Cougars 20 Pythons 12
The undefeated Notre Dame Bantam Cougars made history while capturing the Tier II Bantam high school provincial title Saturday.
The Cougars won 20-12 over the Parkside Pythons from Medicine Hat at MEGlobal Athletic Park.
It was the first time a school from Central Alberta had won the bantam championship.
“It’s huge,” said Cougars head coach Justin Flunder. “It all begins with culture. We’re faith based. We have a heavy faith-based prayer through the season, and the boys believe and they believe on the field as well, so it’s been awesome.”
Flunder said they knew the Medicine Hat team would be tough to beat.
“We had reports from teams all around Calgary and southern Alberta who said these guys are really big and very strong so bring everything you have,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been doing all season.”
Down 6-0 early, Jaxyn Flunder punched in a touchdown from three yards out after driving the Cougars down the field late in the first half.
From their own one yard line Jaxyn found Ethan Briault on the side for a 109-yard score at the beginning of the third quarter.
Briault made a brilliant one-handed catch on the play and dodged a few defenders before he scrambled the length of the field.
“Second down, we were going to have to do a safety at that point. Called the play we always go to and the rest is history,” the head coach said.
Pythons tailback Damon Jahraus ran the ball in for a one yard score but the second missed two-point conversion of the game left them down one.
Early in the fourth quarter Jaxyn scrambled for a three-yard touchdown, his second of the game. The Cougars QB was a beast in the victory playing both ways, including a big role at linebacker and scoring twice.
“It’s not always easy coaching your son, but when you coach him for the last three years, he has done everything I have ever asked of him,” Justin said.
“He will audible a play if he sees something in the other defence. We have that trust that he can do that. I’m so proud of that young man and all the boys.”
In the Tier III bantam final, the Lacombe Rams lost 27-9.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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