NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN The McCoy Colts and Crescent Heights Vikings clash during a Rangeland Football Conference game on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019 at the Methanex Bowl.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Three years of hard work comes down to tonight for the veteran members of the McCoy-Eagle Butte Colts.
Grade 12 slotback Haedyn Davies knows the sting of losing all too well after struggling through a pair of winless seasons to open his Rangeland Football Conference career with the Colts. But with all that in the rearview mirror and the Crescent Heights Vikings standing between them and the final, it may have all been worth it.
“The first two years I played on this team we didn’t win a single game, and it’s nice to actually play in (the second versus third-place) playoff game,” said Davies, whose Colts kick off against Crescent Heights at 7:30 p.m. at the Methanex Bowl after the Hat High Mohawks face the Brooks Buffalos in the other semifinal at 5 p.m. “It’s just a nice switch of intensity.”
The Colts closed out their regular season with a 1-2 record to finish third in the RFC – falling to Hat High to open the year then defeating the Buffalos before closing out the campaign with a spirited 25-20 loss to the Vikings. The Colts scored all 20 of their points against Crescent Heights in the fourth quarter, leaving head coach Darrell Grass stressing the importance of coming out of the gates hot and keeping the pedal down for the entire game.
“We’re hoping we can match up again. I think we can, if we come out firing on all four cylinders. It should be a really good game,” said Grass, adding the Colts also won three exhibition games this season, but are still working toward creating a culture of success.
“We’ve got four wins this year and we’re doing what we need to do, but no we’re not, because we need to get better. I don’t think they’ve won four games in a while … still for me it’s never good enough. There’s always something we can do a little bit better and that’s what I’ve preached to the boys all year. We have to get better every day, every week.”
Vikings head coach Sean Davis admits the Colts gave them a late scare in their regular season finale, and as a result they’ve focused on conditioning to ensure they’re at their best when the final 12 minutes start ticking off the clock.
“We started out really well but they beat us up in the second half. We were lucky to get away with the win and we can’t let that happen again,” said Davis, whose Vikings finished the RFC season at 2-1. “We’ve yet to play a perfect game, a four-quarter game, a clean game. We’ve got to get there. If we expect to go deep into playoffs and be in contention for first place in Rangeland and also in provincials we need to play better. These guys know that and we’ll get there.”
Crescent Heights quarterback Kobe Willis says his team’s narrow victory over the Colts was a great sign for football in Medicine Hat, but it also served as a stiff reminder that they have plenty of room to grow if they hope to end their season with a championship.
“They had that good second effort and that was really awesome to see but it shows that we’ve got to play the whole way through,” said Willis. “We’ve got to make sure our heads are in it, make sure we’re playing the whole time and not giving up.”
In the mix for six
The Hat High Mohawks will be defending their five consecutive RFC titles when they host the Brooks Buffalos to kick off tonight’s playoff doubleheader at the Methanex Bowl.
While Hat High closed out its regular season with a perfect 3-0 record by defeating the Buffalos 32-9 on Oct. 4, head coach Quinn Skelton says they’re taking nothing for granted in their approach to the playoffs.
“Athletically, Brooks always does a great job and they’ve got some really good kids there so you can’t take a play off because they can end up in the end zone,” said Skelton. “We’re pretty much in a position now where if we lose the season’s over. So there’s a fair amount of urgency to make sure that we’re prepared, a fair amount of urgency to stay on task and focus on each game one week at a time. With a young crew like this, it’s definitely a challenge but we’re raising the bar and they’re going to have to meet it.”
Mohawks middle linebacker Dylan Callan agrees the winless Buffalos aren’t to be taken lightly, as they’ve likely spent the past two weeks looking for holes in Hat High’s game plan and firing themselves up for a shot at redemption.
“I feel like they’re going to come in hungry and wanting to win, because after the tough loss they had they’re going to want to come back and hit us in the mouth,” said Callan, one of many Grade 10 rookies on Hat High’s starting roster. “We know we need to show up and bring everything if we want to win.”
Skelton added all four squads in the RFC were able to benefit from a shortened regular season schedule this year. The three-game calendar gave each team a chance to hand pick opponents for exhibition games on bye weeks while fine-tuning certain areas of their game in anticipation of playoffs and provincials.
