Bragging rights are on the line as Cochrane's two high-school football teams get set to face each other this Friday.
The Bow Valley Bobcats and Cochrane Cobras will take each other on Sept. 16, with kick-off set for 4 p.m. on the Spray Lakes turf field behind Bow Valley High School.
Bobcats head coach Dustin Paul said he's "pumped" to see his players take on their local rivals.
“I've had this one circled on the calendar," admitted Bow Valley's first-year head coach. "[Cochrane] is always the one you have circled on the calendar."
As a coach with the Cochrane Lions minor football program for many years, Paul said he is familiar with many of the Cobras players, who he has coached previously at the atom, peewee, and bantam age groups.
"I know those players well, and I’m really looking forward to getting on the field and playing those guys,” he said.
After two defeats to start the season, the Bobcats are still seeking their first win of the 2022 Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) campaign. The team's most recent outing was a 24-7 defeat at the hands of the still-unbeaten W.H. Croxford Cavaliers Sept. 9, in the Bobcats' first home game of the year.
According to Paul, the Bobcats stayed in the contest for the first two quarters, only trailing Croxford 10-7 at halftime. But a few defensive errors led to the Cavaliers extending their lead by two additional touchdowns to see out the result.
"Realistically, it was a pick-six and blown coverage, otherwise that would have been a completely different game," Paul said. "I wouldn’t say [we] fizzled out – more just mental gaffes. But that’s what you’d expect with a young team like we have. They’re not going to be spot-on every single play, but they’re definitely doing their jobs, putting the work in, and getting where we want them to be. I’m so proud of these guys already.”
While they fell short on the scoreboard, Paul said Bow Valley's home-opener was still a celebratory affair. He said a large crowd came out to support the Bobcats, and the occasion was treated as a spectacle, with food trucks, a merchandise table, music, and an announcer adding to the vibrant occasion.
"I think it was probably the biggest crowd I’ve seen at a Bobcats game since back when I played 20 years ago," said Paul. "We had merchandise, a 50-50 raffle, music, an announcer – we had the whole shebang. The food trucks did extremely well. We had four food trucks and I think three of them nearly ran out of food.”
The Bobcats will have a tough task ahead of them this Friday. Cochrane High – the RVSA's perennial powerhouse, having won the seven-team division six years in a row – is currently 2-0 on the season. The Cobras, who are also the eight-time defending Tier 3 provincial champion, have started the 2022 season in typically dominant fashion, outscoring opponents 93-27 in their two games thus far.
Cochrane's two games in the RVSA included a 44-27 win over Bert Church Aug. 26 and a 49-0 shut-out of the Chestermere Lakers.
With a bye in the RVSA schedule last week, the Cobras had an exhibition game lined up against the Tier 1 St. Francis Browns of Calgary, but the game was called off due to a lack of referee availability. According to Cobras head coach Rob McNab, the two teams squared off the following day in an unofficial controlled scrimmage.
"We crashed and bashed for a couple of hours and it was fun," he said. "They scored some, we scored some. We held our own athletically. Physically, they're a little bigger and stronger, but our kids stepped up and I was pretty proud of them.
"We played well. Athletically, we can match up with most teams in the province."
Reiterating Paul's comments, McNab said the Cobras players are excited to take on their cross-town rivals on Friday, and anticipates a big crowd.
"Last year that place was rocking [when we played Bow Valley," he said. "It was packed. It's just one of those Friday Night Lights things you just want to see in Canada every week.
"It's great when the two Cochrane teams get together," the long-serving coach added. "A lot of those kids have played since they were in atom, through peewee and bantam. Now they're in high school and it's just a great opportunity to get on the field and compete."
