Hawks Sr football met with excitement around school

By JAMES TUBB on September 13, 2024.

The Medicine Hat High Hawks Sr. football team is geared up for their first city game of the season.

The Hawks face off against the Monsignor McCoy Colts tonight at the Methanex Bowl. That game, which kicks off at 7 p.m., is preluded by the Crescent Heights Vikings facing the Brooks Buffaloes.

Hat High head coach Quinn Skelton says his team always looks forward to the matchup with McCoy and he’s expecting a competitive bout.

“It’s always a spirited game, has been for literally decades, and I expect nonetheless tomorrow,” Skelton said.

“We’ve played a couple of really, really quality teams and we’re looking forward to seeing that paying dividends for us. They’re sitting at 2-0, we’ll respect that and we’ll come and play our game tomorrow.”

The Hawks are 1-1 to start the season, with an 29-3 exhibition win over Regina’s Leboldus High School two weeks ago and a 53-10 loss to Holy Trinity Academy last Friday.

The Hawks led HTA, the No. 1 ranked 4A school in Alberta, in the first quarter before the Knights took over the game. Skelton says he’s liked what he’s seen from his team across the two-game sample size.

“Our game in Regina against Leboldus was a great measuring stick for us,” Skelton said. “Leboldus handed it to us last year and this year it was the other way around.

“Our game against HTA was not really a big surprise. We fell apart in the second half and they put up a bunch of points. But quality wise, that is the No. 1 team in Alberta at 4A and we expected nothing but a tough game with those guys.”

He says a loss like that against a high-ranked team can pay off in the long run.

“Games like that keep you humble and put you back to work on Monday, knowing that we’re certainly not there yet and we have lots of work to do,” Skelton said.

Across the senior and junior team, Skelton says the Hawks have 65 kids registered and in equipment, the most he believes he’s ever had in his coaching career.

“The excitement around the school is up, kids are interested in playing football and we’ve got a good bunch of kids out here,” Skelton said.

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