The Medicine Hat High Hawks Sr. football team pose with the 4A South Zone championship after beating the Chinook Coyotes 21-2 Friday night at the Methanex Bowl.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat High Hawks Sr. football team continued their season with a big win Friday.
The Hawks bested the Chinook Coyotes 21-2, winning the 4A South Zone championship and earning themselves a spot in the ASAA provincial playoffs. The win marks a fourth straight Zone title for Hat High.
“I’m real excited for the boys, especially our senior kids,” head coach Quinn Skelton said. “They’re finishing off their their high school career here with that one and then getting to move into provincial plays. So I’m very happy for them, very happy for the whole program.”
The Hawks opened the scoring Friday with a kick-return touchdown from Grade 11 running back Keene Shigehiro. He scored two rushing touchdowns later in the opening quarter for an early 21-0 lead that lasted heading into the half. Chinook scored their two points on a conceded safety by the Hawks in the third quarter.
Skelton says they came out hot but were cooled off by the chilly weather, holding on for the win.
“We kind of went stagnant there in the second quarter and things didn’t really get a whole lot prettier after that,” Skelton said. “Our defence definitely hung in there, kept us in the game. We had a few injuries that definitely made a difference on our offence and sustaining anything in that second half. So a little frustrating, but we hung on to pull it off.”
With the win, the Hawks will head to Okotoks on Saturday to face the Holy Trinity Academy Knights. HTA entered the playoffs as the No. 1 ranked 4A school with a record of 6-1, beating W.H. Croxford 47-0 on Friday.
The Hawks have faced Holy Trinity Academy once this season, falling 53-10 on Sept. 6. Skelton says they’re going to have to be at their best against the country’s best.
“They’re extremely talented, ranked one of the top teams in Canada, not just Alberta,” Skelton said. “They’ve been No. 1 all year, unbeaten for most of the year with their only loss against Raymond. So we’ll definitely have our hands full with them and we’ll just see see who shows up on Saturday.”
