Senior Final: TBirds 28 - Predators 24

That one really hurt! After the game was over you could have heard a pin drop in the Predators locker room as the players and coaches absorbed what had just happened. If anyone thinks that our guys lost because they lacked heart, because they didn't care enough, because they weren't prepared or weren't focused... well, in my opinion none of those things ring true and they don't account for the loss. After the game was over you could read it in the face of every player, every coach - the equipment manager, trainer. Everybody had worked so hard through this season, knowing we had a team that was capable of winning a league championship. From spring camp right through the regular season and playoffs, everybody was aware that this Senior Predators team had a real chance to do something that hadn't been done in 10 years. And it was right there!
We got off to a bit of a shaky start, with the T-Birds managing to pull off two high risk plays early in the game. They had a successful punt fake that they eventually converted into a touchdown, and a short kickoff which they recovered to set up another touchdown. But our guys showed us something - they were not going to quit! Down by two touchdowns early in the game, the Predators did not panic. When Keith Rafuse picked off a Ross Sheppard pass and took it all the way to the house, there seemed to be a subtle shift in momentum. Although the Predators went into the locker room at half time down 14 - 7, there was a feeling that both our defense and our offense were starting to dominate the game. And in the second half, it became clear that our guys were hungry for the victory. Ryley Richardson caught a Garrett Gleisner pass over the middle and shook off the first Shep tackler. He took the ball 84 yards for a touchdown, picking up some key downfield blocks along the way. Kevin Jacobson and the offensive line did their part, breaking through the Shep defense on several occasions. Gleisner and his receivers seemed to be shredding the T-Birds in the second half, rolling up huge yards. Even our kicking game contributed to a very strong second half for the Predators. (And I don't think our kicking game has ever been considered one of the strengths of this team - no offense to anybody.) On at least two occasions when a Predators drive was stalled, Garrett somehow managed to punt the ball deep past the Shep returners - on one occasion kicking for a 70 + yard net gain, to pin the T-Birds in their own end. And what can you say about the Predators defense? All day they virtually shut down the Shep running game - often meeting their running backs behind the line of scrimmage before they had even secured the hand-off. They pressured the T-Birds quarterback, they had very few breakdowns in pass coverage and they forced the Shep offense to earn every yard they got. It was a total team effort, highlighted by a play where Shep's quarterback wanted to throw the ball but couldn't get set because of pressure from the Predators defense. On that play he learned about the quickness of our D. No slouch as an athlete himself, he managed to elude several Predator tacklers, but with each twist and turn he gave up yardage, and no matter what he did there was always another Predator defender in his face. After being chased all over the field and failing to find a running lane or a receiver he was tackled for a 45 yard loss, fumbled the ball, and the Predators recovered deep in T-Birds territory.

Even with the Predators playing so well in the second half, the T-Birds weren't about to roll over and concede the championship. They have a lot of talent and a lot of pride on their team too, and while they may not have looked great on the stat sheet in the third quarter, they only gave up 14 points, and they managed to score a touchdown of their own. Which set up a fourth quarter with the score tied 21 - 21.

The fourth quarter seemed to be a continuation of the third, with the T-Birds unable to advance the ball out of their own end and the Predators threatening to score on several occasions. The 21 -21 tie held up until very late in the fourth quarter. The Predators had once again moved the ball deep into Shep territory and seemed poised to put the winning points on the board with a field goal attempt. Shep would not have a lot of time left to get those points back, and they were not having a lot of success against our defense. And that's when it happened. "Bad things man! Baaaaad things!" The field goal missed. Shep picked up the ball deep in their own end zone, knowing they had to run it out of there to avoid giving up a safety. And they not only ran it out, they ran it all the way down the field, for what we are told was (unofficially) the longest touchdown ever scored in league final history. 28 - 21 for Shep, with time running out on the clock.

I have to admit that in the stands, I was thinking "That's it! Just like that, it slips away from us. Our guys don't have enough time and they won't be able to come back after that." Which just goes to show that I don't have enough faith in our team, because although they were obviously shocked by what happened, they weren't about to give up - they were not going to quit! With time ticking down the offense went to work. Managing the clock as best they could, the Predators continued moving the ball down the field taking what they could from the Shep defense. At the end, our guys would need a miracle to win, but they didn't quit even then. It was a desperation pass that finally ended the Predators hopes on this day. And a miracle of sorts. A pass that might have fallen incomplete, instead it bounces off somebody's foot and straight into the hands of a Shep defender. Interception. Seconds left. Game over. 28 to 24 for the T-Birds.

Honestly, it was a great game to watch, and the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds deserve a lot of credit for maintaining their composure and capitalizing on their opportunities to win the championship. The two best teams in the Edmonton Public league were putting it all on the line and holding nothing back. The T-Birds beat us fair and square. But Parkland football fans should feel very proud of our guys for the way they battled and the way they performed in this game. And as one of the players told me afterward, there didn't seem to be anybody in that dead-silent locker room after the game who was sulking or feeling sorry for themselves. They certainly weren't pointing fingers or blaming others for the loss. A lot of the guys seemed to be taking it pretty hard, maybe wishing that they could have a do-over, possibly blaming themselves for what happened. It shows the true character of this team and it's something else that they can feel proud of - even after a difficult loss they kept their dignity and their pride, they stuck together as a team should.

Now that our season is ended we have to say goodbye to our grade 12 players who won't be back next year. Brayden Berry, Justin Buck, David Charleson, Michael (Budha) Chartrand, Dustin Clark, Brett Dobson, Callan Feser, Addlore Friedel, Steven Giebelhaus, Kris Godreau, Drew Mason, Dylan Niwa, Preston Panasiuk, Neil Parker, Ethan Riedlinger, Josh Solowan, Tyler (Milt) Steigel, Phillip Tautchin, Brett Veidemanis, Dougie Wray and Ryan Zimmerman - the Old Blogger's hat is off to you guys! I hope you enjoyed your time as a Parkland Predator and I wish you success in whatever comes after high school.

To all the rest of the Senior Predators - there's always next year. And to the Junior Predators - all the best in this year's playoffs. The Old Blogger would love to see you guys repeat this year as Champions in the Junior League!