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BULLDOGS NEWS
Excited about seeing future Bulldogs at the Bellerose Open House on Wednesday, March 2. We look forward to discussing the Bulldogs Football program with student athletes.
Our Spring Camp is only 2 months away, it will be a special year being able to have a spring camp along with a fall camp once again to prepare for exciting 2022 season.
The team's provincial qualifying game is slated for Nov. 9. Their opponent will be determined by which team wins the Division Two Miles Division.
The Bellerose Composite Bulldogs finished off their Division One Metro Edmonton High School football season with a 42-21 loss against the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds on Friday.
The game was a back-and-forth affair until the Thunderbirds pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The loss left the Bulldogs with a 2-5 record for their league play, and had them tied for sixth place in the Carr Division. The finish left them three points outside of a playoff spot.
Head coach, Jason Lafferty, said the team was just outplayed and they don’t have many excuses to fall back on.
“If you make mistakes, turn the ball over, and can’t finish drives, you’re going to lose,” said Lafferty. “It doesn’t matter what level of football you play in, that is the story.
“It’s frustrating that we didn’t finish [higher in the standings] but I thought, for the most part, our kids competed, and everyone has got to keep a perspective.”
Bulldogs star receiver, Ethan Maki, said there were some bright spots for the club during Friday’s loss, but the result wasn't what they were looking for.
“There were a few individuals who over-performed but as a team, we under-performed for most of that game,” said Maki.
The Bulldogs lost a few close games early in the season, including a 25-23 loss against Bev Facey in September and a 23-19 defeat against Austin O'Brien earlier this month. If those games had gone their way, they’d be prepping for a playoff game this week.
Lafferty said the division was closer than the standings show.
“The margin for error at the Division One level is small,” said Lafferty. “We’re all very close [in the division], with Bev Facey, us, Spruce Grove, Ross Sheppard, and Austin O’Brien … I think we are all well matched and it’s a competitive place to play.”
The team's provincial qualifying game is slated for Nov. 9. Their opponent will be determined by which team wins the Division Two Miles Division.
The Bulldogs plan to improve their overall team experience. With last season wiped out due to COVID, many players on this year’s team are still adjusting to the level of play.
Maki said it was a big thing missing from this year’s team.
“Most of the team doesn’t have more than one or two years of experience due to COVID,” said Maki. “Our team, everyone’s teams, missed out on a year of football, and that really hurt everyone.”
Lafferty said he hopes the time off and practices will help them get over that hump so they show well at the provincial level.
“We’re going to put the week behind us,” said Lafferty. “We’ll review the film, have those heart-to-heart moments in our room, get better, and evaluate it.
“These are my guys and we’re going to coach them as hard as we can.”
Standing at just 5’3” Grade 12 student Nicole Gauvin doesn’t fit the stereotype of a high school football player.
But Gauvin squashed the stereotype and proudly represented the Bellerose Composite Bulldogs at Emerald Hills Park in Sherwood Park on Friday.
Seeing a girl play on a high school boys' football team is something head coach Jason Lafferty never thought twice about. Girls have been involved in the school’s football program before and Lafferty said he wants to make sure every student has a chance to show what they’ve got on the field.
“We’ve had girls in our program in the past who have played on our junior team, so it's not out to lunch to have girls interested in tackle [football]”, said Lafferty. “It’s not unusual, it’s just about finding the opportunities where [girls] can get involved in the game.”
Lafferty is impressed with Gauvin’s commitment. He said the ball got rolling after Gauvin approached him with an interest in becoming the team’s kicker.
“Nicole is a really good athlete and she sent me some film asking if she could kick for [the Bulldogs] ... I looked at the film and there were obviously some things to work on in terms of her timing,” said Lafferty. “She’s got a strong leg and more importantly she’s a great kid and I’m happy she’s around our football program.
“Kicking can be a kind of lonely job, so she’s worked on her own and with the team and she’s done a really good job of staying engaged with it.”
Gauvin was a soccer player first. She has played since she was five. She recently became interested in football after a friend of hers pointed out her kicking ability as a potential benefit for the football team.
“It was one of my best friends who told [coach Lafferty] that I was really good at soccer and that I would be a really good kicker,” said Gauvin. “My friend convinced me, and my dad is a big football fan, so I decided to talk to Lafferty about kicking in practice and I guess I got good enough to play in a game,” said Gauvin.
In her first game as a Bulldog, Gauvin had three opportunities to kick a field goal and was able to score all three. The team had her back, and Gauvin said it was an experience right out of her dreams.
“Everyone was cheering for me on the sidelines and when I got my first field goal the guys lifted me up on the field,” said Gauvin. “It was exhilarating, it was crazy, I have never felt that much adrenaline in my life and I’ve played soccer my whole life.”
“It was just ... I don’t know ... it was like a dream and it was so fun!”
Gauvin is currently unsure about whether she’ll pursue football over soccer, but her focus right now is to stay in the moment and enjoy the fun while it lasts.
“I definitely want to go somewhere in soccer, but it would be cool if I could work football into that as well,” said Gauvin.
Her next opportunity to kick for the Bulldogs is this Friday, Oct. 1 as they host the Harry Ainley Titans at Larry Olexiuk Field.
Sports groups across Edmonton remember talented 'procaster' Rob Zittlau
- 10/15/2020, 10:15am MDT
Junior final
- 10/26/2019, 11:00am MDT
Bulldogs chase winning playoffs
- 10/26/2019, 11:00am MDT
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BULLDOGS NEWS
Excited about seeing future Bulldogs at the Bellerose Open House on Wednesday, March 2. We look forward to discussing the Bulldogs Football program with student athletes.
Bulldogs Football Spring Camp
- 02/28/2022, 3:30pm MST
Bellerose Bulldogs' playoff hopes slip away
- 10/27/2021, 10:15am MDT
Nicole Gauvin kicks it with the Bellerose Bulldogs
- 10/01/2021, 10:00am MDT
Sports groups across Edmonton remember talented 'procaster' Rob Zittlau
- 10/15/2020, 10:15am MDT
Junior final
- 10/26/2019, 11:00am MDT
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'DAWGS' STORE IS OPEN
Our Bulldogs Football Store is open for business. Just click on the 'DAWGS Store' tab for access to over 300 items in several different colours. There may be a slight lag in shipping as the product does come from the US.
PLEASE NOTE** Billing is in US Dollars, NOT Canadian.
