Vikings looking to next season after provincial loss

By JAMES TUBB on November 23, 2021.

Crescent Heights Vikings head coach Sean Davis is taking the brunt of his team’s provincial playoff loss Saturday, 42-0 to the Cochrane Cobras.

“The game didn’t go our way, we certainly didn’t show up to play unfortunately, but I take full responsibility for that as the head coach,” Davis said. “I’m a big believer that leadership starts at the top and that all the good things we do and unfortunately all the mistakes we make begin and end with me.”

Saturday’s provincial quarter-final loss marks the second time in as many years that Crescent Heights’ season has ended at the hands of the Cobras – something Davis says they will need to build off next fall.

“We just need to continue to build on the things we are doing. We are consecutive Tier 3 bronze medalists, which has never happened before in school history, not consecutively, so that’s a great building point,” Davis said, adding the team’s 8-3 record is the best since he took over the program in 2018.

“For all of our faults this last game, I think the season went tremendously well,” he said. “These kids battled through injuries, whole bunch of other stuff, COVID, you name it, they never complained or whined or made it about them and they always stuck together as a team.”

After watching the tape together on Monday, Davis says his team realized what went wrong and will be hungry to redeem themselves next season. He says this was the closest-knit team he’s ever coached, adding his Grade 11’s are the best in Alberta and the school will not forget the effort his Grade 12’s put in during their final season.

“We really hope our Grade 12’s are as proud of themselves as we are of them,” said Davis.