NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
-- Filip Kopriza from Hat High avoids a tackle from a Catholic Central defender in the Hawks 58-0 win last Friday.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It’s time to start talking football playoffs in Medicine Hat.
The Rangeland Football Conference playoffs get underway tonight at the Methanex Bowl as the Hat High Hawks, who finished first in the league with a 3-0 record, face the 1-6 McCoy Colts at 5 p.m. The Crescent Heights Vikings finished the season in second place with a 6-1 record and will host the Brooks Buffalos who finished third at 7:30 p.m..
Hawks head coach Quinn Skelton said they work all year for the playoffs and are excited for their matchup against an inner-city rival in McCoy.
“It’s up to us to play our game, and prepare, execute what we do well… as far as getting up for the game, I don’t think that’s ever an issue,” Skelton said. “The kids are always excited to play against cross-town teams and Thursday night against McCoy will be no different.”
The Hawks – who are 4-1 against D1 teams – have another game this week as they head to Lethbridge Collegiate on Saturday for another Division 1 matchup. Skelton says the LCI game will be a huge challenge and a learning experience for them but one he is excited for his team to face.
“If we can come away from this with only losing to LCI and Raymond I think that’s a pretty damn good season for us against that type of competition,” Skelton said. “So I’m real proud of the boys, the coaches with that type of result.”
Darrell Grass, head coach of the Colts, said the matchup against Hat High will be a tough one and the Colts will have to play at their best against their cross-city rivals.
“We’re positive about the game and coming off of that loss… that loss stung last weekend ,” Grass said. “The boys were feeling it and hopefully they’ll learn from it.”
He says the game between rivals should be fun and they will have to keep their emotions in check.
“Its going to be a physical game. I imagine emotions are going to be running high and it should be a good battle,” Grass said.
The Colts are a young team with only five seniors who had played a snap of football heading into the season. Grass says it’s been tough at times when the Colts have had players slotting in at new positions every week, but it follows their motto.
“Progression, not perfection,” said Grass. “We just want to get a little bit better each week and sometimes it’s tough when you have different people at different positions every week.”
Just down the street, Crescent Heights is coming off a 44-0 win on Friday at Winston Churchill. Head coach Sean Davis says the Vikings have been preparing as they always do for their playoff matchup against Brooks and are excited for the opportunity to qualify for provincials.
“If our kids show up to play, they can play with anybody in Alberta and we’re really excited about the opportunity,” he said.
The Vikings-Buffalos game is featured as Football Alberta’s game of the week. Davis says Brooks will be a tough matchup and the Vikings will have to be at their best in order to move on in the playoffs.
“Our brand of football is hard-nosed, running the ball right in your face type of play, it’s the way we coach them and the way we like to play,” Davis said. “If we play our game, with the athletes we have in the positions we have them, we can play with anybody and we’re looking forward to Thursday night and hopefully getting the win.”
Crescent Heights has scored a minimum of 44 points in their last three games. Davis says the Vikings are focused on winning Thursday’s matchup, but their main goal is to qualify for the provincial bracket.
“If things are trending in the right direction as they have been the last couple weeks, we’re going to be just fine as long as we play our game,” Davis said. “We’ll rally for next weekend, play that game and see where that goes and then the next weekend we’ll be in the provincial bracket.”
