Sports | DrumhellerMail

Titans head to league championship

    The Senior Titans are on top of the league, and are looking forward to playing in the league championship, and maybe beyond.
   The Titans finished the regular season by handing Canmore a 43-0 drubbing. They started strong on the road last Saturday, and never looked back.
   “The passing game was going and the running game was going and the defence is getting stronger every week,” said head coach Ken Fournier. “They (Canmore) had four yards rushing and nine yards passing in the first half.”
   He adds the team pulled five interceptions out of the sky.
   Fournier said Kyle Smith was invaluable on special teams and defence. Dale Poulsen was also a standout on defence.
   The offensive duo of Braden Shriven and Spencer Fournier were again hot. Scriven scored one touchdown, while Spencer had four.
   “Braden chews up the yards, and Spencer reaps the rewards,” said Fournier.
   Quarterback Steven Robertson was making good decisions and moving the ball.
   Alex Cliché was also a standout on special teams.
   “He made one kid think twice about ever going on the field again,” said Fournier. “But he makes plays like that and gets the team pumped up, and sometimes that’s all it takes is that one big play,” said Fournier.
   The Titans are now 6-2, and 4-1 in league play. They are ranked fourth in the province.
   Fournier explains because of how the tier system works, the first game of playoffs will be the league championships. They will be seeing Canmore this Saturday at home for the title.
   Because there will only be one round of league playoffs, if the Titans are successful in beating Canmore this Saturday, there will be a layoff before provincials begin. This will be helpful to let the team heal, scout potential teams, and maybe have a chance to scrimmage with tougher teams to prepare.
   “It is nicer to have those closer battles. Down the road, if we win the championship, we’ll have two weeks before provincials so we will be scheduling exhibition games against stronger opponents to prepare,” said Fournier.
   “This is a great opportunity to focus.”
   The Titans will be on the field at DVSS for the league championship this Saturday at 2 p.m.

Sabres end season with win

    The senior girls senior Sabres finished their season on a winning note after competing at zone in Cochrane.
   The team went into the tournament without a goal in season play, but had been working hard improving their game. Their improvement continued through the tournament.
   The team faced Foothills Composite in the first game, and stood strong but midway through the first half their defence broke down and Foothills scored. Emilie Toews scored one in the game, but Foothills went on to win 4-1.
   The Sabres showed determination versus Canmore, and had a number of great scoring chances, but went down 5-1 with Toews scoring. Their final of round robin saw them face George McDougall of Airdrie who won 6-1, Toews also scored in this game.
   “We could have easily packed it in, but instead we pushed on. We didn’t quit,” said coach Gavin Makse.
   They crossed over on Saturday, to play Olds for seventh place. The team came out on the offensive and Grade 8 player Brooklyn Davies scored giving them the lead. This was followed up by Grade 12s Lucy Deitzer, and then Madison Dube. In the second half Toews scored her fourth of the tournament, and Dube scored her second as the Sabres went on to a 5-1 win.
   “We had a number of players contribute goals,” said Makse. “The level of play was extremely high.
   This ends the season for the Sabres, who have competed well despite not having a league to play in. Makse was impressed with how the team conducted themselves.
   “The one thing to sum up how the team competed the whole weekend was their extremely high level of sportsmanship,” said Makse. “We were the only team at zones not to get a card the whole weekend. It doesn’t show up on the score sheet but for this tournament, it was phenomenal the way they acted.”

Sabres heading to soccer zones

    The Sabres Senior girls Soccer team is heading to zones this weekend and are sure to face some tough competition.
   The Sabres, led by a strong senior element are hoping for a strong showing. While they have not had any games since their home tournament where they were not able to score, they have been working hard to improve their game.
   “We are working on it one day at a time,” said coach Gavin Makse. “I tell the girls ‘you are a better team today than you were yesterday.’ That is our motto, to grow everyday as a team and an individual.”
   Coach Makse says the team has been playing against adult soccer players to get some game experience.
   “Playing against older, more skilled players is helping us,” he said, adding that the faster level of play is helping the Sabres adapt.
   The tournament is in Cochrane and has a round robin format. The Sabres are in a pool with Canmore, George McDougald of Airdrie and Foothills Composite High School from Okotoks.
   The team’s first game is against Foothills Composite at 10:30 a.m.
   “I think what is key for us is if we get that first goal in the first game it can give us confidence and really build on that momentum,” said Makse.
They then play Canmore at 1:45 p.m. and George McDougald at 5 p.m. on Friday.
   On Saturday, the pools cross over and how they finish will determine when they are back on the field.
   “It comes down to which team wants it the most at zones, and we are relying on those Grade 12's to lead us with their experience,” said Makse.

More Articles ...