The Cochrane High football team claimed their sixth consecutive RVSA championship title in a hard-fought game against the George McDougall Mustangs at Airdrie's Ed Eggerer Athletic Park Oct. 29.
Tying things up, the Mustangs completed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to bring the game to overtime. The Cobras came out on top to win 28-21, in a CFL-style shootout, with each team starting a drive from the 35-yard line.
The Cobras had the edge over the Mustangs thanks to a penalty that gave them a 15-yard advantage. In their drive to the end zone, quarterback Ethan Pickard was able to sneak past the Mustangs defensive line to break the tie. George McDougall was unsuccessful in their response, with the Cobras stuffing their offence on the third down to claim the league championship.
"It was a slugfest and we had a tight one with them last time," said Cochrane High Cobras co-head coach Robbie McNab. "You always want to go into provincials on a winning note and so it was pretty important for us to win this game."
In their last meeting, the Mustangs beat the Cobras 30-28 on the same field, continuing their undefeated season streak and handing Cochrane High its first loss against George McDougall since 2014.
McNab, who said he was looking forward to the two teams meeting on the field again, added that he was feeling relieved with the results of the league final.
"They're a really good match-up for us, they're a big, strong, physical team," he said. "They've got a pretty special player back there playing tailback. Number 21 [Paul Condon] played very, very well - tough kid to stop. They had a good game plan, it was just two good teams going at it and luckily we came out on top."
The Cobras came out strong with brothers Shaun and Ethan Clazie tallying three touchdowns between them in the first half. Condon was the only player from the Mustangs to garner points in the first half, finding a touchdown in the second quarter and another later in the game.
"I think the best thing was that we never gave up, we had guys playing both ways and everyone fought to the end," said Shaun. "Next up is provincials so we want to keep the streak going and hopefully win it all."
The Cobras have a bye this week and then will head to provincial playoffs in hopes of bringing home their sixth consecutive Tier III provincial championship. They will take on the Winston Churchill Bulldogs at 1 p.m. at the Spray Lakes field in Cochrane Nov. 13. If the Cobras win, they will play again Nov. 20 in the South Championship final game.
