The Bow Valley Bobcats football team secured their first win in four years on Oct. 6, defeating the Springbank Phoenix 28-6 in the west Cochrane team's final game of the 2022 Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) regular season.
“Honestly, that one felt like winning a playoff game,” said Dustin Paul, the Bobcats' head coach. “It’s been so long since this team got a win – it’s been since 2018 – so it was really nice to see that for everybody at the school and all the players and everyone who has been involved with the team for as long as they have.”
While football is a team game, Paul brought up the performances of Stanleigh Sone, Jude Kuprey, and Nick Dangerfield in propelling Bow Valley to victory.
After losing their first five games in 2022, Paul said the Bobcats put forward a solid performance to best the Phoenix, who also came into the game without a win this season.
“They did their jobs. They did the little things right and at the end of the day, that was the difference,” Paul said. “They focused and did those little things we’ve been wanting them to do the whole year. It came together.”
The victory means Bow Valley finishes the regular season with a 1-5 record. With their regular season now over, Paul said the team will now prepare for the first round of the RVSA's 'B' playoffs, which feature the division's bottom three teams. Given the current league standings, the Bobcats will take on Springbank in a game that is still to be scheduled.
If the Bobcats can beat the Phoenix again, they will get two more post-season fixtures, according to Paul.
“I think getting a win like that proves to everybody that the process is working," he said. "If we keep trusting it, good things will keep happening and this will be the first of many.”
Cobras vs. Cavaliers
At the other end of the RVSA standings, the Cochrane Cobras will face the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers on Oct. 14 in a battle to see which team will finish the regular season in first place.
Both teams boast matching 5-0 RVSA records heading into the clash, though Cochrane High edges Croxford with a superior points-for/points-against differential.
The Cavaliers come into the game after beating the Bert Church Chargers 35-7 on Oct. 7, while the Cobras had a bye week. However, they took on the Holy Trinity Academy Knights of Okotoks – the top-ranked Tier II team in Alberta – in a scrimmage on the same night.
“Cochrane is a big team,” said Josiah Donahue, the head coach of the Cavaliers, who are enjoying their best-ever season to date in 2022.
“They’ve been the best in the province for years. For us, they’re the top dogs and we want to come in and give them a fight. Hopefully it goes our way, but for us, this is a big moment for our program. We’re 6-0 and ranked second for Tier II in Alberta.”
The game will take place at Bow Valley High School on Friday, with kick-off slated for 7 p.m.
