A funny thing happened to the Cochrane Lions on the way to their 21st-straight Calgary Area Midget Football Association (CAMFA) loss.
They won.
Not since May 13, 2011, when they defeated Falcons 55-7, have the Lions won a game – regular season or playoff. That’s a 20-game futility streak. Over.
It came to a screeching halt against the Calgary Broncos with a convincing 38-21 CAMFA Division 2 quarterfinal playoff win at Calgary’s Shouldice Park, Encana Field.
It’s why you play them.
“It’s awesome to win one, finally,” said quarterback Des Catellier, a Calgary City high-school champion with St. Francis in his second season with Lions. “The seniors, especially. They haven’t won a game in three years.
“Before, we always played well for two quarters and be in the game for two quarters. Today we played the full game and got the win.”
Their reward? Another playoff game tonight (May 22) against Calgary Wildcats, 7 p.m. kickoff, at Shouldice, Encana.
“Finally,” said Cochrane’s Scott Haigh, Bow Valley High School Bobcats’ feature back who won his first-ever game over three seasons in a midget Lions uniform. “We’re here because we love football. It’s good to finally get a win for Cochrane.”
First-year Lions head coach Jud Graham, line coach with Springbank Community High School Phoenix, wanted to get the team a win this season. Badly.
“It was really important to me that they got that experience before they left,” Graham said of winning for four of his graduating players. Until May 14, Haigh, receiver Grayson Javorsky, lineman Tristan Perrault-McLean and linebacker Cole Perron had only ever lost playing for midget Lions.
“To me, for this whole season, I wanted those kids to have some success. That’s what was killing me,” Graham related. “We were coming closer to the end of the season and not having that success and not having that win. Those guys have gutted it out here for three years and I wanted to see them get a win. I’m glad they did.”
Catellier threw for a TD and rushed for two more while booting a field goal against Broncos. Makani Clapson scored a TD on the ground and one in the air, and Devin Smith scored one on the ground for Cochrane.
