Mohawks promise not to let their guard down in conference final
The Hat High Mohawks have been walking the line between excitement and anxiety all week in anticipation of tonight’s Rangeland Football Conference championship against the Strathmore Spartans.
A victory would bring Hat High its third straight RFC title while launching the team into the provincial campaign on a high, but they’re not taking anything for granted against the threatening underdog Spartans.
“It’s all about respect. We’ve been talking about that in the last couple of weeks, making sure we go out and respect our opponents and making sure we earn the respect we think we deserve as well,” said Mohawks head coach Quinn Skelton, whose team kicks off the RFC final at the Methanex Bowl at 7:30 p.m. “I think the boys are very excited about but they’ve got the nerves going for sure knowing last week was a scare and we’re all well aware of how great Strathmore played Crescent Heights. We’re taking this very seriously.”
Last week’s semifinal scare gave Hat High a wake-up call entering tonight’s big matchup. A narrow 6-3 victory over the Brooks Buffalos was a stiff realization for a Mohawk squad that went undefeated in conference play. On the other side of the bracket, the Spartans managed to upset the Crescent Heights Vikings 23-16, stealing the lead in a close game with a tide-turning interception. The Vikings play the thirdpalce game against Brooks at 5 p.m. The Mohawks have been doing their homework ever since, plotting a more efficient game plan while looking into Strathmore’s potent offence.
“We’ve done some real good work in the classroom at lunch hour with film. They boys are seeing that and getting prepared and the concentration level has been decent out here at practice,” said Skelton, adding the Spartans will be attacking with multiple threats. “They’re quarterback is very talented, a very athletic kid — perhaps the most athletic quarterback in the league. He’s got kids who support him at running back and also his tight end and one of his receivers are both offensively capable.”
While there’s certainly more of a rivalry between the cross-town Mohawks and Vikings, Hat High quarterback Sanjay Grover says it doesn’t matter who’s lining up on the other side of the ball when it comes to the RFC final.
“This is a big game no matter who we’re playing. The focus is here and we’ll be ready,” said Grover, adding the Spartans play with their hearts on their sleeves. “They’re a really emotional team and they’re really strong. They almost beat us the first time we played them.”
Grover — who will start behind centre for Hat High tonight — collected 1,126 passing yards through the regular season, throwing for 14 touchdowns and adding six more on the ground. Grover will be aided by standout runningback Zander Heidinger — who boats 330 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the year — as well go-to receivers Simon Frelick and Blake Carriere Smith, with 363 and 340 yards, respectively.