Sooner or later, many of us learn the same lesson: be careful what you wish for.
Bellerose Bulldogs head coach Chad Hill did not hesitate to agree that his ninth-ranked team will face easily its toughest test of the season when they face brilliant running back Chuba Hubbard and the rest of the Bev Facey Falcons Saturday with a chance, however slim, of moving further down the 2016 Alberta high school football playoff trail.
“We know about Chuba,” Hill said in direct reference to a 45-1 defeat early this season. “Everybody knows about him, and nobody has been able to shut him down.”
There is no secret to the Bellerose plan. “Bev Facey has a lot of talent besides Chuba. He’s more than just a runner; he’s also got good instincts for the game.
“We’re realistic,” Hill continued. “We have to do our best to make sure that other players, not just Chuba, have to play well to beat us. We can’t just roll over and let them do what they want.”
Momentum is bound to be a factor for each team. The Bulldogs have never before qualified as a playoff team and are riding a four-game win streak that dates back to September. The Falcons, recognized as potential champions year after year, have flattened their two most recent opponents by a combined 76-0.
Hill, whose junior Bulldogs won 34 consecutive games before a recent loss to the Jasper Place Rebels, has called up several from the younger roster. They’ll provide additional depth and enthusiasm behind Kozak, top receivers Travis Heggart and Cordel Callioux and defensive stalwarts such as 185-pound defensive end Nick Allen and aggressive linebacker Kyle Viczko.
Memories of the early-season loss are not unpleasant for the progressive young coach. “We were down by about 20 points at halftime, but it was only 7-0, I think, when Chuba broke away.
“We had the Falcons at about second-and-20 and we know Bev Facey has a good offensive line. He took a pitchout, went around the end for about 105 yards.”
That settled the game for sure.
If effort and commitment by the double-figure underdogs are enough to make a difference, Saturday’s result will be closer.
jcshort@shaw.ca
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