The following are the draws for the 2011 ASAA Alberta Bowl. The times and locations are included as well as the provincial ranking of the teams (as determined by Football Alberta) and contacts for each team involved.
TIER I (School Pop. 1250+)
Provincial Final
#1 Harry Ainlay Titans vs. #6 Raymond Comets
Sat. Nov. 26 β 6:00 p.m., University of Lethbridge Community Stadium
Rematch anyone? For the second year in a row these two teams will meet for the Tier I title. Last year the Comets came out on top 49-14 to claim their third straight title. This year the Comets have the chance to do something no other Tier I team has ever done and that is win four straight Provincial Titles and to boot this will be the first time in that string that they will play at home (or as close to home as possible) having won the previous three in Edmonton (2008, 2009) and last year in Calgary. Only Cardston at Tier II (1990-93) and Cochrane in Tier III (2002-05) have put together four championships in a row. Raymond last had a chance to complete this feat in 1999 after winning three straight from 1996-98 but lost to Jasper Place from the Edmonton Public League 39-37 in one of the all-time classic finals. Interestingly enough, Harry Ainlay is also from the Edmonton Public League.
For Harry Ainlay, after going 23 years between Tier I Championship Game appearances before finally getting back last season the Titans didnβt waste any time returning to the Big Game as for the second year in a row they have battled their way to the Alberta Bowl. After having a relatively easy time of it in the Edmonton Public league where only one of their victories was by less than a touchdown, the Titans had to run the Sherwood Park gauntlet in Provincials beating the #5 ranked Salisbury Sabres 23-15 in the North Semi-Final and squeaking by the #3 Bev Facey Falcons 17-16 in the North Final thriller last week. Battle tested and ready to complete the job they left undone last year, the Titans come in with the #1 ranking for a reason.
The Amazing Raymond Comets continue to bewilder the rest of the Province as they build on the legend of the small school that could. Having a school population that would make them eligible for Tier IV by a wide margin, they continue to play at the highest level of play in Alberta with a record unmatched by anyone as this year marks their tenth trip to the Provincial Tier I Final game. This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year and things started off in that manner as the Comets were winless and unranked for the first three weeks of the season before ripping off eight straight victories to get to this point. An amazing resurgence that was capped by a Southern Semi-Final win over #9 Jasper Place 44-25 and a hard fought 27-21 win over #7 Bishop OβByrne in the South Final last week.
PAST TIER I CHAMPIONS
1986 – Salibury Sabres 1993 – L.C.I Rams 2000 – Strathcona Lords 2007 – St. Francis Browns
1987 – Harry Ainlay Titans 1994 – L.C.I Rams 2001 – Strathcona Lords 2008 – Raymond Comets
1988 – L.C.I. Rams 1995 – St. Francis Browns 2002 – Bev Facey Falcons 2009 – Raymond Comets
1989 – L.C.I. Rams 1996 – Raymond Comets 2003 – St. Francis Browns 2010 – Raymond Comets
1990 – L.C.I Rams 1997 – Raymond Comets 2004 – St. Francis Browns
1991 – Henry Wise Wood 1998 – Raymond Comets 2005 – Raymond Comets
1992 – L.C.I. Rams 1999 – Jasper Place Rebels 2006 – Salisbury Sabres
TIER II (School Pop. 750-1249)
Provincial Final
#1 Austin OβBrien Crusaders vs. #2 Holy Trinity Academy Knights
Sat. Nov. 26 β 2:30 p.m., University of Lethbridge Community Stadium
Crusaders vs. Knights has a bit of a Medieval feel to it so weβll see which 14th Century icons rule the day on Saturday. In any event it will make for a great Tier II Championship game as this will be the first ever meeting between these two strong programs.
Another team looking to close the book on a great season is the Austin OβBrien Crusaders. A powerful program who have staked a claim at not only being the best team in their Tier but perhaps the Province as well AOB blasted through the season with only one loss and a tie (both courtesy of the #3 ranked Tier I Bev Facey Falcons) plus the Crusaders have outscored all Tier II opponents they have faced by an average score of 45-5 and have victories over Tier I powers Salisbury and Raymond on their resume as well. This Alberta Bowl appearance will mark the schoolβs fourth appearance in the Tier II Final with the previous experiences all being losses in 1997, 1998, and 2008. They advance to this yearβs final on the basis of a 47-8 victory over the unranked Bonnyville Voyageurs in the Northern Semi-Final and a 62-6 beating of the #9 McNally Tigers in the North Final last weekend. Could this be the year the Crusaders finally take the final step?
