The Cochrane Cobras football team capped off the 2018 high school football season the same way it has the last four years – by winning the Tier 3 provincial championship. The Cobras captured an unprecedented fifth consecutive provincial title Nov. 24 by defeating the Holy Rosary Raiders 25-8 in the Alberta Bowl, held this year at the SMS Equipment Stadium in Fort McMurray. The Lloydminster-based high school has become a familiar foe for the Cobras in recent years – Holy Rosary is the team Cochrane beat in the last three Alberta Bowls. Cobras co-head coach Bruce O’Neil said reclaiming the provincial championship was the team’s goal all season, and it was great to see that goal come to fruition. “It's nice to set history, and set the bar moving forward with something that no other team has done,” he said. “The kids were aware of it and played like they wanted to set the record.” According to O’Neil, the victory over the Raiders was the result of a complete team performance, with solid showings from the offence, defence and special teams. "We got a touchdown off special teams, two from the offence and the defence made stops,” he said. “The defensive coaching staff really came up with a great plan, and the boys executed it to perfection." He added quarterback Xavier Vaillancourt was able to shake off throwing an early interception that resulted in the first touchdown of the game going to Holy Rosary. "Once [Vaillancourt] threw that pick, [Holy Rosary] were pretty high, because in the previous three games, they never had the lead,” O’Brien said. “But [Vaillancourt] calmed down, which is the sign of a great player.” Cochrane had qualified for the Alberta Bowl after defeating the Cardston Cougars Nov. 10, in the provincial quarterfinal, and the Brooks Buffalos Nov. 17, in the provincial semi-final. After dominating its opponents in the Rocky View Sports Association all season, the Cobras faced its toughest challenge of the year against the Cougars. Cochrane had trailed 17-7 late in the first half, before a touchdown from receiver Dawson Laye brought the team back within three points. A strong second-half showing – which included a blocked punt and two sacks while the Cougars offence was deep in Cobras territory – allowed Cochrane to squeak past Cardston, 24-17. After the quarter-final, Cobras co-head coach Rob McNab said there had been many crucial plays in the game that turned the result in Cochrane’s favour. “That touchdown from [Laye] was certainly one of them, without a question,” he said. “If we go down 17-7 at the half, things might be a little bit different, but having that late touchdown like that brings the spirit back up and gave us a little bit of a momentum shift. “It’s a cliché thing to say, but it was huge – no doubt about it.” The Cobras enjoyed a more one-sided performance Nov. 17, on the road against the Brooks Buffalos. The game ended 21-6 in favour of Cochrane, which scored two first half touchdowns and added another one in the second half to secure the trip to Fort McMurray. Along with the provincial title, another highlight of the Cobras’ 2018 campaign was setting a new record in Alberta for consecutive wins in high-school football. The Cobras’ 55-14 victory over the Chestermere Lakers Sept. 21, during the regular season, was the team’s 40th consecutive win, and it overcame the previous record set by the Raymond Comets in the early 2000s. "The first goal was to win the provincials, and then, setting the consecutive win record was obviously second,” O’Brien said. “It feels really good to achieve that.” –With files from Troy Durrell
