Rival Wildcats hit town Sunday for Colts’ belated home opener

CALGARY — The Calgary Colts would like nothing more than to start a homefield stampede, but they’re also wary of these winless Wildcats.

After kicking off their junior Prairie Football Conference season back on Aug. 21, the Colts (1-1) will finally play their home opener on Sunday, Sept. 12 at McMahon Stadium, welcoming the Edmonton Wildcats (0-2) for a 2 p.m. gridiron clash. These are the same Wildcats who won the PFC title last season, and battled all the way to the Canadian Junior Football League’s Canadian Bowl title game — and Keith Kendal’s squad is not taking them lightly.

“They’re a big, very physical team. They’ve got a lot of pride, and their coaching staff (led by Gary Durchik) will have them prepared,” says Kendal, the CJFL’s coach of the year in 2008. “It’s a huge game for both of us. We beat them, and they pretty much have to run the table to make playoffs. They beat us, we’re both 1-2 and it’s a whole new season.”

Wildcats wide receiver Jerit Lambert, the PFC and CJFL rookie of the year in 2009, caught nine passes in his club’s most recent game, a 27-13 loss to the Saskatoon Hilltops on Aug. 29. Meanwhile, veterans Rory Connop, Gabriel David, and Steven Giang anchor a formidable Edmonton defensive line.
“This really has developed into our biggest rivalry,” says Kendal, whose club was stopped 35-20 by the Wildcats in a PFC semifinal last fall. “We’ve had some great games. Hard-hitting, really competitive games.”
Calgary’s Cuong Thai Lieu (2nd year, Nanaimo, B.C., John Barsby HS) is fourth in the PFC with 205 rushing yards, averaging 5.54 a touch, while Colts receiver Doug Long (2nd year, Calgary, Bowness HS) is becoming a special-teams threat.

Long ranks second in the conference with 156 yards on seven punt returns, and third overall with 153 yards on seven kickoff returns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Colts cornerback Alex Saretsky (4th year, Cochrane, Alta., Cochrane HS) is tied for sixth in PFC defensive points with 28, on two interceptions, a forced fumble, and five tackles.

The Colts will play the bulk of their 2010 home schedule in a span of 15 days, with games at McMahon against the Wildcats on Sunday, the Edmonton Huskies (0-3) on Sept. 18, and the Regina Thunder (2-0) on Sept. 26.
Over the past three seasons, the Colts have been 8-3-1 at home and 6-7-1 on the road, including the first two games of this campaign.

This upcoming three-week stretch “is vital. We really want to be 3-1 when Regina comes in here,” said Kendal. “But our goal at the start of the year was to make playoffs — we didn’t say first, second, third or fourth. We just want to be in the playoffs.”

The Colts will continue to prep for Sunday’s contest with a 6:30 p.m. practice on Friday, Sept. 10 at Optimist Athletic Park, and an 11 a.m. run-through on Sunday, Sept. 11 at McMahon.

For more information on the club, please visit [url]www.calgarycolts.com