The Airdrie Raiders took care of business when it mattered most in its Division 2 semi-final.
The midget football team booked its place in the Calgary Spring Football Association (CSFA) Division 2 championship game with a spirited 19-13 victory over the Calgary Wildcats May 23 at Shouldice Athletic Park, in Calgary.
“It’s playoff football, so you have to grind for a full 48 minutes,” said Raiders head coach Steve Kemp. “I thought we did very well with that.”
The victory was the Raiders’ second time playing the Wildcats in as many weeks, after beating the Calgary team 33-21 the week before. In both games, the Raiders had to rally after trailing in the early parts of the second half.
“The mark of a good football team is how we respond when something goes wrong, and I thought the way we responded when stuff went wrong [was good],” Kemp said. “We kept grinding, stuck to the game plan, kept calm and were able to get the break when we needed it.”
While the Raiders took a 10-2 lead in the second quarter, the ‘Cats scored a touchdown and a two-point convert to level the score just before halftime. Calgary then scored a field goal on its opening drive of the third quarter, taking a 13-10 lead.
It remained that way until four minutes into the fourth quarter, when wide receiver Ben Oliver scored a huge touchdown to restore Airdrie’s lead. Oliver caught a sideways pass from quarterback Danny Skelton at the Raiders’ 45-yard line before outpacing three Wildcats’ defencemen en route to the end zone.
Kemp had nothing but praise for Oliver following his 55-yard scamper.
“That’s a huge play – a big-time play in a big-time moment,” he said. “He stepped up and when we needed a spark, he was there. Before that, he was making plays, extending drives and he was able to break one at the right time for us.”
Oliver said the game-winning play was an example of his football education taking over.
“I saw [Skelton] scrambling,” he said. “We were taught if he’s scrambling, to go shorter and to the sidelines. I did that and I caught it. You always work your way to the sideline and that’s what I did, and I just outran the DB down the sideline.”
The Raiders tacked on two more points when Airdrie’s defence forced the Wildcats to take a safety, bringing the score to 19-13.
Airdrie’s defence came up big in the final minutes, preventing the Wildcats’ offence from advancing to the red zone. The Raiders’ D-men held the line long enough to wind down the clock.
Oliver credited the victory to his team’s mental toughness.
“If mental mistakes happened, we stayed tight and corrected them in the next series,” he said. “That was the difference between our team and their team. We didn’t stop trying, even when we made a mistake. You could tell when the Wildcats made a mistake, their energy just dropped right down.”
The win books Airdrie a spot in the CSFA Division 2 championship game May 29. The Raiders’ opponent will be the Calgary Mavericks – a team that beat Airdrie 18-14 earlier this season.
Raiders defensive back Ben Dobson said he’s itching to hit the field for a shot at revenge.
“I think our whole team wants it,” he said. “They were very beatable, and we should have beaten them last time. [The loss] was a huge disappointment, so I think everyone is coming out very hungry to get this win.”
The opening kick-off for the game will be 8 p.m. at Shouldice Athletic Park.
