It’s often said defence wins championships.
In the case of the Foothills Falcons, defensive leadership and offensive execution paved the way to a ride through the history books as the Comp won its first ever consecutive Tier II provincial championship behind a now legendary group of seniors.
“This means a lot, not only to us, but to prove that our coaches have the best Div. II program in Alberta,” said Falcons senior linebacker Keaton Goossen. “I think that holds true. This is the start of a dynasty, really, it all starts right now.”
Foothills eclipsed the St. Joes Celtics 37-4 for a second straight year to win the Alberta Bowl on Friday.
As was the case all season, the defence set the tone in the final.
“We had eight Grade 12s that started for us on defence,” said Falcons head coach Darren Olson. “When you’ve got that kind of a defence you don’t need to score 30 points to win. That takes a lot of pressure off the young guys who are playing on offence.
“Our leaders on the defence and the offence were outstanding this year.”
It’s hard to argue with the results.
The history of the now six-time provincial champion Falcons is littered with talented players, many of whom have gone on to collegiate football and even the CFL where Comp graduate Anthony Parker is an established wide receiver.
None of them have done the provincial double.
“Back to back, our coaches told us it’s the hardest thing to do,” said Falcons Grade 12 rush end Colten Canturk. “It’s a big accomplishment to do that and leave our legacy behind like that.”
Foothills won the 2015 title in dominant fashion with a star-studded lineup of seniors in quarterback Trey Kellogg, defensive back Brendan Lowry and running back Landon Rose leading the charge.
“Since we had so many seniors leave last year lots of people doubted us. Now we’re provincial champs,” Canturk said. “We lost a lot of athletic people, but I think it was our hard work. Our whole team was hitting the gym six days out of seven days.”
Goossen echoed the sentiment.
“Everyone was doing their part, chipping in, playing within the system,” Goossen said. “They realized that we were not going to get it based off talent alone. We had to work for it.
“We were more of a blue-collar team this year. We changed our identity. Most of our games we were chipping away, nickel and diming it down the field.”
The Falcons players were quick to credit their coaches for getting the team back to its apex.
Despite the similar result, the Falcons played very different football to end up again on top in 2016.
“We have such a bond with our coaches. They know what we’re like. They trust us with anything,” Canturk said. “Last year we were a big team, this year we just grind.
“Our coaches always know what to say to get us riled up. Every second half we came out firing and that’s all because of the coaches.”
Not that the Grade 12s needed any extra motivation in the championship game. Particularly the senior-laden defensive unit.
“Us Grade 12s, because we do dominate the defence and have a lot of people it was a more emotional game,” Goossen said. “It was all about that last game. Really pushing it, giving it all you got and leaving it all on the field. That really drove us.”
Foothills’ road to the provincial crown was not without its detours.
The Comp dropped its first two games of the season before well and truly hitting its stride in the Big Rock Football Conference and later the provincial playoffs.
“I never had any doubt from the beginning I thought we were going to win it,” said Falcons Grade 12 linebacker Tyler Going. “We lost our first two games, but I think that kind of helped us. Losing to Rundle last year actually helped us a lot to win.
“It goes down in history. It’s pretty cool. We will always leave a legacy at the school with the football program.”
