Last Thursday night the Drumheller Titans were able to celebrate a most successful season with their annual awards night.
And what a year to celebrate. The Senior Titans went all the way to the provincial championship. It has been a long road for the organization, which first fielded a team in 1996.
Kellie and Merv Smith have been involved for eight years and have seen the program grow.
“When we started we couldn’t always field a team. We would have parents dropping kids off like a baby sitting service, and they just didn’t want to help,” said Kellie. “It has just grown from there. Not only can we field a team we can field a couple lines. The bantams are wonderful coming up, and this isn’t the end.”
Not many teams in recent years have caught the imagination of the valley like this year’s run for the championship. Stories have trickled back to the coaching staff that have made them stop in their tracks.
“People in the IGA, during the last five minutes of the championship game, stopped and listened, holding their basket of groceries,” said member of the coaching staff Jason Rasmussen. “Players walking into Wal-Mart and everybody stopped and applauded them when they saw the jackets. It was amazing to hear these stories, to see the support we got from the community. For the coaching staff and the players to get that kind of support from the community where we live work and play is really important to us.”
While the seniors are relishing in their provincial victory, the bantams also had a banner year.
The bantams finished the season with a 3-3 record, the best record ever. They were competitive as they entered the playoffs.
They really played like a team,” said coach Paul Redmond. “I am so proud of the boys, it is unbelievable.”
