Furyous win
Sunday’s bantam barnburner between the junior varsity St. Albert Fury and Edmonton Seahawks was decided on the last-minute drive by the home team at Larry Olexiuk Field.
Neil Flett completed the four-play, 70-yard touchdown march with a scamper into the endzone after quarterback James Hill hit wideout Hayden LeBlanc on a 25-yard hitch-and-go down the sideline to make it a first and goal for the Fury.
Hill’s bootleg produced the two-point conversion to make it 36-30.
The drive started with Flett, a rookie slotback, ripping off a long first-down run and on the next play Jamie Clark moved the chains with a big gain.
With 12 seconds left and the Seahawks back on offence, Matty LaPierre ended the game with an interception on a second-and-long-pass play by the visitors.
The first Mills Division game of the season for the Fury in the Capital District Minor Football Association started off with the Seahawks returning the opening kick off to the house, but the TD was called back for holding and then a run of 70-plus yards was nullified by flags.
The Fury regrouped with the first of Clark’s three rushing TDs and the Hill-to-Flett 40-yard catch and run. Clark also added the two-point conversion.
The Seahawks scored before the half ended and was successful with the two-point conversion to trail by 14-8.
The lead changed hands several times in the second half as the offences took turns generating points.
The Fury took nearly eight minutes off the clock on a lengthy drive that Clark finished off with the red-zone major.
After a special team’s TD and lengthy scoring run by the Seahawks, the Fury replied with Clark’s third TD off a 25-yard toss and Hill’s bootleg converted the score.
The Seahawks eventually regained the lead, setting the stage for Flett’s winning TD.
The Fury played without the services of linebacker/slotback Josh Mah, who is recovering from an upper-body injury from rugby, as well as speedy receiver Alex Braden and starting offensive lineman Adam Kociuba.
The Fury roster is loaded with graduates of the senior varsity peewee St. Albert Riders, 10-1 last year as the Tier I CDMFA champions and Football Alberta provincial finalists. The Riders were also the first St. Albert peewee team to compete in the Tier I provincial final since the 2006 champion Riders.
Saturday the Fury are in Wetaskiwin to play the Warriors at 12:30 p.m.
The Warriors lost 36-20 to Fort McMurray last weekend.
The senior varsity bantam St. Albert Palmer 49ers also kicked off their Morgan Division schedule with Sunday's 34-32 win against the Edmonton Chargers at W.P. Wagner Sports Field.
The next game is Sunday versus the Sherwood Park Rams at 12:30 p.m. at Emerald Hills Turf Field.
The Rams, last year’s CDMFA Tier I finalists, suffered a 56-0 loss to the Spruce Grove Cougars last weekend.
High school games
The metro Edmonton high school football league kicks off with Friday’s doubleheader at Larry Olexiuk Field.
In pool A of the division two Miles/division three Gilfillan regular season conference, the Paul Kane Blues and the second-year Sturgeon Spirits (2018 Gilfillan finalists) huddle up at 5 p.m. and the 7:30 p.m. contest is between the St. Albert High Skyhawks (2018 finalists in the Miles and Tier III provincial north playoffs) and Beaumont Bandits.
The Bellerose Bulldogs are also in action Friday against the Harry Ainlay Titans (2018 division one Carr conference champions and Alberta Bowl Tier I finalists) at 5 p.m. at Foote Field.
Meanwhile, the second annual Sturgeon jamboree is on tap today at Taurus Field in Fort Saskatchewan.
Sturgeon hosts the Whitecourt Cats and Father Mercredi Trappers of Fort McMurray in the 45-minute controlled scrimmage format.
The Skyhawks pulled out of the jamboree Thursday.
Start times are 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Atom results
St. Albert’s three atom teams made their season debuts in the Wildcats (North/South) Division of the Capital District Minor Football Association last weekend.
Buccaneers: A pick-six by safety Cameron Foster late in the game highlighted the 49-7 loss to the Fort Saskatchewan Falcons.
Ethan Schimpf (fullback/defensive tackle) and Ayden Maki (centre/defensive end) logged lots of minutes as two-way players.
Madeline Neale was called upon to make key stops at linebacker while quarterback Brody Dorn and running back Sophia Rees assisted in the Bucs generating first downs.
Vikings: The 21-7 loss to the Sherwood Park Rams went down to the wire.
On defence, Julian Ammar and Cole Wallace made key tackles at the one-yard line followed by two successful goal-line stands by the defence.
Ammar also ran for a touchdown as Carter McNutt set up the score with a timely block.
Max Sponchia and Kai Anderson also assisted with the Vikings' offensive attack.
Jaguars: The 14-7 setback to the Strathcona County Wolverines featured solid efforts by a pair of returning players in Lucas Massey and Milo Harty.
