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Commitment paying off for Hawks bantam football club

Nov 16, 2018 | 4:23 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — A concussion forced Grayson Price to watch from the sidelines for six weeks, while his teammates tore through every opponent they came across.

It’s only fitting he’s now cleared for contact, giving him the chance to dress in the biggest game of his JV football career.

“It’s pretty nerve wracking after this injury,” said the Medicine Hat Hawks wide-receiver. “I’m going to try to come out as tough as I can.”

Price spoke with confidence and assurance ahead of what could be a historic match Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks, undefeated at 12-0 this fall, can become the first Medicine Hat bantam football team to ever win a provincial title. Only the northern champion Edmonton Mustangs stand in their way of hoisting the Tier II ASAA junior varsity banner.

“It feels pretty good that we’ve accomplished so much this year,” continued Price, who hopes to make the Hat High SV Mohawks next year in Grade 10. “Just being able to have this chance of winning a provincial championship final feels good.”

It’s been a special season for the Hawks. Not only are they undefeated, but they’ve made their victorious tear appear easy.

Scott Howes, who’s coached the Hawks for more than 20 years, indicated they’ve outscored their opponents 504-142 through 12 games this season. That includes a 41-6 laugher over the Okotoks Eagles in last weekend’s provincial semi-final.

“I think this year’s team is that we have a little bit of everything,” said Howes. “Some years we have lots of grit but you don’t have the speed, or your missing something. This year I would say we have a good program. We’ve had teams where we’ve had real cohesive kids and they’ve all got along. Well, that’s this team. They’re friends on and off the football field.”

Life has a Hawk hasn’t always been this rosy, though.

This season’s success is a culmination of tremendous work-ethic, patience, and teamwork, according to Howes.

Last year, boasting a team predominantly full of Grade 8’s, the Hawks won just twice in 10 games, and lost out in their playoff opener.

Much of that team returned to the Hawks fold this fall, yielding a squad that collectively aged one year older and wiser.

“Bantam football is very cyclical,” added Howes. “When these kids were in Grade 7 or 8, we might have had 10 or 12 plays that we could run. Because they’ve learned that, you don’t have to go to the basics as often. We can kind of grow from there. So we end up with a bigger playbook with more options to choose from.”

Brody Fink, a Grade 9 quarterback, believes everyone is working hand-in-hand this season, and that’s churning their impressive results.

“In Grade 7, it was rough,” admitted Fink. “We didn’t do very good. Grade 8 we started working together as a team. It’s just full effort this year, and we’re doing good.”

Defensive end Dylan Callan echoes his fellow Grade 9’s message.

“Grade 7 year, we didn’t win many games. Pretty sure we won like three. Last year we did a little better, but we were still not at our peak until now,” said Callan. “I’ve never been part of a winning team until this year, so it’s just amazing.”

The ball is kicked into the air at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday from the Methanex Bowl.

Although Price may be a little rusty, having missed a month and a half of action, he’s proud of how his team has stuck with the process over the years.

“We knew if we quit, we never would have had a chance to get to this point,” continued Price. “We just kept trying and trying, no matter how many games we lost, or how many points we put on the board.”

This level of commitment came by-committee, experiencing the downfall of defeat as a team for two seasons.

Now, guided by their resilience and patience, they’re one win away from not only rewriting the history books, but also experiencing the elation of victory.