Try as they did, the Cochrane Lions were unable to repeat last year’s playoff success.
The team which won two post-season games last year went 0-7 at the final whistle on their 2015 Calgary Area Midget Football Association season, the season-ending loss a 40-1 Div. 2 playoff decision to Calgary Falcons May 13 at Calgary’s Shouldice Park.
The game wrapped a season in which Lions opened at a deficit, starting Grade 11 quarterback Des Catellier not taking a snap this season due to an injured ankle. The season was left to a largely young, and untested, group of Grade 9’s along with a handful of graduating veterans like Justin Sambu, Callum McCulloch-Graham, Case Braun, Marcus Hiebert and Austin Yersl.
“Our youth showed a little bit this game. It seemed like every play a lot of guys did something right and one guy would do something wrong,” said Lions head coach Jud Graham of his team’s final game in a season which Cochrane was out-scored 263-21. “Hopefully, this is a building thing and the guys coming back will be better next year.”
Quarterback coach Liam Manns saw improvement over the season, particularly in rookie Grade 9 pivot Grady Munro.
“We had a lot of players who are really young, who steadily improved. But, obviously, it wasn’t enough,” Manns said on the sidelines following Cochrane’s playoff loss. “But I’m looking forward to next season. We have a lot of young guys who will be back, stronger.”
The season finished with a flourish, as graduating lineman Justin Sambu caught a pass on Cochrane’s final offensive play of the season. Graham called a timeout with half a minute left in the game to draw up a pass play for Sambu.
“I knew he would (catch the ball),” Graham said of the 6-foot-2, 240-pound athlete who plays football and basketball for Cochrane High School Cobras. “If we had enough linemen this year, he’d have played tight end all year. With his basketball skills, he’s a born tight end. In the States they’d make him a tight end right away.”
In his second season as head coach, Graham wouldn’t commit when asked if he’ll return to the sidelines next spring.
“I don’t know yet. Early days. I’m not planning not to. But I haven’t decided whether I’m going to or not. I should. I probably will,” he offered. “But it depends on what our numbers are going to be like. It depends on all that stuff. Ideally, we should be a bigger team next year. Whether I’m here or not, there’s something to build on. I’ve already said if I don’t come back, my defensive coordinator Matt Copithorne will take over as head coach so there will be some continuity whether I’m here or not.”
