Three Cochrane Cobras football players will don their high-school helmets one last time, as they get set to participate in Football Alberta's annual Senior Bowl next month.
The Senior Bowl is an annual springtime all-star game that features a select team of the top Grade 12 players from northern Alberta against a similar squad from the south.
Tryouts for the south team were recently held in Calgary, and three Grade 12 members of the Cobras were able to crack the squad. The three players include running back Shaun Clazie, quarterback Christian Golem, and offensive tackle Nathan Jasmin-Cara.
Clazie, who scored several touchdowns for the Cobras last season, said he is excited to play alongside his high-school teammates one last time.
"It feels pretty good," the 17-year-old said. "It's nice to go and represent Cochrane one more time before moving on."
This year's Senior Bowl will take place in Lacombe over the May long weekend. After three days of two-a-day training sessions, the game will officially kick off on the holiday Monday.
Cobras head coach Robb McNab said the Senior Bowl is a great way to cap off three years of high-school football for some of the province's top Grade 12 talents. While the bowl game is not the scouting opportunity for university and junior-level coaches that it once was, McNab said playing in the Senior Bowl is still a significant achievement for the players.
“It used to mean a lot, because it was that point where universities would come watch and then sign these players,” said McNab, who coached in the game for the south team last year. “Nowadays, most players have already signed [by now].
“But I think it’s one of those great games and a culminating activity. You get to be teammates with guys you may have battled against over the years. It’s just neat being part of an all-star weekend.”
Considering Clazie, Golem, and Jasmin-Cara were all key contributing members of the Cobras in 2022, McNab said he wasn't surprised to see the trio of players make the south team. He added there were at least two other Cochrane players he expected to make the line-up, but injuries hampered their tryouts.
McNab said he was especially proud to see Golem make the team, touting the hard work the quarterback has put in throughout the last four years.
“From Grade 10 to where he is now, he’s come probably as far as I’ve ever seen any player develop, and I’m just proud of what he’s been doing,” he said.
As for Jasmin-Cara, McNab said he predicts the lineman to have a formidable presence in the south team's o-line.
“I think he’s going to play tackle or guard,” he said. “He’s a big body and works his feet really well. He’s going to be a great lineman. You’re always looking for size, and he’s definitely got that, but he has skill to go along with that as well.”
For Clazie, the Senior Bowl will be somewhat of a family affair, as his older brother Shaun played in the game last year. Having watched his older sibling line up in a Senior Bowl game already, he said it was a goal of his during his senior season to make the all-star game.
"I've always wanted to play in it – it's your Grade 12 season and the last time you're going to play with these guys, so it was always a goal of mine to play in it," Clazie said.
After graduating this June, Clazie's football career will continue at the post-secondary level, as he is committed to playing for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies next fall. The Huskies are the defending Canada West champions, having gone 7-1 in the conference in 2022.
"I think [U of S] attracted me because they're one of the top programs in Canada," Clazie said. "We went out there on a visit and their stadium and their facilities were super nice. The coaches there are also really good."
McNab said he thinks Jasmin-Cara and Golem will also continue their football careers beyond high school, whether at the competitive junior level (U21) with a team like the Calgary Colts, or with a university team.
“I’m hoping to see all three of these guys continue at the next level because they’ve put in a lot of work over the years,” the veteran Cobras coach said. “It’s nice to go out and have at it at the next level.”