On the other side of the ledger is a team of destiny that has finally done the trick for the Knights. In over a decade and a half of football at the school they have risen through the ladder through the Tiers qualifying for Provincials in Tier IV, Tier III and now Tier II as their school population has climbed. However, this year marks the first year the Knights have advanced to a Provincial Final. Strong play through a tough Big Rock League schedule as well as a nasty exhibition list of games has left the Knights a serious contender for the title and Tier IIβs only remaining undefeated team. They advanced to the Alberta Bowl by virtue of a 27-7 win over the #3 Medicine Hat Mohawks in the Southern Semi-Finals and a 16-0 shutout over the #4 Sylvan Lake Lakers in the South Final. The Town of Okotoks, where HTA is located, is no stranger to the Tier II Final as Foothills High School advanced five times in the last 11 seasons to the Championship Game but now the torch has been passed to their Catholic neighbors for their first attempt to bring the title back to Okotoks.
PAST TIER II CHAMPIONS
1986 – Stettler Wildcats 1992 – Cardston Cougars 1998 – Cochrane Cobras 2004 – Foothills Falcons
1987 – Cardston Cougars 1993 – Cardston Cougars 1999 – George McDougall 2005 – St. Maryβs Saints
1988 – Salisbury Sabres 1994 – Lloydminster Barons 2000 – Foothills Falcons 2006 – Foothills Falcons
1989 – Archbishop Jordan Scots 1995 – Brooks Buffalos 2001 – Med. Hat Mohawks 2007 – Notre Dame Pride
1990 – Cardston Cougars 1996 – Cochrane Cobras 2002 – Arch. Jordan Scots 2008 – Notre Dame Pride
1991 – Cardston Cougars 1997 – Brook Buffalos 2003 – Arch. Jordan Scots 2009 – Foothills Falcons
2010 – Catholic Central Cougars
TIER III (School Pop. 450-749)
Provincial Final
#8 Stettler Wildcats vs. #1 Cochrane Cobras
Sat. Nov. 26 – 11:00 a.m., University of Lethbridge Community Stadium
The long standing friendship between opposing head coaches Norbert Baharally and Rob McNab aside (they both grew up together and were Best Man at each others weddings) this game takes on a David and Goliath look as the Cobras are the most successful team in Tier III history while the Wildcats are still looking for their first title.
So much for rankings as the #8 ranked Stettler Wildcats keep proving conventional wisdom wrong each week. The third place finisher in the Central Alberta League went into Provincials as underdogs in each of their two games and came away victorious each time. Their only two losses this season have come at the hands of Tier II powers Hunting Hills and Sylvan Lake and they have ran the board over the rest of their opponents including a 20-14 thiller over the #4 ranked Cold Lake Royals in the Northern Semi-Final and a 21-14 nailbiter over the #5 St. Albert Skyhawks last weekend at home to win their second Northern Tier III Final in the past five seasons. Their one and only appearance prior to this in the Tier III Championship game was a 43-7 loss in 2007 to the same team they will play in this years final β the Cochrane Cobras. They will go into the game underdogs again β but in 2011, thatβs just the way they like it.
Speaking of the Cobras, the most prolific team in Tier III is back to a place they are very familiar with. During the first decade of the new century Cochrane went to the Provincial Tier III Championship game on seven occasions winning six times, however the last two years their dreams have died in the Southern Final. Not this year as the Cobras ran the board in the Rockyview League with no team coming within five touchdowns of them then entered Provincials and promptly dispatched the #3 Winston Churchill Bulldogs 27-17 in the Southern Semi-Final and blasted the #7 Crescent Heights Vikings 42-7 in the Southern Final last weekend to advance to the Alberta Bowl for the first time in three seasons. A resurgent program that is one step away from completing their return to glory, the Cochrane Cobras are once again a force to be reckoned with.
