"Winning never gets old."

ASAA Hall of Famer and former Cochrane Cobras coach Bruce O'Neil didn't create the expression, but he might as well have. Both the expression and Bruce come to mind whenever the Cobras notch another championship.

It might even be a suitable motto for the dynasty high school football team.

The Cobras have added yet another Rocky View divisional championship banner to the many already plastering the walls of their school gymnasium.

Through blistering wind and flurries, the Cobras overpowered the Bert Church Chargers, 31-7, on their way to yet another divisional championships on Oct. 26.

That wind curtailed the Cobras typical aerial assault and instead saw them heavily utilize their ground game.

Even quarterback Xavier Vaillancourt scrambled for a few yards. 

"A deep playbook that allows us to use the running game really helps us out in weather like this and will help down the road," he says.

Penalties continue to nullify yardage and points for the Cobras. It could become an issue in the provincials if they persist.

Vaillancourt agrees many of them are unnecessary but is confident the team will be more disciplined come provincials.

"We'll get that cleaned up and polish off our game and we'll win provincials, hopefully."

The team has a couple weeks to prepare for the Nov. 9 provincial regional semifinals against the Winston Church Bulldogs in Lethbridge. Both co-head coach Rob McNab and Vaillancourt say they know little about the team yet.

"We have a couple of weeks of preparation for it so we have to do some homework and get our game plan set and hopefully show them what we're made of here," says Vaillancourt.

Should the Cobras win the Nov. 9 matchup in Lethbridge, Cochrane will host the southern final on Nov. 16. The provincial final is being hosted at Comet Stadium in Raymond, Nov. 23.

Last season, the Cobras won their fifth consecutive provincial championship, a new Alberta high school football record. As the top-ranked tier 3 football team, they hope to make it six consecutive.

Saturday's win against the Chargers marked the Cobras fifth consecutive divisional title. They haven't lost since being upset in 2014 by the George McDougall Mustangs. 

Three years ago, the Chargers nearly folded

Rocky View football coordinator Brian Utley praised the Chargers on becoming a serious threat in the high school league. He praised the team for its amazing rebound after almost folding three years ago.

The Chargers received the banner for being the top tier 2 team in the Rocky View league. They scored in the less 30 seconds of play to successful comeback against the Springbank Phoenix in the semifinals to advance to the divisional final.

The Chargers had a 5-1 record in the regular season, second-best to the undefeated Cobras.