A few current and soon to be former Cochrane High Cobras football team members are pulling out their pads for some spring ball.
Cobras defensive back Ben Dobson and receiver Dawson Gladue will be suiting up for Team Alberta at the U18 Football Canada Cup.
Football Alberta drew on talent from across the province for 2019 U18 and U17 Alberta teams in the super weekend camp, held from Jan. 11 to 13 at Foote Field in Edmonton which featured close to 400 born in either 2002 or 2003.
During the weekend of April 6 and 7, the top 130 players reconvened to go through the final selections. Out of this were selected our Team Alberta U18 Team that will play in the Football Canada Cup from July 6-13 in Kingston, ON.
Also taking their game to the next level is safety Joseph Bell and receiver Dylan Neis will be participating in the 30th Annual Football Alberta Senior Bowl that will take place on May 20 at Calgary's Hellard Field while also being joined by coach Tom Knitter. The annual football event brings the best senior high school football players together from across the province to compete in a showcase game. The two teams are divided into north and south, with the north side comprised of Edmonton and area schools, while the south includes teams from Calgary and surrounding areas such as Cochrane and Airdrie, Medicine Hat, Brooks and Cardston.
Cobras co-head coach Rob McNab said it's important for the Cobras players and staff members to represent the team at such high quality events.
"I've been here a number of years and I think I was on the staff for the first edition of the Senior Bowl ... I believe in Football Alberta and what they're trying to do for kids," McNab said.
"As a coach, we try and support anything that Football Alberta does. Whether it be a U16 team right up to U18 and so forth ... we take pride in exposing our kids to different levels of competition. For some of them, this is the end of the road and for others they'll continue on playing so I think it's great for all of them."
Many Cobras have taken part in both the Senior Bowl as well as played for Team Alberta in prior years. For the kids returning to the team in the fall, McNab said playing against the best kids in their age group gives them a ton of confidence heading into next season.
"Oh yeah for sure (it gives them a lot of confidence). In the Senior Bowl you don't see it as much because they're done for the most part. They play that weekend and then they're off to school or junior," McNab said.
"But for guys like Dawson Gladue, he was outstanding this year, can you imagine next year when he's played against calibre kids against him in this event so sky's the limit for him. Then with Ben Dobson, he's only in Grade 10 so he has two more years of high school, so to see the top quality competition and to see where those players need to be in order to take that next step is really important as well."
Not to be forgotten is coach Tom Knitter, who suited up in the Senior Bowl in 2008 before heading to the University of Calgary which led him to eventually get into coaching. He will be coaching the defensive backs at the Senior Bowl.
"I coached Tom, he was great player. He played for Team Alberta and on the Senior Bowl team and is now on with us full time to round out our coaching staff," McNab said.
"He's part of the succession plan here in the next few years and because of our success as a team, we get a spot on the coaching staff. We've all taken turns going through it and he was interested in going this year. He'll bring some high quality coaching to that game and not only that, he's coached at the university level ... he's learning to coach at the high school level and I think this event will really help him in seeing what high school kids can do and what they're capable of which will help him in his coaching career."
