As the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers football team concluded its inaugural season in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA), a palpable sense of positivity was shared by players and coaches following a 19-12 victory over the Bow Valley Bobcats Oct. 5.
The Cavaliers knocked off the visiting team for its second win of the season.
“Collectively, we have started to see the gains of the players’ commitment and focus towards the game of football,” said head coach Roy Lewis. “We finally played four quarters of football for the first time since we became a program.”
With the win, the team finished its regular season with a 2-4 record. Two losses came as forfeits to the Cochrane Cobras and George McDougall Mustangs.
With forfeits put aside, a record of 2-2 in its first RVSA season is a positive step, Lewis said.
“If I could measure where we would be as a team from the day we started a year and a half ago, we’re ahead of our curve to where we should be,” he said. “That is a reflection of our leaders stepping up, Grade 9 and Grade 10 (players) staying fully engaged in our processes and our commitment from our coaches.”
The Cavaliers got off to a rocky start with losses in its opening two games to the Springbank Phoenix Sept. 8 and Chestermere Cowboys Sept. 13. The team was held pointless in those games, losing 26-0 and 28-0 respectively.
“In fairness, the first two games we played are the number two and three teams in the league, so where those teams were just physically stronger than us,” Lewis said. “I’m not convinced they’re better prepared, they were just physically bigger than us.”
The Cavaliers would turn a corner following the losses with a gutsy 17-6 victory over the fellow Airdrie Bert Church Chargers Sept. 22.
“(Finishing the season strong) allows the kids and coaches to stay engaged,” Lewis said. “It also allows Croxford football to now be a little bit recognized that we are building something quite special.
“In a short period of time, we’re putting a decent product on the field.”
Though the regular season has come to an end, the Cavaliers will continue its inaugural season in the Division B playoffs. Game time and opponents are yet to be determined.