PAST TIER III CHAMPIONS
1986 – Cochrane Cobras 1992 – Raymond Comets 1998 – McCoy Colts 2004 – Cochrane Cobras
1987 – Cochrane Cobras 1993 – Bert Church Chargers 1999 – W.R. Myers Rebels 2005 – Cochrane Cobras
1988 – Medicine Hat Mohawks 1994 – Wainwright Commandos 2000 – W.R. Myers Rebels 2006 – Wetaskiwin Sabres
1989 – Will Sinclair Rebels 1995 – Kate Andrews Spartans 2001 – W.R. Myers Rebels 2007 – Cochrane Cobras
1990 – Raymond Comets 1996 – Sexsmith Sabres 2002 – Cochrane Cobras 2008 – Cochrane Cobras
1991 – Raymond Comets 1997 – Springbank Phoenix 2003 – Cochrane Cobras 2009 – Brooks Buffalos
2010 – Cardston Cougars
TIER IV (School Pop. 449 or less)
Provincial Final
#2 Ardrossan Bisons at #3 Drumheller Titans
Fri. Nov. 25 β 7:00 p.m., University of Lethbridge Community Stadium
A Friday night feature game at the Alberta Bowl will showcase the Tier IV final between two strong programs who have never played each other before.
Theyβre back! The most successful team at the Tier IV level in Alberta is once again knocking on the door at the Alberta Bowl. 2011 will mark the seventh time in 13 seasons that the Bisons have competed in the Tier IV Championship game with four victories in their previous six appearances. This year the Bisons have experienced a couple of losses vs. Tier I sized opponents but collected themselves nicely at the end of the season winning the Edmonton Metro Miles Conference and following that up with 58-6 win over the #5 Sexsmith Sabres in the Northern Semi-Final and a tight 21-15 win over the surprising #6 West Central Rebels last weekend. A strong program in the football hotbed that is Strathcona County east of Edmonton, the Bisons are once again looking to assert their dominance over Tier IV at the Alberta Bowl.
On the other side of the ball are the Titans of Drumheller. Although not new to the process or the Provincial Final at the Tier IV level, the current players for the Titans were all in Junior High the one and only time Drumheller advanced to these heights in 2007. That year the Titans rode a wave of success to the final only to lose to the Sylvan Lake Lakers, this year they are on a similar run but havenβt been in action for two weeks. After a 38-20 win over the #4 Willow Creek Cobras in the Southern Semi-Final the Titans were awarded the Southern Tier III title via forfeit when #10 St. Timothyβs Thunder was unable to field a team due to injuries and a flu virus. More rested than any team in the Alberta Bowl they look to put their stamp on a great year with a win at the Alberta Bowl.
PAST TIER IV CHAMPIONS
1999 – Oilfields Drillers 2005 – Ardrossan Bisons
2000 – Oilfields Drillers 2006 – Willow Creek Cobras
2001 – Ardrossan Bisons 2007 – Sylvan Lake Lakers
2002 – Bow Valley Bobcats 2008 – Ardrossan Bisons
2003 – Bow Valley Bobcats 2009 – Rundle College Cobras
2004 – Ardrossan Bisons 2010 – Rundle College Cobras
6-Man
Provincial Final
Fort McMurray Trappers at Buck Mountain Mustangs
Fri. Nov. 25 β 4:00 p.m., University of Lethbridge Community Stadium
Welcome to the Alberta Bowl 6-man football! This game features two teams that are obviously new to the process but come from completely different angles.
After years of hard work by many volunteers and school administrators in the Fort McMurray area the Trappers are the first team from Albertaβs northernmost city to advance to a Provincial Final in football. The trail has been long and expensive as in a previous incarnation the Trappers were a 12-man team that combined the efforts of all three high schools in Fort McMurray to create a Tier I team that basically barnstormed all over the Province leading up to a berth in Provincials where they never advanced beyond the first round. Two years ago the team split up into the three 6-man teams and the results have been very positive for football in that area and have now advanced a team to the ASAAβs first ever 6-Man Championship at the Alberta Bowl on the strength of 62-30 win over the Fort McMurray Trojans in the Quarterfinals and a 58-7 win over the Millwoods Royals in the Semi-Finals.
Their opponent, the Buck Mountain Mustangs, have been in the 6-Man league for four years and advance to their first title game in their history. Buck Mountain represents all that is good about the growth of the 6-Man game in Alberta as the tiny school of less than 100 students is precisely why the ASAA has added this level of play to the Alberta Bowl. Currently there are close to 180 schools in the Province that do not have football due to their school size and the Mustangs now represent the success schools that size can have and are a harbinger for future success and growth at that level. Plus, theyβre not a bad team either going undefeated in regular season play and got to the Alberta Bowl on the strength of a 94-8 blowout of the Ponoka Broncos in the Quarterfinals and a gutsy 24-17 win over St. Josephs from Brooks last weekend in the Semi-Finals.
Source: Football Alberta
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