup when the Timberwolves held on for a 38-34 victory, and now John Barsby will get the shot at revenge they’ve been working towards ever since that day. Robert Bateman are in search of their first ever AA Varsity provincial championship after falling short twice in 2021 and 2018, while John Barsby are looking to reclaim the title for the first time since 2014 when they went back-to-back. Hold onto your hats because this contest should go down to the wire.

Lastly we bring you the latest news from the OFSAA Festival where Thomas A. Stewart bowled a perfect game in their 48-7 victory over St. Michael’s College in the Independent Bowl. It’s the first ever provincial banner for the Griffins in their second appearance at the Festival after bowing out to Holy Cross in the Eastern Bowl back in 2018.

PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 1 – WEEK 2 – WEEK 3 – WEEK 4 – WEEK 5 – WEEK 6 – WEEK 7 – WEEK 8 – WEEK 9 – WEEK 10

#	Last Week	School/Team Mascot	City	Prov.	Conf. Rec.	Non-Conf. Rec	Results
1	1	Holy Trinity Academy Knights	Okotoks	AB	0-0	11-1	W 57-14 vs. Austin O’Brien
2	2	Vincent Massey Vikings	Brandon	MB	10-0	0-0	COMPLETE
3	3	Robert Bateman Timberwolves	Abbotsford	BC	9-0	3-0	W 21-7 vs. College Heights
4	4	Bishop J. Mahoney Saints	Saskatoon	SK	8-0	1-0	COMPLETE
5	5	Dalbé-Viau Aigles D’Or	Lachine	QC	10-2	0-0	COMPLETE
6	7	Holy Rosary Raiders	Lloydminster	AB	10-0	2-1	W 44-0 vs. Strathmore
7	6	Sturgeon Heights Huskies	Winnipeg	MB	9-1	0-0	COMPLETE
8	8	Weyburn Eagles	Weyburn	SK	8-1	0-0	COMPLETE
9	9	College Laval Maraudeurs	Laval	QC	9-2	0-0	COMPLETE
10	13	John Barsby Bulldogs	Nanaimo	BC	7-3	0-2	W 36-14 vs. Vernon
11	11	Collège Bourget Voltigeurs	Rigaud	QC	8-2	0-0	COMPLETE
12	14	Séminaire Saint-Joseph Vert et Or	Trois-Rivieres	QC	8-2	0-0	COMPLETE
13	21	Thomas A. Stewart Griffins	Peterborough	ON	8-0	0-0	W 48-7 vs. St. Michael’s College
14	12	George McDougall Mustangs	Airdrie	AB	7-2	2-0	COMPLETE
15	15	Greenall Griffins	Balgonie	SK	7-1	0-1	COMPLETE
16	16	Mathieu-Martin Matadors	Dieppe	NB	9-1	0-0	COMPLETE
17	17	Cochrane Cobras	Cochrane	AB	8-3	0-0	COMPLETE
18	10	Austin O’Brien Crusaders	Edmonton	AB	6-4	0-0	L 57-14 vs. Holy Trinity Academy
19	18	Langley Thunderbirds	Langley	BC	6-2	2-0	COMPLETE
20	19	St. Joseph Celtics	Grande Prairie	AB	6-1	3-2	COMPLETE
21	22	Yorkton Raider Gridders	Yorkton	SK	6-2	0-0	COMPLETE
22	23	Central Cyclones	Moose Jaw	SK	5-2	0-0	COMPLETE
23	20	Vernon Panthers	Vernon	BC	3-1	3-1	L 36-14 vs. John Barsby
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