A crop of Airdrie football players helped their provincial colleagues beat teams from Texas and Kansas at their own game last month, during the International Border Battle football tournament in San Antonio.
From Feb. 24 to 27, six high-school-aged Airdrie players suited up for the Alberta Selects varsity team during the tournament, taking on squads from Texas, Kansas, and Saskatchewan.
Kendrid Price, a Grade 10 defensive back from Bert Church High School, was one of the Airdrie players who successfully tried out for the Alberta Selects varsity squad. He said making the Selects was a gruelling process that included multiple trips to Red Deer to try out, followed by two months of practices to get ready for the trip south.
“Our team would practice sometimes for six to eight hours a day on weekends,” he said. “Then, we went to Saskatchewan to play against a few Saskatchewan teams, and after that, we went to Texas.”
According to Price, one of the biggest challenges of the International Border Wars tournament was learning to play by American football rules, which include a fourth down and other small but noticeable differences from the Canadian game. He said he had never played the American version of the sport before, but added he now likes both equally.
“It was definitely a pretty big adjustment because a lot of things change in American rules,” he said. “Usually, I wouldn’t have to be on the line with all the big guys, but in American football, I do.”
While Alberta’s squad was apprehensive about taking on teams from the football-crazy states of Texas and Kansas – two states where the sport is almost like a religion – Price said the Albertans surprised many by beating their American counterparts.
“I was definitely nervous going to Texas. Even on the field, I saw some of the guys there and they were twice the size of anyone I’ve played before,” he said. “Knowing I had to go against them was pretty scary. But we actually ended up beating Texas and Kansas. It felt really good. Everyone I talked to said we’d get blown out by Texas and Kansas by 20 or 30 points, so it was crazy that we ended up beating them.”
The Alberta Selects ultimately finished second, after losing 15-14 in the championship game to the Saskatchewan Selects.
Even though the trip was football-centric, Price said the Alberta players did get to enjoy some touristy outings, such as seeing the Alamo and checking out the San Antonio River Walk.
He added it was good to have other Airdrie players on the Alberta team, including his Chargers teammate Charlie Wiersma and George McDougall Mustangs playres Paul Condon, Adam Mosher, Dawson Jensen, and Nate Brown.
Wiersma, a Grade 11 slot receiver, reiterated Price's comments about having to adapt his play to abide by the American rules.
“Usually for slot, I move up to the line during the play, but [under the American rules], I have to stand still and use different steps on my routes,” he said.
Wiersma added his biggest takeaway from the trip was the experience of playing against a higher calibre competition than he is used to.
“It’s a stereotype for Texans, how good they are at football, so it was surprising that we were able to beat them in their own stadium,” he said.
Even though Bert Church and George McDougall players are bitter rivals during the high-school football season, Price said players from the two schools tend to get along well, as many of them play for the Airdrie Raiders midget team during the spring season.
“It was definitely good to have people from Airdrie on the team, especially people I’ve played against before,” he said. “It kind of brought us together. Usually, during the season, we’re enemies, so it was a pretty cool experience [to be brought together as a team].”
