The Cochrane Cobras football dynasty continued when they defeated the Bert Church Chargers 31-7 in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) championship game at Spray Lake Sawmills Legacy Field in Cochrane on Oct. 26.
Running back Chase Hunt scored the game's first touchdown when he scampered through the Chargers defence and into the end zone. The Cobras also got two first half rushing touchdowns from quarterback Xavier Vaillancourt as the Cobras raced out to a 23-7 lead and put the finishing touches on the game when they scored their fourth and final touchdown in the second half and converted on the two-point attempt making it 31-7 and pushing the Cobras to the championship.
The Cobras finished the league portion of their schedule with a sterling 8-0 record, scoring 292 total points, an average of almost 37 points per game while only allowing 24 total points over the course of those eight games. They averaged out to three points per contest and allowed touchdowns in only three of those games.
"The win felt good this year. We played well as a team and it was great to take back command over the Chargers. Winning never gets old," Xavier Vaillancourt said.
"The conditions were very difficult as the wind was strong. We had it at our back in the first quarter so we needed to get on the board. I think it was very demoralizing for the other team when we got out to a 14-0 lead right in the first quarter."
Last week against W.H. Croxford, the Cobras got off to a poor start. They turned the ball over on a number of drives and only managed seven points off a touchdown from Derek Reid late in the half. The team knew they weren't at their best and managed to put themselves in a better position in the final game against Bert Church by scoring 23 first-half points. Penalties were still a bit of an issue for the Cobras, but Vaillancourt vows the team will clean those up before the stretch of games in provincials.
"Yes I think we played well as a team the whole game," Vaillancourt said of his teams start against the Chargers that continued throughout the game. "We relied on all aspects of the game- run game, pass game and specials teams as well in order to score. The defence, of course, did a stellar job again."
"As for the penalties, they are always going to be part of the game ... They're going to happen. We can't blame penalties for anything. Down the stretch, we are going to try and clean it up but we need to keep playing."
The Cobras will now face the Winston Churchill Bulldogs out of Lethbridge at the University of Lethbridge Community Stadium on Nov. 8 in the provincial regional semi-final.
"We are in preparation mode for our provincial run I think the team is excited and is going to amp up the intensity for practices and all the games we have to come," Vaillancourt said. "We don't know much about Churchill but we have to study some film and game plan toward them."
The Cobras are going for their sixth straight provincial title after setting Football Alberta's record after they won their fifth consecutive championship last season. Vaillancourt said while it's something the players recognize, they can't get focused on going for the Canadian six-pack of titles.
"The sixth straight title is definitely something that means something to not only our program, but the players as well," he said. "At the end of the day, we can't be bothered by the pressure. We need to keep playing our game and hopefully we like the outcome."
The provincial title game, should the Cobras be there for the sixth time in as many tries, will be on Nov. 23 at Comets Stadium in Raymond, AB.
