Seven members of the Drumheller Titans have been picked for an Alberta Select team to play in a Border Bowl versus British Columbia.
    Recruiting for the team made of Grade 10 and 11 players from rural areas wrapped up with its final tryout in Drumheller on Sunday, February 24. About 27 players came out to this final tryout to make a spot on the 45-player roster.
    Head coach of the Alberta Select team Ron Laprise told The Mail, Gage Berdahl, Thomas Borst, Spencer Fournier, Alan Lister, Joey Samoleski and Steven Robertson all made the cut. The lone Grade 10 player from Drumheller selected is Tracker Robinson.
    This tryout followed two others; one in Edmonton on Friday night and one in Calgary on Saturday.  More than 100 across the province tried out.
    “It was quite an event,” said Laprise.
    He said players brought unparalleled intensity.
    “The kids brought it, they knew they were not trying out for a high school team, this is the real deal, this is a provincial team. And the talent level was amazing,” said Laprise.
    He said the feedback was very positive.
    “The number one thing we heard was ‘thank-you’ for giving rural kids a chance,” said Laprise.
    The first Alberta/BC Border Bowl is on May 25 and will be hosted in Kelowna British Columbia. They will be playing CFL rules, but with four downs in B.C. Next year when the competition is in Alberta they will play three downs.
    The team will have its first practices on May 3-5.
    Laprise said they have learned a lot in putting together this first Alberta/B.C. Border Bowl and next year are planning to host a Bantam game as well as a game for the Grade 10 and 11 talent. They are also looking at hosting the tryouts in Lethbridge, Cochrane, Edmonton and Drumheller.

    It was a nail-biter of a game for the Drumheller Valley Secondary School senior girls Dynos on Monday when they took on the Three Hills Royals at home.
    The game was tight, but the Dynos couldn’t keep up and were defeated 37-28.
    The game began with the Dynos in the driver’s seat. They were able get a few key turnovers in their end and build momentum. By the half, they had a comfortable 19-11 lead.
    However, the Dynos suffered a blow when their point guard, Cienna Sands, was knocked down and injured her knee. Sands would remain on the bench for the rest of the game.
    “I think had Cienna not been injured we would have won... She is one of my captains and the girls look to her for leadership. I think it’s hard when that person is hurting on the bench, to then go out and feel confident, not only in each other but in that you won’t get hurt as well. We all rely on each other so much that when one of us is out, it really is a shot to the guts,” said head coach Jennifer Raugust.
    The Royals came out a brand new team after the half and the Dynos were soon playing defensively. After five minutes of play, the Royals had tied the game up at 19 apiece.
    The Dynos regained their composure towards the end of the third quarter and were able to build a 25-22 lead.
    The fourth quarter belonged to the Royals. The Dynos were tired after being down a player and only having one sub for most of the game. They gave away a few turnovers in the offensive end and had trouble finding the net.
    “I guess the fourth quarter got away from us a bit but you know it wasn’t a bad loss. We definitely did run out of gas, and when you get tired you tend to make bad decisions,” said Raugust.
    By the end of the game, the Royals had taken a 37-28 lead.
    The game was the last of the regular season for the Dynos. However, their season is not yet over. The team had their first game of regionals last night against Siksika, but the results were not known as of press time.
    “I’m hopeful the girls will bounce back from this,” said Raugust. “If we win, we are headed to zones and I am very confident in my team that we will get there.”