Hatched as a novel tilt between high-school kids and pro football players, Friday night’s Cochrane High School Cobras-vs.-Calgary Stampeders exhibition basketball game has suddenly taken on a more pressing cause. The Feb. 28 Cobras/Stampeders hoops game is now a fundraiser for Cobras player Brock Wiebe.
After having a minor medical procedure earlier this month, further testing revealed the 16-year-old two-sport star has a more serious ailment. The senior shooting forward, who also plays offensive guard on the gridiron, played for CHS at a Wetaskiwin hoops tournament Feb. 21-22 before receiving further treatment this week.
“Brock’s like a member of the family,” Cobras senior boys basketball coach Kris Nielson said of his Grade 11 player. Nielson’s son, Jake, plays alongside Wiebe on the basketball team. “It’s a tough one to swallow.”
Cobras football co-head coach and offensive coordinator Rob McNab said the school is rallying around Wiebe and his family.
“He’s going to fight this thing,” McNab stated. “And he’s going to fight with a lot of help from the community. We’re going to be there to support him and his family, totally, as much as we can.
“He’s just a wonderful kid. It’s a wonderful family. It’s really tough.”
Tickets for the Feb. 28 Stamps/Cobras game are $10 and can be purchased from any Cobras player or at Cochrane High School’s main office, which is also accepting donations. The school is also raising funds through a 50/50 draw at the game, and McNab expects to have a Stamps jersey and other team items to raffle off as well.
“We want everybody that comes to have a good time,” McNab said. “I know the Stampeders always put on a good show. Our kids are really pumped. They’re out selling tickets to it. Obviously, the family is in for a battle here. Any time you can relieve a little pressure, it can help a little bit. Hopefully it does.”
Surmised Nielson: “We just want him to know we’re behind him and support him. We really want to see him back in a Cobras jersey.”
The Cobras/Stampeders basketball game goes Feb. 28 at Cochrane High School, 6 p.m. tipoff.
