A wealth of Cochrane and Springbank football players have advanced to the final selection camp for Alberta's U17 and U18 football teams.

Three Cochrane Cobras and three Springbank players were selected from a field of 370 players at a Supercamp in Edmonton over the weekend. In total, 142 advanced to the final camp in Calgary, Apr. 3-5.

Cobras receiver Ty Metcalfe, offensive lineman Dominic Mills and defensive back Benjamin Dobson, all 16, were shortlisted for the U18 team. Quarterback Daniel Skelton, runningback Jack O'Brien and defensive lineman Yianni Georgacacos were all selected from Springbank.

Mills hopes the third time is the charm.

"It feels great because we've been training and practicing hard for this camp. I tried out last year, and the year before, and it didn't work out well. This year it feels really good to make it and to have a chance to represent my town on Team Alberta."

"One of the U of A coaches said that is the best group he's seen in a long time for the offensive line. It's pretty interesting. I'm a lot smaller than most of those guys, so I have to compete with my physicality and technique."

Dobson made last year's U18 at just 15 and strives to crack the roster for a second time. He thrives on the competition offered at the camp in his game of passion.

"It's high-level football. It's a lot faster, and you're playing against the best players in Alberta."

Receiver Ty Metcalfe was writing exams and unavailable at the time of this article.

All three of the Cobras advancing won individual awards for their play last season, and are expected to play a huge role for the Cobras in their final year of high school football.

Cobras coach Rob McNab believes making it to the final camp is huge for the players. He says there's no shortage of talent in Alberta, and being selected for the final camp is a huge challenge. 

"They all have a shot, no question at all," he says. "They're talented kids who can play at the next level as well."

The U18 Alberta team will be competing in the Football Canada Cup in Vancouver, B.C. this fall. The U17 team travels to Maui, Hawaii for a development camp, where they'll play exhibition games against Hawaiian high school teams.