Cochrane football players and a coach were part of an Alberta Selects team that recently came second in the U13 division of the 2022 International Pigskin Classic in Las Vegas, NV.

Linemen Riley Boynton and Jackson Hughes, who just finished their final season with the Cochrane Lions bantam team, and coach Brent Boynton were part of the squad that competed in three games in Vegas at the international tournament that included teams from Canada, Mexico, and the States.

The division was won by a team out of Vegas that was built to compete in the American nationals being held in Florida.

Coach Boynton, one of four coaches for Alberta's team, says they went into the tournament with only 11 hours of training, and another 50 hours will follow in Red Deer. Those skills will be put to the test in a Moose Jaw tournament in January against other select teams from Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Then in February, they head to San Antonio, TX to compete in another international tournament.

The Selects program has been running in Saskatchewan for 11 years and was recently established in Alberta. It's designed to help players to continue to develop after their home seasons have ended.

"The level that these kids get to see is a level we don't see at home," explains Boynton.

"Pretty much here, you see the same group of kids throughout your football career. whether it's in high school or minor football. When you go down there, it's a totally different world for these players."

With a different field size and different rules, being exposed to the American game is valuable for players in the program.

"Learning the sport from both sides of the border is definitely not a bad thing," says Boynton. "There are kids from the program in Saskatchewan in the program that are playing in the States on scholarship, so you never know where things may lead you."

Linemen Hughes and Boynton both say they got plenty out of the experience.

Hughes, 14, has been playing the sport for about eight years, first in Regina, SK, and then in Cochrane for the last four seasons.

He was attracted to football by its speed, intensity, and physicality.

He likes being in the trenches, the most physical position in the sport, and has experience playing both d-line and o-line, and did so at the Pigskin Classic. 

He likes what the Selects program offers.

"The Selects program is really great and we got a few practices to learn how to play as a team and then we got to play American football, which is a different game. It was a really cool experience playing an American team."

He's in grade 9 at Cochrane High and hopes to make the Cobras next season.

Riley Boynton, also 14, agrees that having a chance to play teams you don't normally see, and getting a taste of the American game is valuable.

"The biggest difference on the line you're lining up head-to-head, so as soon as the ball snaps you have to be up and ready."

Boynton will be playing for the Bow Valley Bobcats next season.

Both say they will go as far as they can in the sport.

Bantam Lions2022 Bantam Lions. (photo submitted)

Bantam Cochrane Lions reached Tier 3 finals

Just behind the players and coach is the Calgary Bantam football league season.

The Lions advanced to the Tier 3 finals after defeating the Mavericks, 29-14. It was their second win against the Mavericks this season.

It was the Stampeders who came out on top in the final, 24-0.

Lions head coach Boynton says nothing clicked in the final but says it was a phenomenal season all the same and they were able to work through injuries and sickness with the largest roster he's seen in bantams.

"Even members of the board came up to us and told us we were the most entertaining team to watch all season. Good or bad, you know that the pieces are all there. Sometimes the pieces don't always click the way you want them to. Football is so circumstantial."

He says of the 45 players on the team about a dozen will be going to both the Bow Valley High and Cochrane High teams next season. 

With a large group of players coming up from the peewee Lions, he expects next year's bantam team to be younger and correspondingly smaller.

He says minor football is extremely healthy with all three teams carrying the most players he has seen since becoming involved in minor football four years ago.

"We've definitely seen strong growth since the end of restrictions."