Medicine Hat High joining southern Alberta powerhouses in new football league

“It’s exactly what we wanted to be able to transition from a Tier II team into a Tier I team, and this competition is exactly that,” said Medicine Hat High School football head coach Quinn Skelton.

Hat High will be among seven teams joining the Southern Alberta Division I league, hand picked to play alongside provincial contenders like Raymond and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute.

“Just having these teams reach out and include Hat High with it so that we can be a part of this Southern Alberta Division I [league] is an honour, and I think reflects on what we’ve been doing,” said Skelton.

Okotoks’ Foothills Composite High and Holy Trinity Academy, as well as Cardston High and Catholic Central High will be among the other schools participating in the first year.

The league will run on a trial basis in the fall of 2021 with exhibition games between the seven teams, which will allow schools like Hat High to play one final season in their current leagues.

Something that Skelton hopes will help ease the transition from the local four-school conference.

“I played in Rangeland, I’ve coached here for 30 years and I don’t want to just step away and leave Rangeland in the lurch,” he said. “But, we also know that we need to move forward with our program and we’re going to try to fulfill our commitment with Rangeland as best we can over the next couple of years.”

Skelton adds he has been in contact with Crescent Heights High, Monsignor McCoy High, and Brooks Composite about Hat High’s decision.

MHHS will play six exhibition games against their new opponents in the fall, along with the usual Rangeland Conference regular season games and playoffs.

Getting the opportunity to suit up against top-level teams on a weekly basis is something that incoming freshmen like Kaedan Buckler is excited to step into.

Buckler is joining the MHHS program after a bantam career with the Medicine Hat Hawks program, hoping to play quarterback and safety at the high school level… the same team his dad Warren coaches with.

“I’ve been around this team since before I could walk,” said Buckler. “I’ve come to practice, I’ve idolized these guys my entire life. And now, I get to be there with them and bring them to a championship hopefully.”

Along with joining the new league, Hat High is also considering establishing a junior varsity football team that would help feed talent up to the senior ranks.

With more collegiate eyeballs expected to be fixed on this new league, Skelton is expecting even more scholarship opportunities for his players in the coming years.

“Being able to play at this level with these teams and to prepare our kids then to go to the next level – whether it be junior or university – I think is nothing but a step in the right direction for them,” he said.

Although college is still a ways off for Buckler, yet to take part in his first snap at the high school level, it is something that he’s thinking about more with MHHS’ recent inclusion.

“It’s scary and it’s the most exciting thing that you could possibly hope for as an athlete, because you get to prove that you can do it with the best of the best,” said Buckler.

Skelton expects to put an added focus on video sessions and weight training, with Hat High now matching up against the big dogs in southern Alberta football. However, he’s ready for the opportunity that the challenge will bring for his players and the program as a whole.

“Come next fall when things are a little bit rougher and for real, the smiles might not be quite as big,” he said. “But, right now the kids are very excited about it and they just know playing teams like Raymond, LCI and Okotoks on a regular basis is only going to make us all better. So, it’s exciting.”

by Scott Roblin

Medicine Hat High joining southern Alberta powerhouses in new football league

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