The Drumheller Titans lived up to their name as they defeated the Canmore Wolverines in the local team’s first Tier IV provincial playoff home game, Saturday (Nov. 9) at Millennium Field.
A big team with a strong running game that was well stocked with Grade 12 players, the Titans took advantage of some Wolverines turnovers en route to a 49-14 victory.
The game was played under early winter conditions, with both the Town of Canmore, then players, parents and volunteers turning hands to shovels and snowblowers to clear Millennium Field for the event. The officiating crew were impressed enough with snow clearing efforts that they commended everyone who took part.
The Titans turned a Wolverines fumble on the Canmore team’s first possession into a touchdown to set the tone for the game.
Still in the first quarter, though, Canmore struck back, as quarterback Mark Grain hooked up with receivers Zak Jantz, Alex Brown and Zack Waldbauer, who caught a pass on the Titan’s 10-yard-line and ran it in for a touchdown.
The Titans struck again on the final play of the half on an end run sweep for a 40-yard touchdown.
In the second half, Wolverine turnover woes continued as an opening drive pass was picked off and run in for a touchdown from 50 yards out to make it 21-7 Drumheller.
Drumheller took a rash of penalties in the second half, but, in recovering a fumble, picking off another pass and getting the ball when a Wolverines’ third down gamble failed, the dinosaur country squad extended its lead to 35-7.
Late in the third quarter again, though, Grain managed to find Jantz and Tristan Berendt with passes to keep a drive alive and Jantz for two more, resulting in a touchdown pass from the 13 to make it 35-14.
The Titans wrapped up scoring in the fourth quarter with a long touchdown run and a final interception and touchdown.
A final highlight for the Wolverines was an interception by Drew Buckley with three minutes left in the game. Throughout the game, the Wolverine’s defence was called upon to step up and stop a powerful Titans running game.
The Titans were a tough team, which was not unexpected, said Wolverines coach Chad McClenaghan after the game. “You know what they’re going to do and they do it over and over again, but they’re so good at it. Plus, they had 15 or 16 Grade 12s out there and we had three.
“It was a veteran team against a young team. We’re young, we’re real young. Potential only gets you so far, we’re ready to start seeing some results now.”
McClenaghan said the vast majority of the Wolverines have expressed interest in returning next year and there is interest from more Grade 9 players. After the game, he said, the team’s spirits were down, “but you should have seen them out here yesterday. They spent three and a half hours here with shovels and brooms and nobody complained once.”
In a game where the Wolverines had four turnovers, McClenaghan said the game proved to be a “relentless beating and beating and beating and it’s almost like a constrictor closing in around you.
“It’s the nature of the game in high school football. Sometimes you step up, sometimes it just doesn’t happen.”
The team and its fans were stoked about the home playoff game, however, said McClenaghan. “It was exciting, how couldn’t it be? It was the first home provincial playoff game in team history.
“When you look out here at the mountains and the snow, and there’s snow on the field... this is Canmore and I was really impressed with the town’s spirit, the fans here cheering on the boys… When I got here in the morning there were 10 parents shovelling and sweeping; it was awesome.”
Over winter, said McClenaghan, football preparations will continue, with weight and diet programs for players.
