Hawks to host provincial final

By None on November 13, 2018.

srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney

A provincial title will be handed out at the Methanex Bowl this weekend thanks to the Medicine Hat Hawks clinching a spot in Alberta’s bantam Tier 2 championship game.

In Calgary Saturday, the Hawks beat the Okotoks Eagles 41-6 in the provincial semifinal. They’ll host the Edmonton Mustangs, who beat Sylvan Lake 28-12, at the Methanex starting at 1 p.m. this coming Saturday.

All Hawks coach Scott Howes hopes is for decent weather so his speedy team can do what they do best.

“I’m hoping it’s nice but who knows,” said Howes. “As long as it doesn’t snow, because we’re fast again.”

Howes can’t help but think back to the 2009 title game in Medicine Hat, which saw his side hampered by a massive snow storm.

“We had a good team back then, but it wasn’t good enough,” said Howes.

Against Okotoks, quarterback Brody Fink threw for two touchdowns to Tessema Veurink and ran for another by himself. Dylan Callan scampered 41 yards for another, then Aaron Kruger and Logan Wells ran in majors of their own.

Okotoks’ only major came on a long 50-yard passing play.

Callan’s twin brother Aayden booted five of six convert attempts on offence, then led the defence as it shut down a vaunted Eagles passing game.

This will be the third time in the past decade the Hawks have hosted the provincial final. In 2009 they lost 32-0 to the Edmonton Black Raiders on a snowy field that Howes said doomed his speedy squad. In 2012 they fell 40-15 to Grande Prairie.

Howes is confident his team will be ready, though he’s having a tough time getting much of a scouting report on Edmonton’s Mustangs.

“We don’t have anything on them,” he said. “We’re going to go on past history of what they’ve done and work from there.”

That said, the Hawks have a pretty extensive playbook and the coaches are ready to use the whole thing if necessary.

“We’re kind of prepared for anybody this year,” said Howes. “We play a certain style and if we have to make adjustments from there, we will.”

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